Flat Black Art Supplies

interview+photos JORGE PEREZCHICA

It goes without saying, 2020 was one of the most unpredictable years in recent memory — from COVID-19 to quarantine, elections, protests, Twitter tantrums, and more. After the death of George Floyd, thousands marched across America to protest police brutality. In the desert community, a collection of new murals went up in downtown Palm Springs to raise social awareness and inspire unity. These murals were championed by the leadership of Pete Salcido, owner of Flat Black Art Supplies. Through art and activism, Pete is using his platform to engage viewers and speak up when it’s necessary. Read on for the Coachella Magazine interview.

Hi Pete, 2020 was a wild year. How are you doing?
Hey Coachella Mag. I’m doing well considering the circumstances. And yes, 2020 was the wildest of years but here we are.

When the pandemic first hit, many businesses closed up or offered limited service. How were you able to hold things down at Flat Black?
So, when we first started to get word that the possibility of shutting everything down was real, I’ll admit that I didn’t take it as serious as I should. The idea that all businesses would have to shut down was really far fetched. But it happened. I soon went into survival mode and strategized as best as I could. Transitioned all my inventory into a curbside model and braced myself. I was only open twice a week but those two days that I was open gave me hope that I’d be able to stay afloat. We saw an influx in sales due to people wanting to be creative while being at home. Although the sales weren’t obviously what they were before the pandemic, the shop did ok and was able o stay afloat.

What has been the biggest challenge running a business in the age of Covid?
The biggest challenge I’ve faced is not being able to retain my employees or having to cut hours during the shutdown.  It’s fine now but at one point neither one of my employees had a job and it really messed with me because, I felt a responsibility to make sure they were able to pay bills and help their family. I felt helpless. During the initial shutdown. I have to admit that I was extremely blessed to have the communities support. 

Let’s talk about the protests that were happening across America after the death of George Floyd. What was going through your mind at the time? And have you always been active in social causes?
I was born and raised in the hood. I watched Rodney King get his ass beat by the cops on tv in the early 90’s. And I’m a bald headed Mexican American covered in tattoos. I’ve had my ass kicked by police for a simple DWM (Driving While Mexican). I was not surprised by what I saw when the cop’s brutality murdered George Floyd. The police and government in power underestimated the power of the people. Although, I don’t agree that small businesses should’ve been broken into, I feel like the protest were necessary to shine a light on what’s already been going on in America for so long. There are many cases of people of color getting murdered everyday that do not make it to the news and that’s a fact.

Over the summer of 2020, several art murals popped up at business storefronts in Palm Springs, including a mural of George Floyd that read “I Can’t Breathe.” How did these artworks come together?
The idea to paint a George Floyd mural was basically using my platform to send a message of social injustice. And I knew that by doing this in Palm Springs it would be controversial and would make people think.

I felt it was necessary to do something. So, I called my friend Mister Alek and asked him if he’d be willing to come out and do it, and he said “Yes.” In all honesty, the original plan was to paint this mural without anyone’s permission in the middle of the night. But I knew it would get covered the next day. So, I decided to call Russell Pritchard from Palm Springs Public Arts Commission to see if he could make it happen and he did. He found us a wall within a couple days on Indian Canyon and gave us the ok. Once the city approved the mural, Mister Alek got to painting. The process of the mural painting itself was interesting to say the least. It was a sad but satisfying experience watching all the people drive by and show love for George Floyd as the mural went up. Even had several racist remarks yelled at us as commuters drove by. That made me even happier, because I knew then that our message was loud. 

How do you see your role in the community as a business owner?
I would’ve rather put up a mural under different circumstances, but in this case like I mentioned before, I used the platform I developed to bring awareness to the message my team and I wanted to speak out about. What justice would I be doing to the community and myself if I didn’t use my platform to speak up when it’s necessary, right? Especially considering that the community is the reason I’m still in business. Urban artist use their art as their voice. Sometimes it’s simply to let people know “Hey I was here” and sometimes it’s to speak out on problems in the system.

What other murals went up in Palm Springs?
Soon after the George Floyd mural was completed, Russell reached out to me to plan for another set of murals that carried a message of unity within the community. These murals were to highlight equality for all ethnicities and also the LGBTQ community. Hunters night club in Downtown donated the space for us to paint and I reached out to a team of artist that I felt would represent the message well. Miranda “Nana” Villanueva, Qwest and Ease One were the artist that graced the walls in front of Hunters bar. Each artist provided a mock up and once approved we got to work.

I think it’s important to point out that these murals in particular are intended to be socially engaged visual art. We are using art as a tool for social change. We paint these socially conscious murals to empower all people, to  develop creative solutions and bring awareness to local and global human rights challenges. I feel like it brought a lot of artist together for one great cause.

There’s a new mural at Westfield “Lady of the Valley. What can you tell us about the artwork?
The Lady of the Valley mural is intended to represent protection from all the bad in the world. She watches over all of us and fights away the negativity. I called my boy Maxxer to paint this mural because I knew he’d capture the image in my head and transfer it to the wall the way it should be. The whole mural went up in two days and Maxxer worked his ass off to make it happen.  The mural is also a thank you gesture to the city of Palm Desert for the support with the Street event and other murals. And also, it’s pretty bad ass to drive by my shop and see this big ass mural staring at you. You know you’re at Flat Black when you see that mural.

From group art shows to Bitcoin workshops. Tell us more about these events coming up in 2021.
We have a series of group art shows coming up to start the new year in Flat Black Art Supply. But obviously with all the necessary precautions due to covid restrictions. These art shows will be different in that we will keep the crowds moving instead of trying to keep everyone there. I just want to see people have some fun and look at some good art, that’s all.

As far as the Bitcoin workshop goes, we decided to bring on Rowland Akinduro (aka Rowlow). Rowlow is filled with the knowledge we felt would be perfect for an introduction to Bitcoin workshop. And later move on to more advanced workshops. The reason I do these workshops is because I can’t think of a better way to leave a legacy behind than someone remembering the shop by something they learned there that they can use in their everyday life. The retail portion of the shop is to pay my bills but these art shows, workshops and murals serve as gateway to bigger and better things.

What are you looking forward to most in 2021?
I have joined forces with locals Provoked and Erick Becerril from the CV Food Park to establish a non profit we call CV C.A.R.E which is an extension of all the community work we’ve already been doing. Everything else I’m basically just going with the flow and taking on new opportunities as the come. Flat Black Art Supply is hitting its 6th year in business this year and I’m grateful for how far its come. The goal is to grow more than the last year. Much Love.

link: Flat Black Art Supplies