CA BICENTENNIAL MEDALLION - 1969
A monochromatic depiction of police violence against executed in red ochre. In the center of the image, two mounted officers rain baton blows on the bent backs of three men, one of whom is shoeless. A fourth fights back. In the lower left, two hard-hatted miners work with pickaxes. Hands intrude into the frame above the miners. Beyond them, two roughly sketched figures point a cylindrical weapon at a third, who falls backwards.
CALIFORNIA BICENTENNIAL MEDALLION, OBVERSE, BRONZE
CALIFORNIA BICENTENNIAL MEDALLION, REVERSE, BRONZE
STANDING IN FRONT OF VAN SANT’S ORIGINAL MODELS, THEN-GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA RONALD REAGAN RECEIVES A FIRST STRIKE OF THE MEDALLION
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N/A
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1969
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Silver and Bronze
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1.5 in. and 2.5 in.
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Artist's fee unknown. Medals cost from $2:00 – $35:00.
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The California Bicentennial Celebration Commission, chaired by Lieutenant Governor Ed Reinecke
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All mages, TVS digital record. Original sources and photographers unknown.
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The official California bicentennial medallions were issued to mark the “200th anniversary of the founding of the first permanent settlements in California.” [1]
Five artists were invited to submit designs to the Bicentennial Medallion Committee. Its members, who selected Tom Van Sant's design, included Mrs. Otis Chandler of Los Angeles, Robert Stanton from Monterey, the Rev. Noel F. Maholy of Lakeport, and Richard Pourade, San Diego.
The medallions were manufactured by the Medallic Art Company of New York City and displayed and sold in “nearly 4000 bank branches and savings and loan offices” in California.[2]
Four versions of the medallion went on sale to the public in mid-June 1969: a 1.5 in. diameter medallion available in bronze and silver, which retailed at $2:00 and $10:00 respectively; and 2.5 in. diameter medallions in bronze and silver costing $5:00 and $35:00.
“Strongest demand...has been for the $35 silver art medallion...only 20,000 of these silver medallions will be minted, after which the mold will be broken... Above the figures is the inscription The Golden Land.”[3]
Within three months, sales of the medallion had reached $1,250,000.[4] “Proceeds from medallion sales will help finance bicentennial celebration events during the res t of 1969 and through 1970.”[5]
AN OBJECT OF ITS TIME AND PLACE
The Bicentennial Medallion exhibited the dominant values and prejudices of its day. As an example, the idea that permanent settlement in California was only 200 years old was an error that reflected settler-colonial attitudes to the indigenous peoples of North America. Historic and archaeological data indicate that “permanent settlements occupied over long periods of time” were present in pre-contact California. [6]
In a similar manner, the figures on the medal’s reverse maximize the influence of white men in Californian culture, while the icons representing “industries which have contributed to state’s growth” define growth in terms of industrial progress. [7]
It would be surprising if a state medallion from 1969 did not express such ideas, for they informed the dominant view of the day. Bowdlerization of the meanings expressed in this triumphalist artwork is not my intent, but in such a context Van Sant’s inclusion of an indigenous man in the line-up of California’s cultural influences is worth noting. In contrast, other such official items as the California Bicentennial medal issued by Fiesta de las Rosas, and a 1950 postage stamp celebrating the centenary of California’s statehood, more fully articulated the settler-colonial narrative of US history by erasing indigenous existence entirely.
[1] “Bicentennial Medallions Due June 1,” Van Nuys News, March 27, 1969, Pg. 80.
[2] “State Bicentennial Medals Will Go on Sale Tomorrow,” Van Nuys Valley News & Green Sheet, June 15, 1969, Pg. 10.
[3] La Verne Leader, August 14, 1969, Pg. 16, La Verne, California, US.
[4] “Bicentennial Medallions Sell Briskly,” The Van Nuys Valley News & Green Sheet, October 16, 1969, Pg. 2, Van Nuys, CA.
[5] “State Bicentennial Medals Will Go on Sale Tomorrow,” Van Nuys Valley News & Green Sheet, June 15, 1969, Pg. 10.
[6] S. McLendon, J. R. Johnson, et al, Cultural Affiliation and Lineal Descent of Chumash Peoples
in the Channel Islands and the Santa Monica Mountains, Volume 1, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, December 1999[7] “State Bicentennial Medals Will Go on Sale Tomorrow,” Van Nuys Valley News & Green Sheet, June 15, 1969, Pg. 10.
