Murphy – Supporters are defending the director of the First Friday Murphy ArtWalk following a social media blitz that showed part of an alleged confrontation between her and a disabled author at the November event.
 |
The Cherokee Scout has received several letters to the editor from supporters of ArtWalk director Donna Duval, who was portrayed in a heavily edited TikTok video that makes it appear that she was berating Brenda FireEagle Biddix, author of the book Pond Water.
The incident was recorded live by the book’s co-author, Rian Mileti, who has around 150,000 TikTok followers. A shorter version narrated by Mileti has been widely shared and has hundreds of thousands of views.
Kellie Miller-Ambrosino, owner of Kokomo’s Sweets & Treats LLC, wrote to the Scout expressing her support for Duval, who she said received unfair criticism in regard to the Art Walk event.
“As a business owner who has actively participated in the event, I can attest to Donna’s professionalism and excellent organizational skills. It is clear that she devotes a significant amount of time and effort to making the event a success each month,” Miller-Ambrosino wrote.
“While I understand that Art Walk is a public event, it is important to follow the rules and regulations set forth by officials,” she wrote. “If someone were to sell a book on the sidewalk without permission or proper permits, they would be asked to leave. I believe Donna was justified in her actions, and it is unfortunate that she has been unfairly criticized for following the rules. …
“It is unfortunate that Donna has been the target of negative attention. She deserves recognition and praise for her hard work and dedication to the Art Walk event, which brings joy and excitement to the community each month,” Miller-Ambrosino added.
Jereme Overton of the Bigfoot Refinery Beard Co. wrote that he has participated in the ArtWalk for two years, during which he has had only pleasant interactions with Duval.
“I can imagine it being stressful when local shops don’t convey the information to her when they let a friend set up in front of their store and she already has another vendor placed there,” Overton wrote.
“I scoured TikTok to find this infamous viral video and could immediately tell that Rian Mileti was manipulating the situation and context of the video to sell books. I have seen her speak with a vendor set up next to us by Urban Salon who refused to give Donna her information. Donna was not rude at all and never asked the lady to leave.”
Kathryn Rainier wrote, “The video that surfaced two months after the event was evidently altered and did not present the full context of the discussion. It seems there may have been a personal agenda involved, and the situation should have been handled differently to protect the reputation of both a dedicated individual and the Town of Murphy.
“It is important to acknowledge Donna’s significant time and effort dedicated to ensuring the success of the Art Walk, which deserves recognition. Every event requires organization and adherence to established guidelines to maintain order and reduce confusion. Donna works diligently to assign spaces to artists so that everyone can participate. It is unfortunate that a misunderstanding has led to this point.
“Donna’s professionalism and commitment to the arts and Murphy are apparent in the increasing success of the event,” Rainier added.
‘ArtWalk Karen’
One video – the only version with public access, which has been seen by hundreds of thousands of people on social media – shows part of the interaction between Duval and Biddix. There are two versions of the video, one that was live-streamed on TikTok by the book’s co-author, Mileti, and a shorter version narrated by Mileti.
The longer video has been set to private. Both Mileti and Biddix declined a request from the Cherokee Scout to see the full, unedited video.
The edited video starts with a shot of Biddix seated at a small table in a downtown parking lot, where she was selling autographed copies of her book.
Someone is yelling off camera; several witnesses have said the yelling was, at best, taken out of context and, at worst, added during editing. Either way, they say that Duval was not yelling during the incident.
In his narrative, Mileti seems to imply otherwise.
The footage transitions to video of Mileti added later. In it, he takes a deep breath and makes a self-soothing gesture with one hand.
In his narrative, Mileti said Biddix’s friend invited to let her sit in front of her store to sell her new book during the Murphy ArtWalk.
The video transitions back to the scene, with Duval still off-camera and Biddix telling Duval that she had permission to set up at that spot.
Cutting back to Mileti, he adds, “That being said, she doesn’t believe her.”
The video returns to Duval telling Biddix that the property owner may have given her permission, followed by an unintelligible comment.
Cutting back to Mileti, he urges viewers to support Biddix and buy her book, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to her. Mileti does not mention that he co-authored the book.
Viewers have reacted angrily to the edited video, calling Duval “ArtWalk Karen,” with “Karen” slang for a middle-class white woman who is perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal.
Nothing in the edited video indicates that Duval was yelling at Biddix or ordering her to leave the scene. Attempts to contact Duval by the Scout have so far been unsuccessful.
On Feb. 1, Murphy Mayor Tim Radford, Town Manager Chad Simons and Downtown Director Laura Lachance met with Duval to discuss the allegations made in the video and to learn more about how the situation was handled.
“At this stage, the town is not taking sides but rather seeks to fully understand the situation without bias,” the town said in a release.
“We are eager to review the entire interaction to ensure that any decisions regarding the ArtWalk and related community activities are based solely on factual information.”
Mileti denied being contacted by town officials, but Radford provided a copy to the Scout of an email he sent to Mileti asking to see the full, unedited video.