Eating Our Spinach: Contemporary Art Futures in California

2 1 6 W A L 3 4 ( 2 ) S U M M E R 1 9 9 9 p o r t r ait s o f lo c a l c h ar ac t e r s, m o st n o t a b le a m o n g t h e m a fr ie n d ly Je w ish m e r c h a n t an d h is fam ily , w h o fa sc in a t e St e v e n so n a n d w h o e lic it h is ge n ia l b u t t e llin g c o n d e sc e n sio n . O n e t h in g le ad s r at h e r sle e p ily t o a n o t h e r u n t il t h e fin al c h ap t e r , w h er e w e ar e p r o m ise d an a c c o u n t o f “h o w t h e d ay s p asse d a n d w h at p le asu r e w e t o o k in t h e m .” Bu t h a v in g r o u se d h im se lf t o a b e la t e d r e c k o n in g, St e v e n so n c o n ­ fe sses t h a t “t h e gr e at e r p ar t o f o u r life a t Silv e r a d o [w as] p asse d , p r o p p e d u p o n an elb ow , or se a t e d o n a p la n k , list e n in g t o t h e sile n c e t h a t t h e r e is a m o n g t h e h ills” ( T h e S i lv e r ad o S q u a t t e r s, in H a r t ). D o u b t le ss, y o u w ill r e q u ir e t h e e x t r a c t io n o f so m e fu t h e r m o r se l o f m e an in g fr o m t h is b r ie f e x c u r sio n t h r o u gh m y p a st an d St e v e n so n ’s p r ose. I assu r e m y se lf t h a t t h e in sid e r /o u t sid e r d ist in c t io n w ill b e o f so m e u se, p r in cip ally I su p p o se t o t h o se w h o n u m b e r t h e m se lv e s am o n g t h e form er. A s t o t h e sign ific an c e o f t h e d iffe r e n ce s b e t w e e n m y in sid e r ’s v ie w an d St e v e n so n ’s o u t sid e r ’s v iew o f C a lifo r n ia , c o n ­ sid e r first t h e e v id e n t d isp ar it y o f t a le n t o n d isp lay . T h a t d o n e , r e fle ct t h a t it is fr e q u e n t ly...