Hang around Bend long enough and you’re sure to see it: the bumper sticker that reads, “Be Nice You’re in Bend.” While benign enough on its face, at least one group of local creators and artists of color see it as a sign of exclusion and supporting the status quo—one in which Bend maintains the reputation of lacking diversity and being “so white.” Be nice, don’t rock the boat, don’t complain about things that might be unjust.
“There’s always this ethos of, we are nice,” said Dan Ling, member of the local group, Central Oregon BIPOC, or COBIPOC. “And then when people speak out against injustices that we see, people are like, well, I’m supportive, but I don’t think it needs to be this loud, this violent, this in-my-face, whatever. And it’s this idea of niceness that, in itself, is a tool of oppression and silencing.”
With that sticker in mind, COBIPOC set out to create a zine at the start of the pandemic—one conceived and carried out by the people of color who live in the region, and who, the group points out, number in the thousands—far more than the traditional narrative might support. One definition of a zine, for those not in the know, is “a self-published, non-commercial print-work that is typically produced in small, limited batches,” according to The Bindery, a printer of book, literary and print art.
“The idea of creating a magazine or zine was kind of two-fold,” said Bear Patton, a local artist and founder of the group. “We wanted to bring people together, especially BIPOC folks—but to create something that was COVID safe.”
After creating the first issue of the ‘zine, titled Complex(ion), late last year—featuring art, poetry and other written works from over a dozen local people of color—COBIPOC teamed up with Scalehouse to set up a gallery show in Scalehouse’s downtown Bend space.
The show, which opens Friday, is titled “Be Nice White… You’re in Bend: Local Artists of Color Challenge the Narrative that Central Oregon Has No Diversity,” and hearkens back to that popular sticker seen around the city. In addition to other pieces on display, the opening night of the show will include an interactive exhibit, “Line in the Sand.”
“Ten containers of different colored sand will be placed around an empty glass frame,” Scalehouse described in a release. “Each of the colors of sand represents a challenging experience that BIPOC in our community might face, from microaggressions to violence or systemic oppression. BIPOC visitors are invited to take a scoop of the sand that represents their experience and place it in the frame. As the layers accumulate, a picture will form of the various lived experiences of BIPOC in our community.”
Another piece, titled “Intrusion,” mixes audio recordings and digital art and further shares locals’ lived experiences. Also included in the group’s zine is the image on this week’s Source Weekly cover, titled “Human DNA.” Patton, who identifies as Korean American, said she created the work after conducting an interview with a local Black woman.
“People don’t always recognize what makes us human, and that we have human experiences, too. Being a queer Asian woman, I often feel—I’ve had a lot of experiences of being fetishized and exotified from an early age,” Patton told the Source Weekly. “This woman who I was interviewing was talking about her own blackness and feeling like she’s never Black enough, and feeling like living in a white community, there’s a lot of tokenization that happens. When you are a person of color who’s fetishized and exotified, demonized and stereotyped, it’s hard to really just get to experience the things that all other humans get to experience—especially white folks.”
The “Be Nice White You’re in Bend” opening night event happens from 5 to 8pm at the Scalehouse Gallery. Visitors can enter on the Tin Pan Alley side of the building. The show is open through Sept. 25, and the gallery’s regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1 to 6pm and by appointment.
COBIPOC is planning its second issue of the Complex(ion) zine now, Patton said. More information on the group is available on Instagram @complexion_bend.
Be Nice White… You’re In Bend
Fri., Aug 6-Sat. Sept. 25
Scalehouse Gallery
550 NW Franklin Ave., Suite 138, Bend
Scalehouse.org
Find COBIPOC’s zine on Instagram @complexion_bend
This article appears in Aug 4-11, 2021.
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As I was reading this article I couldnt believe the division you yourself are causing!! Be nice your in Bend offends people?? Since when? Since you decided to make it offensive?? Im pretty sure that this is coming from a lib mentality. Ive seen that sticker on cars forever not once did I think it was offensive. Yall just keep pokin the bear and honestly itll come after ya. Be nice does not in any way suggest this is directed to people of color. Whats the matter with yall!!! Stop trying to start something! Im sincerely sick of the offense everyone feels they need to pick up and run with. I dont give a flying fig what color you are. Be kind. Be nice. Enjoy Bend. We love this town and we want people to enjoy their stay and their home. So why dont you let it start with you bendsource. Stop stirrin the pot.
I agree with a lot that you stated. Something to keep in mind though, is that until a person walks in another person’s shoes, they can’t begin to understand what that person has gone through or experienced in their life. Unfortunately biases and racism are interwoven into our society on many levels. It can be very subtle or quite blatant. Both cause pain, suffering and fear. Having it expressed in an Art form is very powerful & cathartic for those who experienced this 1st hand. Plus hopefully it will help others to understand the exacting toll that bias, racism and bigotry extract from not only those who have experienced it 1st hand, but also the damage & fallout it creates within our society as a whole. There isn’t enough pretty wrapping paper in this world to cover said atrocities.
This is typical of people trying to find controversy where none exists. Bend is a nice town. Look up a definition of “nice” and you will NOT see anything racist. If one’s art is good then you don’t need false accusations to draw attention to it!!
One of the most racist displays I have ever seen! Taking a friendly saying that was intended to get people to chill out and enjoy the rivers and mountains and turning it into something racist is completely false is so wrong!