He’s proud, but may be down on his ‘luck’
By Daily Press staff
Third Street Promenade performer Mikel Proudlock expects to be barred from operating this weekend.
“This morning the head monitor (of the Promenade) gave me the heads up that I’ll be shut down this weekend,” Proudlock said Monday. “He’ll pass on information of steps I can take in a couple days.”
Proudlock creates “Forever Roses” by twisting, turning and knotting palm tree fronds in the shape of a rose. He said he’s been operating under a “performance” permit for the past three years.
A week ago Proudlock tried to renew his permit but was denied. He said the city now deems his art a “craft” and is no longer permissible.
Proudlock obtained the permit by saying he uses paint on canvas, which the city deems as art.
“Every once in a while I bring a bottle of paint and a brush, these (the palm fronds) are my canvas,” he said.
Proudlock is frustrated that the city has authority to categorize his work.
“I’ve been asking people all week if this is art or a craft, and they all say it’s art,” he said.
Proudlock produced a copy of the performance permit ordinance and pointed to the paragraph that stipulates what the city considers a performance. Included with playing music and dancing is the clause “creating tangible art objects to entirety.”
Proudlock said with frustration, “I take a palm and turn it into a rose, that’s creating an art object to its entirety. I wish I had a picture of the crowds watching me make these (the roses). Then I’d have proof this is performance.”
City Attorney Marsha Moutrie said the city has the right to make a distinction between art and crafts. The distinction is based on whether the product is unique in object or is mass produced.
“We try to use standards that can be articulated,” she said. “The hardest distinction to make is between arts and crafts.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2002. Read the original PDF.