Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Nathan McClain

 This page is an archive of the discussion about the proposed deletion of the article below. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made on the article's talk page rather than here so that this page is preserved as an historic record. The result of the debate was delete. &mdash; Xezbeth 19:48, May 7, 2005 (UTC)

Nathan McClain
Not encyclopedic; only entries found through Google are a memorial site and an "artist of the month" listing. - jredmond 16:28, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Recognizing the subjective nature of Art and what's considered "popular" or not. Nathan McClain (1973-1997) was a  U.S. illustrator, artist, and painter who died at 24.  This deceased artist recently received international recognition at the Museums & the Web conference and is developing a passionate following.  Please reconsider this deletion and keep the entry for others to view. (comment left by anon user 63.125.147.253)
 * Delete, not notable at present (though this may of course change at a later stage) Worldtraveller 17:08, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment (not a vote). I'm the curator of Nathan's online gallery and was honored to find it listed in Wikipedia.  There was a conference I attended in Canada where I spoke about Nathan and his art.  There were numerous comments about how moved people were by his story and I'm speculating that someone wrote this Wikipedia entry based on that.  You probably haven't heard of him before and you won't see his art in traditional galleries (it's all privately owned).  As of today, Nathan McClain would be considered an underground artist with loyal supporters.  The awareness of his art and who he was is getting greater attention.  Nathan's listing here appears to be a very brief high-level summary; an extensive biography can be provided if needed.  Hope this helps provide a context.  Nmadmin 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Comment: Can you provide evidence that would help the community make this decision? For example, does McClain meet one or more of the recommended criteria for inclusion of biographies?  If so, can you cite verifiable evidence of that?  (You might also want to look at WP:MUSIC.  It's not written for visual artists but it might give you a sense of the kinds of evidence that the community usually considers appropriate.  And perhaps you could help us develop parallel suggestions for visual artists.)  Thanks.  Rossami (talk)
 * Comment (response): After reviewing the criteria for inclusion of biographies, here's some supporting evidence.  Has the person made a widely recognized contribution that is part of the enduring historical record in the specific field? There was a grassroots fundraising effort in the Fall of 2004 to save an 16 foot x 8 foot mural that Nathan painted.  Because of Nathan's popularity, the Middle School he attended now owns this painting and it is displayed in their cafeteria.  The saving of the painting involved people who did not know Nathan and was reported in the local paper, a local art zine, & the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  A dedication ceremony/career retrospective is being planned for early June to not conflict with school activities.  Also, there is a current effort to locate an Ozzie Smith painting that Nathan created which was auctioned off in 1996 when Ozzie retired from baseball.  There was a feature about this and Nathan on the St. Louis Fox news affiliate.  Verifiablity  In addition to being the curator of his gallery, I was his best friend of 20 years - we met when he was 4 and I was 5.  So all biographical details would be accurate and independently verifiable especially as more articles are written about Nathan.  Presuming this Wiki entry is kept, I would be more than willing to supply a fuller biography than what exists today.  Nmadmin 27 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, notability not established. Wikipedia is not a memorial, see What Wikipedia is not. Megan1967 01:43, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. It is possible to die young and still become a notable artist - I'm just reading a book on Henri Gaudier-Brzeska at the moment. But it takes time to build a reputation and I don't think it has happened yet in this case. The lack of independent sources is also a problem. -- Solipsist 08:02, 23 Apr 2005 (UTC)


 * This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and, like some other VfD subpages, is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue, the deletion, or the decision-making process should be placed on the relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.