Miss Jo's San Francisco

IN ONE OF THOSE UNEXPECTED SAN FRANCISCO MOMENTS, ON HER WAY TO SEE MS. TERIOSA, Miss Jo stumbled upon a one-day art installation at the Mission Park and Playground on Valencia Street between 19th and 20th.

Attached to the fence and next to the faux green birdhouse filled with plastic bags for dog poop was a white box, like a first aid kit, but labeled in black: “Economic Relief.”

As Miss Jo stepped closer, a woman walked up and opened it. Inside, were four green laughing “Lucky Charm” buddhas in clear plastic tubes. They were priced $2.50. It was self serve. Put money in the slot.

The woman handed Miss Jo a one-page map explaining that the buddha dispensary was part of  the “Passive/Aggresive” art exhibit put on by the Southern Exposure Gallery in the Mission. Celebrating Public Art/Urban Interventions Day,  35 artworks were spread around the neighborhood from 11 artists examining power and powerlessness in society.
“Economic Relief” was one of seven works in the exhibit by Los Angelean Jackson Wang in his “Peace of Mind” collection, which examines fear, consumer consumption and civil liberties.

While touring Wang’s website, Miss Jo got the chills, since part of his artistic satire deals with government fear mongering, which she witnessed her share of while working as a reporter and living in Washington, D.C. during 9/11 and its aftermath.

Remember that sage Bush administration alert to seal windows and doors with duct tape to keep terrorist gas attacks out ? From the regular security scares that caused sometimes frightening building evacuations to the blowing up of suspicious bags (usually belonging to the homeless), life in the nation’s capital was a gauntlet of figuring out what was real, paranoia or political power grab.

Miss Jo will never forget the eerie anthrax-laced letter scare on Capitol Hill and how as a precaution– and along with thousands of others working on the Hill—  she took a strong antibiotic against the outside chance of having come in contact with the deadly bacteria. At the time, it all seemed oddly routine, like renewing a driver’s license.

To better cope, Miss Jo now wishes she had known about Peace of Mind’s homeland security aids like Wang’s “Doomsday Watch,” “Patriot Card,” “Emergency Chocolate” and “Whisper Amplifier.”

Peace of Mind products, according to instructions for Economic Relief,  are “designed to alleviate the American public’s anxieties over our social, economical and political climate.” Using various kinds of honor-system vending machines, “relief products are available in boxes placed in congested areas that may present possible risks to the average citizen’s well-being.”

Miss Jo felt fortunate to have found Economic Relief and now wishes she had bought a buddah.
Photos of Economic Relief by Miss Jo