Code,999024
Subject,Steve Cagan
Date,
Interviewer,
Abstract,"Steve Cagan came to Cleveland in 1970 for the New University Conference, but soon after arriving his job was eliminated. In his search for a new life direction he became interested in photography. Cagan discusses protests in Cleveland during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, especially the anti-war and the Latin-American movements. His exposure to and involvement in these movements spurred his interest in creating progressive and socially conscious art. In the 1970s and 1980s his creative focus took another turn as he got involved in the labor movement. He was associated with numerous cultural organization and advocacy groups, which in many instances took him around the world. He expresses his dismay at how infrequently culture is incorporated into the sciences, politics, and even Cleveland's social environment. "
Tags,"New University Conference, photography, anti-war movement, labor movement, unions, labor, art, culture, Latin America, leftist movements, protest"
minutes:,
0,
1,"came to Cleveland in 1970, New University Conference"
2,expanded the organization
3,spent the first year working for Cleveland branch of NUC
4,"the next year they did not have that job any longer, started looking for teaching jobs"
5,"were thinking of going to Chicago, but decided not to. He had various teaching jobs, reading courses at Case"
6,in 1972 became interested in photography and started combining in with political activism
7,"Cleveland in 1970 - dynamic place economically, steel production"
8,"small downtown, vast expansion of private houses, people on the streets"
9,"racial segregation in the city, things changed because of Carl Stokes"
10,"St. Claire - racial segregation, east Cleveland, Little Italy"
11,"academic left movement, impact of Kent State"
12,"the Vietnam war, 1960 ies Cleveland an important center of civil rights movement, the People's church, New American Movement"
13,"participation in various political movements, support for Chile in late 1970 ies"
14,"a lot of activists in Cleveland in 1970ies, very active lesbian community, anti-war activity, CSU"
15,"very strong sense of community in leftist movements, decline of Cleveland, lots of people left"
16,"Ohio Public Interest Campaign, anti-Vietnam war movement in Cleveland"
17,"1974, May, student anti-war activity, Judy Collins"
18,the speaker was involved in anti-war movements
19,the peace campaign
20,"""freelance photographer work"""
21,"progressive, socially-conscious art"
22,in the fall 1974 delegations were sent to Vietnam
23,"visit to north/south Vietnam, there produced ""serious and good photography"""
24,"""all art, photography is political"""
25,"""my work was intended to help build relationships between people of this country and another countries"""
26,work should have an impact on people
27,activist photography and political photography
28,"Latin-American movements in 1980ies, small influx of Chilean refugees"
29,"getting involved in solidarity work, trip to Cuba, was embarrassed that he couldn't speak any Spanish"
30,"learned Spanish, Cleveland Central America Solidarity Committee"
31,"""we were opposed to the US intervention"""
32,"organizations Interreligious Task Force, Witness for Peace"
33,Cleveland Central America Network
34,"different organizations in Cleveland, WELCOME organized by Michael Charney (?)"
35,progressive art and culture organization Common Works
36,"activities of this organization, ""hunger for own culture"""
37,concerts and cultural activities in 1980ies
38,his photography projects in late 1970 early 1980ies
39,there is a separation between cultural work and political work
40,"John Steinbeck, Eugene Evtushenko"
41,music - part of labor movement
42,"""the inability of science and humanities people to talk to each other"""
43,"ñcultural people, social activists they live in their own groups"""
44,"the Museum, the orchestra etc institutions of Cleveland tend to be too dominant"
45,possibilities of integrating cultural work
46,
47,"""expressing negativity"""
48,all art is justified by its contribution to civic activity
49,no support for individual visual artists in Cleveland
50,
51,union contracts
52,had a goal of becoming a labor photographer in Cleveland
53,
54,
55,"""I had two commissions form law firms that represent unions"", project Working Ohio"
56,"The Iron (?) workers union, speaker's work with them"
57,project in Youngstown
58,fundraising for his shows
59,photographed: steel and factory workers
60,photographed a number of healthworkers
61,"park farms, chicken factory, supermarket workers"
62,
63,positive change: there is a lot more racial tolerance