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The black Man's art gallery is on the fringe of the Fillmore district in the heart of the ghetto. It's here because that's where the owner, Bill Thomas, wants it to be. The black people in the ghetto can see it here and can take pride. Thomas talked

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about the gallery and his philosophy from this gallery to show the image of black people to relate to and identify with and in rejecting the image of black people, It's not a matter of we are going to be. It's a matter of We Are. You talk

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about a black standard that you're setting here. What do you mean by that? It's a black standard of beauty in a country such as this, Uh, there is only a white standard of beauty, and I'm quite sure of Madison. Fifth, Ava's, uh, well aware of that,

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but it is by black people who are sitting this standard off beauty for black people. Are black artists in general frustrated? Yes, they are. They have been denied, as they have as a human being in this country. They've been denied also as an artist. How much

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formal training have the artists who are showing here had. Most of the artists are self taught. They have no formal training. Some of the artists have been to schools and have dropped out because of the conflicts off creativity. How successful has this gallery men? In its

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first year of operation, the gallery has been very successful, very successful. It has brought artists back who has stopped creating because of their frustrations. Created again. It has been equally important to the Children who have been here. The 77 school classes that have been here and

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they have related to an identified with the color line formed the ideals of philosophies and the thinking of black people. All told, there are 20 different artists who are represented here. The Black Man's art gallery is open every day except Friday afternoons and evenings. This is

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Ed Arnaud for eyewitness News in San Francisco's Black Man's Art Gallery.