Have you guys ever been to the Natural History Museum?

我很愛博物館。

In New York City?

你們曾經去過國家歷史博物館嗎？

(Applause)

在紐約市的？

So one of the things that I do is I take my kids to the museum.

（掌聲）

Recently I took them to the Natural History Museum.

我會帶我的孩子去博物館。

I had my two sons with me, Sabian and Dabith.

最近，我帶他們到國家歷史博物館。

And we go into the front entrance of the museum,

我帶著兩個兒子， 賽賓恩跟戴比斯，

and there's that amazing sculpture of Teddy Roosevelt out there.

我們到了博物館前面的入口，

You guys know which one I'm talking about.

外面有一座很棒的羅斯福雕像。

Teddy Roosevelt is sitting there with one hand on the horse,

你們知道我在說的是哪一座吧。

bold, strong, sleeves rolled up.

羅斯福坐在那裡，一隻手在馬上，

I don't know if he's bare-chested, but it kind of feels like it.

英勇、堅強、捲著袖子。

(Laughter)

我不知道他有沒有袒胸， 但感覺好像有。

And on the left-hand side of him is a Native American walking.

（笑聲）

And on the right-hand side of him is an African-American walking.

在他的左手邊， 有個美國原住民在走路。

And as we're moving up the stairs,

在他的右手邊， 有個非裔美國人在走路。

getting closer to the sculpture,

當我們正在上樓梯時，

my oldest son, who's nine, says,

越來越靠近雕像，

"Dad, how come he gets to ride,

我九歲的大兒子說：

and they have to walk?"

「爹，為什麼他可以騎馬，

It stopped me in my tracks.

他們卻得走路？」

It stopped me in my tracks.

這讓我我突然停下來。

There was so much history

這讓我我突然停下來。

that we would have to go through to try to explain that,

要講好多的歷史，

and that's something I try to do with them anyways.

才有辦法去試著解釋這件事，

It's a question that I probably would have never really asked.

但我還是這麼做了。

But fundamentally what he was saying was,

這個問題可能是 我永遠不會問的問題。

"That doesn't look fair.

但基本上，他在說的是：

Dad, that doesn't look fair.

「那看起來不公平，

And why is this thing that's so not fair

爹，那看起來不公平。

sitting outside of such an amazing institution."

為什麼這個不太公平的東西

And his question got me wondering,

會放在這麼棒的機構外面？」

is there a way for us to amend our public sculptures,

他的問題讓我思忖，

our national monuments?

有沒有什麼方式讓我們能修改

Not erase them,

公開展示的雕像和國家紀念碑？

but is there a way to amend them?

不是要抹除它們，

Now, I didn't grow up going to museums.

而是有沒有方式修改它們？

That's not my history.

我成長過程沒去過博物館，

My mother was 15 years old when I was born.

那不是我的歷史。

She is amazing.

我出生時，我媽才十五歲。

My father was struggling with his own things

她棒極了。

for most of my life.

我人生中大部份的時候，

If you really want to know the truth,

我爸都在掙扎著他自己的事。

the only reason I got into art is because of a woman.

如果你們真的想知道真相，

There was this amazing, amazing, fantastic, beautiful, smart woman,

我進入藝術這行的 唯一理由，是一個女人。

four years older than me,

有個非常棒、出色、 美麗、聰明的女人，

and I wanted to go out with her.

她比我大四歲，

But she said, "You're too young

我想約她出去。

and you're not thinking about your future."

但她說：「你太年輕，

So I ran on down to the junior college,

且你沒有好好思考你的未來。」

registered for some classes,

所以，我跑去專科學校，

ran on back,

註冊參加了一些課程，

and basically was like, "I'm thinking about my future now."

再跑回來，

(Laughter)

那基本上就像是：「我現在 有在思考我的未來了。」

"Can we go out?"

（笑聲）

For the record, she's even more amazing.

「我們能約出去了嗎？」

I married her.

鄭重聲明，她結果還更棒，

(Applause)

我娶了她。

So when I randomly ran down to the junior college

（掌聲）

and registered for classes,

當我隨機跑到專科學校

I really wasn't paying attention to what I was registering to.

並註冊了一些課程時，

(Laughter)

我其實沒有注意我註冊了什麼。

So I ended up with an art history class,

（笑聲）

and I didn't know a thing about art history.

我最後是去上了藝術史課程，

But something amazing happened when I went into that class.

我對藝術史什麼都不知道。

For the first time in my academic career,

但當我上課時發生了很棒的事。

my visual intelligence was required of me.

在我的學術生涯中，那是第一次

For the first time.

我需要用到我的視覺智能。

The professor would put up an image,

那是第一次。

bold strokes of blues and yellows, and say, "Who's that?"

教授會展示出一張圖，

And I'd go, "That's Van Gogh. Clearly that is Van Gogh.

圖上有著大膽的藍色與黃色筆觸， 他會說：「那是誰？」

I got this."

我會說：「那是梵谷， 很明顯那是梵谷。

(Laughter)

這個我知道。」

I got a B in that class.

（笑聲）

For me, that was amazing.

那堂課我的成績得到 B。

In high school, let's just say I wasn't a great student. OK?

對我來說，那很不可思議。

In high school, my GPA was .65.

在高中，姑且說 我不是個很棒的學生，好嗎？

(Laughter)

在高中，我的 GPA 成績是 .65。

Decimal point first, six five.

（笑聲）

So me getting a B was huge, huge,

前面有個小數點，後面才是 65。

absolutely huge.

所以我拿到 B 是件很大很大的事，

And because of the fact that I realized that I was able to learn things visually

絕對是很大的事。

that I couldn't learn in other ways,

且因為我了解到我可以 用視覺的方式來學習那些

this became my strategy, this became my tactic

我無法用其他方式學的事物，

for understanding everything else.

這就變成了我的策略， 這就變成了我的戰術，

I wanted to stay in this relationship. Things were going well.

用來了解所有其他的一切。

I decided, let me keep taking these art history classes.

我想要留在這段關係中， 一切都很順利。

One of the last art history classes, I will not forget, I will never forget.

我決定要繼續修這些藝術史的課程。

It was one of those survey art history classes.

我永遠忘不了我最後上的 藝術史課的其中一堂，

Anybody ever have one of those survey art history classes,

那堂課是堂藝術史概論課程。

where they try to teach you the entire history of art

有人曾經上過藝術史概論課程嗎？

in a single semester?

在這種概論課程中， 他們會試著把整個藝術史

I'm talking about cave paintings and Jackson Pollock

用一個學期教給你。

just crunched together all in the same --

我在說的是，洞穴繪畫和 傑克遜波洛克

It doesn't really work, but they try anyway.

通通都擠縮在一起……

Well, at the beginning of the semester,

這樣其實沒有用， 但他們還是試著這樣做。

I looked at the book,

在學期初，

and in this 400-page book was about a 14-page section

我看著書，

that was on black people in painting.

在這本四百頁的書中， 有個章節大約十四頁，

Now, this was a crammed in section

內容是關於繪畫中的黑人。

that had representations of black people in painting

這是個什麼都硬塞進去的章節，

and black people who painted.

有繪畫中對黑人的表述、

It was poorly curated, let's just put it that way.

也有會畫畫的黑人。

(Laughter)

編排策劃得很差， 姑且就那樣形容它吧。

Nonetheless I was really excited about it,

（笑聲）

because in all the other classes that I had,

不論如何，我還是很興奮，

we didn't even have that conversation.

因為在我上過的其他課程中，

We didn't talk about it at all.

我們甚至沒有那樣的談話，

So imagine my surprise

我們完全不談它的。

when I get to class

所以，想像我去上課時

and on the day that we're supposed to go over that particular chapter,

是有多麼驚喜的，

my professor announces,

到了我們應該要讀 那個章節的那一天，

"We're going to skip this chapter today

我的教授宣佈：

because we do not have time to go through it."

「今天我們要跳過這個章節，

"Whoa, I'm sorry, hold on, professor, professor.

因為我們沒時間去討論它。」

I'm sorry. This is a really important chapter to me.

「哇，對不起，等等，教授，教授。

Are we going to go over it at any point?"

對不起，對我來說這個章節很重要。

"Titus, we don't have time for this."

我們會找其他時間來讀它嗎？」

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,

「泰特斯，我們沒時間這麼做。」

please, I really need to understand.

「對不起，對不起，對不起，

Clearly the author thinks that this is significant.

拜託，我真的需要了解它。

Why are we skipping over this?"

顯然作者認為這是重要的，

"Titus, I do not have time for this."

為什麼我們要跳過它？」

"OK, last question, I'm really sorry here.

「泰特斯，我沒時間來談這個。」

When can we talk, because we need to talk."

「好吧，最後一個問題， 我真的很抱歉。

(Laughter)

那我們何時可以談？ 因為我們需要談。」

I went to her office hours.

（笑聲）

I ended up getting kicked out of her office.

我在她的課輔時間去找她。

I went to the dean.

我最後被踢出她的辦公室。

The dean finally told me, "I can't force her to teach anything."

我去找校長。

And I knew in that moment if I wanted to understand this history,

校長終於告訴我： 「我無法強迫她教什麼。」

if I wanted to understand the roles of those folks who had to walk,

在那時，我理解到， 如果我想要了解這段歷史，

I was probably going to have to figure that out myself.

如果我想要了解這些 得要走路的同胞們的角色，

So ...

我可能得要自己去想辦法。

above you right here on the slide

所以……

is a painting by Frans Hals.

在上面的投影片上，

This is one of the kinds of images

是弗蘭斯哈爾斯的畫。

that was in that chapter.

這是在那個章節中

I taught myself how to paint

會出現的畫之一。

by going to museums and looking at images like this.

我自學畫畫的方式

I want to show you something.

是去博物館看像這樣的畫。

I made this.

我想給各位看一樣東西。

I --

這是我畫的。

(Applause)

我……

I made some alterations.

（掌聲）

You'll see there are some slight differences in the painting.

我做了一些改變，

All this art history that I had been absorbing

你們可以看到畫中有些許的不同。

helped me to realize that painting is a language.

我過去一直在吸收的藝術史，

There is a reason

協助我了解到，繪畫是一種語言。

why he is the highest in the composition here.

有理由可以說明，

There is a reason

他為什麼在這裡有最高的位置。

why the painter is showing us this gold necklace here.

有理由可以說明，

He's trying to tell us something about the economic status

為什麼畫家要讓我們 看到這裡的金項鍊。

of these people in these paintings.

他試圖要告訴我們畫中這些

Painting is a visual language

人物的經濟狀況。

where everything in the painting

繪畫是視覺性的語言，

is meaningful, is important.

畫中的一切

It's coded.

都有意義，都重要，

But sometimes, because of the compositional structure,

它像編碼一樣。

because of compositional hierarchy,

但有時，因為創作的結構，

it's hard to see other things.

因為創作的階層，

This silk is supposed to tell us also that they have quite a bit of money.

會很難看見其他東西。

There's more written

這塊絲也是要用來 告訴我們，他們很有錢。

about dogs in art history

在我們的藝術史上，

than there are about this other character here.

對於狗的描繪還多於

Historically speaking, in research on these kinds of paintings,

這裡的這個角色。

I can find out more about the lace

就歷史而言，在這類繪畫的研究中，

that the woman is wearing in this painting --

找這畫中女人穿著的飾帶、

the manufacturer of the lace -- than I can about this character here,

飾帶製造商之類的相關資訊，

about his dreams, about his hopes,

多於我能找到關於這個角色的資訊，

about what he wanted out of life.

關於他的夢想、希望，

I want to show you something.

關於他在人生中想要什麼。

I don't want you to think

我想給各位看一樣東西。

that this is about eradication.

我不希望你們認為

It's not.

這與根絕有關。

The oil that you saw me just put inside of this paint

並不是。

is linseed oil.

你們剛剛看到我塗在畫上的油，

It becomes transparent over time,

是亞麻子油。

so eventually what's going to happen

隨時間過去，它會變透明。

is these faces

最終會發生的事情是，

will emerge a little bit.

這些臉孔…

What I'm trying to do,

會漸漸出現。

what I'm trying to show you,

我在試圖做的是，

is how to shift your gaze just slightly,

我在試圖給各位看的是，

just momentarily,

是如何稍微轉移你的注視，

just momentarily,

只要短暫一下，

to ask yourself the question,

只要短暫一下，

why do some have to walk?

問問你自己這個問題，

What is the impact of these kinds of sculptures at museums?

為什麼有人得要走路？

What is the impact of these kinds of paintings

在博物館中這類雕像的影響是什麼？

on some of our most vulnerable in society,

這類畫作對於社會中

seeing these kinds of depictions of themselves all the time?

最脆弱的那些人有什麼影響，

I'm not saying erase it.

總是看到自己被這樣地描繪？

We can't erase this history.

我並不是說要抹除它。

It's real. We have to know it.

我們無法抹滅歷史。

I think of it in the same way

它是真實的。我們得要知道它。

we think of --

我去思考它的方式，就如同

Let me step back a second.

我們思考……

You remember old-school cameras,

讓我暫時先退回來一步。

where when you took a picture, you actually had to focus. Right?

你們記得老式照像機嗎？

You'd put the camera up,

拍照時還真的得要調焦聚，對嗎？

and if I wanted you in focus,

先把相機架起來，

I would move the lens a little to the left

如果我想要聚焦在你身上，

and you would come forward.

我會把鏡頭稍微向左旋轉，

I could move the lens a little to the right,

你就會凸顯出來。

and you would go back and the folks in the background would come out.

我可以把鏡頭向右旋轉一點，

I'm just trying to do that here.

你就會失焦，而背景的人會凸顯出來。

I'm trying to give you that opportunity.

我在嘗試做的就是這個。

I'm trying to answer that question

我在嘗試給你們那個機會。

that my son had.

我在嘗試回答我兒子問的那個問題。

I want to make paintings,

我想要畫畫，

I want to make sculptures

我想要雕塑，

that are honest,

我的作品要誠實，

that wrestle with the struggles of our past

要與我們過去的掙扎進行角力，

but speak to the diversity and the advances of our present.

要能夠談及現今的多樣化和進步。

And we can't do that by taking an eraser and getting rid of stuff.

用個橡皮擦把東西擦掉 並不是可行的辦法，

That's just not going to work.

那樣不會有用。

I think that we should do it in the same way

我認為我們的做法應該類似

the American Constitution works.

美國憲法運作的方式。

When we have a situation

當我們遇到

where we want to change a law in the American Constitution,

想要改變美國憲法 法條的情況時，

we don't erase the other one.

我們並不會把另一條給擦掉。

Alongside that is an amendment,

我們是在旁邊放一條修正條款，

something that says,

它會寫說：

"This is where we were, but this is where we are right now."

「這是我們過去的狀況， 這是我們現在的狀況。」

I figure if we can do that,

我認為，如果我們能那樣做，

then that will help us understand a little bit

那就能協助我們多了解一點

about where we're going.

我們在前進的方向。

Thank you.

謝謝各位。

(Applause)

（掌聲）