Years ago, I found myself at the center of a controversy that continues to haunt me to this day. While serving time in jail, I wrote a book titled JKAT—a personal account of my crime and how the system utterly failed to address it. This wasn’t just a story for the masses; it was meant for the other artists of Fullerton to hear my side, to understand my perspective. Instead, the book became a catalyst for what I now view as a gross violation of my freedom of expression within Fullerton’s art colony.
To my dismay, JKAT was banned, not by the state or any governing body, but by Stephan Baxter and Michael Magoski, two influential figures in the Magoski art scene. Baxter, infamously known for stirring up drama, spread the false claim that I had thrown a brick at my mother—a fabrication that damaged my reputation beyond repair. The book was shot down by a critic on Baxter's behalf giving me instructions not to post the harsh review. Of course, I did publish it. The resulting ban wasn't confined to the book. I was essentially blacklisted from the art colony, with a no-contact order imposed on me, barring me from associating with any artist in the colony. What should have been a defense of my own name became an art-world exile, cutting me off from business, community, and any chance to explain my side.
What triggered all of this? A post I made, titled Bax Bastard. It was satirical, absurd, and in the spirit of free speech. Baxter didn’t see it that way. He felt insulted and, instead of addressing it like an artist who understands the power of expression, took his grievance straight to Michael Magoski, the owner of the Fullerton art colony. Rather than mediation or conversation, they chose to remove me entirely from the galleries and issued a mandate to every artist in the colony not to engage with me.
As a result, I lost not just access to the galleries, but to local businesses, coffeehouses, press coverage, and even art centers like The Muckenthaler and Fullerton Museum. What was once a thriving artistic network turned into a wasteland of opportunities lost, all because Baxter’s ego couldn’t handle a critique. Claims of people “crying” over my posts became the narrative as Bax and Magoski built the story up, which, in turn, drove a wedge between me and the very people I had worked with for years. The two even went to the police over it and i was investigated by the same Police dept. they protested in the Kelly Thomas murder. It was a smear campaign, plain and simple, and it continues to damage my career to this day.
And the most shocking part of all? This happened in an art colony—supposedly a place that celebrates creative expression. Shouldn't a community of artists, who live and breathe on the edge of society’s norms, be the most vocal supporters of free speech? Yet, here they were, silencing me because one man’s ego couldn’t take a punchline.
Baxter still calls me an "asshole" and refuses to do business with me. Magoski, knowing full well that Baxter bullied me out of the colony, has yet to retract his initial actions or issue any form of apology. This isn’t just about a personal dispute—this is about the principles we, as artists, claim to hold dear. Freedom of expression has always been the lifeblood of the creative world, but apparently, that freedom doesn’t apply when it challenges the local art elite.
The hypocrisy is staggering. Fullerton’s art community, a group that I had been a part of, was suddenly the very force opposing free speech. Artists like me depended on freedom of expression for survival. The left, historically our allies in this fight, turned their backs on me, all for the sake of maintaining comfort within their echo chamber.
The impact on my business and my life has been devastating. Ten years later, I am still dealing with the fallout of this blacklist. The damage was swift and deep, but the recovery has been slow, and at times, seemingly impossible. What could have been an opportunity for dialogue turned into an effort to erase me from Fullerton’s art history.
So, the question remains: Shouldn’t art colonies, businesses, and galleries respect and protect freedom of expression rather than suppress it? Or is the idea of free speech only acceptable when it doesn’t challenge those in power, even in our creative communities?
It’s time for Fullerton’s art world to take a hard look at itself and remember that freedom of expression, even when uncomfortable, is a right we all must defend.
by Dan and Bonkers
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