Favianna.com

Here are some of the artists & organizations featured in #MigrationIsBeautiful documentary

 

 

"Migration Is Beautiful" was just released by Voice of Art this week! The short 3-part documentary follows me and many other pro-migrant artists as we go to Tucson and Charlotte to combat anti-migrant hate with art. It also shows shines light on some of the worst migration policies in the country and what the community is doing to fight them back.

This documentary wouldn't have been possible with the amazing artists and activists who are featured in the documentary. From the artwork of Melanie Cervantes, Jesus Barraza and Julio Salgado to Pulitzer-prize winner Jose Antonio Vargas and the UndocuBus bus riders, this documentary shows the power of cultural and community organizing. 

You can WATCH Part I here, Part II here, and Part III here.

Oakland-based artist-activists Melanie Cervantes & Jesus Barraza form Dignidad Rebelde, a graphic arts collaborative working for social justice.  They believe that art can be an empowering reflection of community struggles, dreams and visions, and following principles of Xicanisma and Zapatismo, create work that translates people’s stories into art that can be put back into the hands of the communities who inspire it.

Jasiri X is an emcee and community activist. He is the creative force and artist behind the ground breaking internet news series, This Week with Jasiri X, which has garnered critical acclaim, thousands of subscribers, and millions of internet views. A founding member of the anti-violence group One Hood, Jasiri recently started the New Media Academy to teach young African-American boys how to analyze and create media for themselves.

Josh MacPhee is a designer, artist, activist and archivist. He is a member of both the Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative (Justseeds.org) and the Occuprint collective. He is the co-author of Signs of Change: Social Movement Cultures 1960s to Now, co-editor of Signal: A Journal of International Political Graphics and Culture, and he recently co-founded the Interference Archive, a public collection of cultural materials produced by social movements (InterferenceArchive.org).

Julio Salgado is the co-founder of DreamersAdrift.com. His status as an undocumented, queer artivist has fueled the contents of his illustrations, which depict key individuals and moments of the DREAM Act and migrant rights movement. He was one of the rider of the UndocuBus, a bus ride from Arizona to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC. 

From the Mountains of Guerrero, Mexico comes nationally acclaimed poet, Yosimar Reyes. Based out of San Jose, CA his style has been described as "a brave and vulnerable voice that shines light on the issues affecting Queer Immigrant Youth and the many disenfranchised communities in the U.S and throughout the world." Yosimar’s distinct style has managed to get him to perform and give lectures on stages and classrooms all over the United States (always representing East Side San Jose and his beautiful Mexico).

Kitzia Esteva is an organizer with the Bus Riders Union and the Labor Community Strategy Center working on transit justice, environmental justice and civil rights. She is a spoken word and theater of the oppressed artist and Immigrant Rights activist. She is also a member of the Coalition to end Sheriff Violence in LA Counties, an emerging campaign that focuses on ending state violence of balck, latino and immigrant communities.

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network works to improve the lives of day laborers and expand their labor and human rights.  Among other organizations, it was the primary  anchor of the No Papers No Fear Ride for Justice that rode from Phoenix, AZ to the Democratic National Convention in the summer of 2012 to challenge anti-immigrant Sheriffs and federal deportation programs and to energize a new level of organizing from within the migrant community.

Roberto Lovato is a writer and commentator at New America Media, a strategy consultant and a Co-Founder of Presente.org, the country's pre-eminent online Latino advocacy organization, with a membership of over 250,000 people.

Jose Antonio Vargas, a multimedia storyteller, is the founder of Define American, a campaign that seeks to elevate the conversation around immigration. In June 2011, the New York Times Magazine published a groundbreaking essay he wrote in which he revealed and chronicled his life in America as an undocumented immigrant, stunning media and political circles and attracting worldwide coverage. A year later, he appeared on the cover of TIME magazine internationally with fellow undocumented immigrants as part of a follow-up cover story.

Oree Originol is an artist who explores geometry, imagination, and ancient spiritual symbolism in his art work. Influenced by indigenous iconography remixed with his contemporary interpretation of the universe, Oree constructs hypnotic patterns using shapes and structures.

Isabel Garcia Garcia is a co-founder of Derechos Humanos, a Tucson, AZ. organization that defends immigrant rights and works to publicize conditions on the U.S-Mexico border.

Progreso is a hip-hop artist based in Tucson, AZ. and was a participant of CultureStrike's Tucson Stand Up.

It is truly rare to find an artist like Detroit based lyricist and activist Invincible. Their spitfire wordplay has received acclaim from fans all across the world, while their active involvement in progressive social change has taken their music beyond entertainment toward actualizing the change they wish to see. For the last decade Invincible has worked with Detroit Summer, a multi-racial, inter-generational collective in Detroit that is transforming communities through youth facilitative leadership, creativity and collective action. They were also the co-coordinator and co-founder of the Detroit Future Youth network to support social justice and media-based youth projects throughout the city. They are currently working with renown producer Waajeed (Bling47/DIRT TECH RECK), visual artist Wesley Taylor, and creative technologist Carlos Garcia on Complex Movements, an interactive multimedia installation based hip-hop collective exploring the relationship between complex sciences and social justice movements. 

ARTIST CALL! Make art to support Walmart Workers this Black Friday. Expose Walmart!

Dear Poster & Graphic Artists!

This Black Friday, we invite you to help transform the biggest day of mass consumption into a day of mass-resistance.

Join us in using your visual skillz to support a national movement against inequality and exploitation when thousands of workers and activists will be walking on Walmart, challenging the greed of one of America’s wealthiest corporations

Are you in?

We have prepared some guidelines for you in the pages below. Black Friday is THIS WEEK, so we are asking for really fast turnarounds. We will circulate the designs via social media and may print some of them for the various sites.

Click here to download the PDF with full instructions and guidelines.

Questions:  Contact Favianna at theculturestrike [at] gmail [com] 

THIS IS A JOINT PROJECT OF CULTURESTRIKE.NET & ARTISMYOCCUPATION.ORG

Please Spread!

 

VOTE Today! ORGANIZE Tomorrow! NEW Downloadable Graphic !

VOTE TODAY. ORGANIZE TOMORROW. An artistic contribution for all my peeps organizing today, giving mutual aid today, and fighting back against the suppression of our votes.

There is People Power and Earth Power! We need both.

Please share. Click on the image to enlarge.

Artists stand up to Monsanto. YES on Prop. 37! NEW POSTERS to combat GMOs

CALIFORNIA - Yes on 37! Demand GMO Labeling. Together with 2 other Cali-based artist, we have created these posters to educate folks about Prop 37. 

Please SHARE!

Art by Julio Salgado

Art by Oree Originol

Art by Favianna Rodriguez

 

It is our right to know what we put inside our bodies. It's our right to know WHAT we eat. Especially foods that have been genetically modified. That is exactly what California’s Proposition 37 is aiming to do - to make labeling of GMO's mandatory.

When something is genetically modified it means that it's DNA has been altered. Much of the rest of the world – including Japan, Australia, the European Union and China – requires that GE foods be clearly
labeled.

GMO's are ultimately about the corporate control of our food systems.The “Big 6” pesticide companies – Monsanto, Dow, DuPont, Bayer AG, BASF & Syngenta – are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that YOU don't know what is in your food, so that they can make higher profits from GMO foods.

The fight against GMOs is one that intersects with food justice, food security, migrant rights, worker rights, and climate change. That's why it's an important issue for artists to take one. Three artists with CultureStrike -  Favianna Rodriguez, Oree Originol and Julio Salgado - have created a series of posters making reference to the importance of GMO labeling.

Voice of Art, a YouTube art series, also followed street artists Nuclear Winter and Crevis as they wheat-paste their own Yes On Prop.37 campaigns throughout the state.

Stop the altering the DNA of our food, plants & animals! Yes on 37! NEW GRAPHIC

Right now a major battle for the future of our food and our democracy is playing out in California. At this very moment, everyday Californians are fighting to help pass Prop 37 to label genetically engineered foods. In the past 18 months, a powerful grassroots movement of mothers, grandmothers, farmers, activists and small companies have stood up to the most powerful multinational pesticide and biotech companies on the planet.

Here is something I created to support this important fight, particulary as it affects communities of color.

Stop the Consolidation of our Food System! Demand the labeling of GMO Products!

Please share.

Climate Silence is Criminal - NEW GRAPHIC about #climatesilence - English & Spanish

I have not posted on my blog for months. But there is no better way to break my silence than to talk about the climate crisis. Here is a new graphic I completed in the wee hours of last night, as I witnessed the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. I wanted to show a woman of color holding this message, given that people of color disproportionally suffer the results of climate change.

ClimateSilence posted on Twitter:

Big Oil, Coal, & Gas pumped $184,994,697 into#Election2012 to buy #ClimateSilence, we may have to pay $20,000,000,000 to pay #ClimateCosts.

END CLIMATE SILENCE!

Please share.

Poster in English - click to download

Poster in Spanish - click to download

Merging my art printmaking process with Processing code. In Simplicity there is Complexity - NEW ART

I'm writing this from Aspen, Colorado where I'm taking a one-week intensive class in Processing with acclaimed artist, Joshua Davis. This is my second class in Processing, an open source programming language for people who want to create images, animations, and interactions. I regularly use digital tools in my practice, but I have rarely integrated code into my creative process, until now.

Joshua is teaching us how to use the code by starting with a grid. We began with a simple structure and started building out from there. The code pulls shapes from vector files, which are files that are based in points and lines. For me, this is where it gets very interesting. I already convert many of my shapes, characters, and compositions into vector-based graphics, so using code was very similar to me doing monotyping (a printmaking process that I would call "analog").

While I was here, I had the realization that my printmaking practice (when I do monotypes) and digital practice fundamentally are based on the same steps.

Shapes make up the composition - I start out with shapes and constructions that will make the whole. These shapes are usually really curvy and as they begin to layer one above the other, they create new shapes.

Being open to what happens - When I do monotypes, I have to be open to accidents, to surprises, and to things not working out. You have to let the ink and the paper talk to you, and slowly things take shape. But you can't plan out too much. The beauty of monotyping is that things happen accidently.

The scripts I'm working on in Processing are also accidental - we have designed them that way. The code arranges the shapes in random orders, it tweaks the sizes, and randomly modifies the scale. In the chaotic randomess, you can find beauty.

And finally - through Simplicity, you can develop Complexity. My instructor said this to us the first day, and it rang so true after hours of coding. The code took my shapes and compositions, and generated random chaos, that then I was able to manipulate to make something beautiful.

Here's some of what I'm working on. I'm really happy about how things are turning out.

You can find my art on the cover of PROCESS Magazine! Plus an interview!

You can find my piece, Separación, on the cover of Process magazine, along with a 10 question interview.

This piece is especially meaningful to me, as I completed it after a rocky separation from my lover of seven years. The piece depicts the two sides of my person, one side being the self-centered, neurotic, workaholic artist. I created this piece as I was undergoing the physical and emotional separation. In those conditions, one finds it hard to be motivated...the hours pass very slowly.... at that time my energy to make art  was extremely low, however, I managed to create this piece, which became one of the most beatuful pieces I ever made! So odd to see it on the cover of a major design publication.

You can also find a Q&A with me in the magazine. Here are some excerpts of the interview they did:

Q: What’s on your iPod?
A: On my iPod I have a blend of salsa music, new age, rock & roll, hip-hop, Spanish rock, classical and a whole lot of 80s music. Yes, I love the 80’s! I also have a tremendous amount of inspirational lectures, podcasts that give me advice about running a business, and radio shows such as “This American Life.” Because I travel so much, I try to have a variety of content that is not just keeps me entertained, but it’s also teaches me something.

Q: What’s in your refrigerator?
A: Kale, bakchoy, squash and a variety of organic vegetables, non-hormonal and free range meats and eggs, sprouted organic bread, and a big variety of non-dairy yogurts and cheeses, some carbonated water, and of course some good Tequila. No beer because I’ve never acquired a taste for it.  Eating for me is one of the most important sources of energy so I’m very meticulous and selective about what I eat. I believe in having a diet that is organic and locally-produced as much as possible. Food that doesn’t have GMOs, hormones or preservatives is very important. In fact, it’s a huge topic I approach in my work.

Q: What is your philosophy when it comes to design?
A: My primary aim is to touch the viewer’s heart. I do that through educating or inspiring them to take action,  or through exposing a truth that they may not have been aware of. I speak to people’s humanity and I want people to remember that we are all interconnected, and that we must all be advocates for social justice. Whether we are talking about the economic devastation inflicted by the big banks in this country or whether we are talking about immigration or women’s rights, I make work about how these issues affect all of us and about how we all need to be a part of the solution. In my designs, I am hoping to depict an inspirational story that will allow the viewer to be rapidly impacted and touced by what they see. When I design, I am really trying to elevate the voices of those who are affected by a particular law or a policy and I try to promote the ideals of social justice that are important to me.

Click on the image below to make it bigger.

Heading to Tucson to participate in Freedom Summer! Pop Up Art Exhibit on Fri. July 27

Resistance. Many of us talk about it our activism, but many of us are not in a daily battle where we must actively resist the repression by the state. In Tucson however, for many families of color and migrant familes, resistance is the order of the day. The recent elimination and shut-down of Mexican American Studies classes at the Tucson Unified School District did not mark the the end of a battle. On the contrary, youth of color, their teachers and their families have opted to resist this war on their minds by organizing a month of radical teach-ins. This month of art, culture, activism, voter registration, education forums, and - my personal favorite, a poster-making session - all make up the Tucson Freedom Summer.

"Also on the lineup are sessions about bilingual education, the educational inequities Latino youth face, and the school-to-prison pipeline. They’re all going to be taught by people who used to teach Tucson’s Mexican American Studies classes, including the recently ousted director of the program, Sean Arce," explains Colorlines Magazine.

On July 25 & 26, I will be co-facilitating a 2-day art workshop with undocumented queer artivist, Julio Salgado, and Oakland based artist, Oree Originol, where we will talk about the history of social justice posters, teach students how to make quick prints and how to distribute them into the community.

The following day, on Friday, July 27, from 7-10 pm, I will be having a pop-up art show with Julio, and will be showing lots of my recent works, alongside works done by our students. It's a one-day only event so please come!

POP-UP ART EXHIBIT featuring Favianna Rodriguez & Julio Salgado

Friday, July 27th, 7-10 pm @ Studio One

197 E. Toole Ave. Tucson, AZ.

I'm happy and honored to be bringing my art practice to Tucson, and later Phoenix. Art offers a way to share a vision for the kind of community we want to create. Art can be a tool to expose an issue and fight back. And art can serve to mobilize others.

 

There is No Shame in Having an Abortion. Share Your Story. Break the Silence. - NEW POSTER Download

Women from all sides of the political sprectrum, from all backgrounds, from all races and all classes have the shared experience of having had an abortions. There is a power in this shared experience and that is why I created this poster encouraging women to come out about their abortions and to share their stories. 

My piece is a call to speak out against the shame, the isolation, and the secrecy surrounding abortion. By not telling our stories about abortion, and by endorsing a code of secrecy, we are giving into the right wing machine that shames women who have abortions. 

1 in 3 women in the United States has had an abortion, yet the stigma attached to it is so great that many of us are silent about it, hence giving up our power to organize and allowing conservative anti-choice powers to control the narrative, and ultimate pass laws. I recently ran into the "1 in 3 campaign" whose website read:

As we tell our stories and support our family and friends as they come forward with theirs, we begin build a culture of compassion, empathy, and support. It's time for us to come out in support of each other and in support of access to legal and safe abortion care in our communities.

This poster was inspired by a conversation I had at Netroots Nation with Levana Layendecker, who had just come from a talk featuring an elected official, Darcy Burner,who said, "We are not alone. Nobody should be allowed to shame us into silence, to demand we live isolated and unable to talk about the decisions we’ve made, whether easy or hard." I've also been greatly inspired by the movement of UndocuQueer youth who come out about their immigration status, refusing to live in the shadows and refusing to be kept silent.

A friend posted a comment on this image which I think sums up the way in which we DO talk about abortions - that is - only in the context of shame and pain. But that also ends up affecting us in negative ways. She writes:

So many assume that the circumstances surrounding an abortion are supposed to be emotionally, socially, and physically painful. I'm sure that's the experience of some women, but for those of us who didn't have that experience, we feel like we're being shamed. As if those feelings were supposed to arise and because they didn't, there is something wrong with us. Sometimes an abortion is a blessing. Sometimes it's a relief. Sometimes, it's not painful at all. Sometimes it's the best decision you've ever made and you don't feel that way in retrospect, but as you're making the decision to have one.

You can download my poster by clicking here.

New Bus-Ad Art Campaign Against Predatory Payday Loans

I recently collaborated with the Coalition Against Payday Predators (CAPP) to design an image for their "Don't Get Trapped Campaign." The ad will be shown on buses throughout Santa Clara County.

I was excited to work on this campaign, which is targeted at Latino families, because I wanted to help call attention to the predatory practices of the payday loan industry. A recent study revealed the shocking fact that Latinos have lost 2/3 of their wealth in this recent economic crisis, and our families are constantly being targeted by predatory lenders. 

The organization I collaborated had this to say about the art piece:

The bus ads come on the heels of our recent victory when the San Jose City Council voted 9-1 to approve a land use ordiance banning new payday loan operations from opening in low-income neighborhoods ... As a result, San Jose became the larges American city to restrict payday lending through local ordiance. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors also unanimously adopted a permanent moratorium on payday loan business in unincorporated areas of the county.

It's exciting to see victories like this! I'm honored that my art was a part of this campaign.

NO on SB1070. We Will Not Comply! Stop Juan Crow! New POSTER DOWNLOAD

I just completed this poster after yesterday's Supreme Court ruling that upheld the part of Arizona's SB1070 law, which allows police to profile by investigating people's status to go into effect. If the bill goes into effect it could only make Arizona's human rights crisis even worse. 

The President can and should intervene. Please tell President Obama to stop SB1070 by refusing to deport it's victims. Click http://bit.ly/potus1070

This poster is a collaboration between myself, Roberto Lovato, and Gan Golan. Roberto explains the context of the piece and the phrase, "Juan Crow."

As the country starts  waking up to the effects of the Supreme Court's historic decision upholding the cold heart of Arizona's SB1070 - the "papers, please" clause- we will need to understand what it means beyond Arizona; We urgently need a deeper understanding of what's happening to our country, our community; Everybody needs to understand that Jim Crow and other racism are still alive ;that it is birthing another racial era, the era of Juan Crow.

You cannot fight-and defeat-that which you cannot name or understand. As different laws with different names in different states begin rearing their ugly head, our common enemy must have a common and recognizable name.  The name that will define our common struggle is Juan Crow.

You can download this poster in high resolution by clicking here. Please share widely.

Below is also one for your facebook profile. Click on the image to see it full size and then copy to your desktop. Or you can grab it off facebook page by clicking here.

Undocumented, Queer Visual Artist and on the cover of TIME Magazine!

 

I am so proud of my mentee, Julio Salgado, who, along with Jose Antonio Vargas and other DREAMers, made the cover of this week's TIME Magazine. Check out this video where he talks about his experience as an undocumented, queer artivist. 

I met Julio Salgado last year and have since been collaborating on various projects.I believe that art and culture have a crucial role to play in transforming, redefining, and re-imagining immigration. When it comes to immigration, the discourse rarely focuses on the stories of real people trying to succeed; instead, the frame is dominated by criminality and punishment. Julio and I believe that when we share our images and tell our stories, we illustrate the human struggle and win over broad audiences. Our art work can drive ideas home in a way that is unmatched by any other medium.

Julio has used his talents to document his struggle as an undocumented youth and the struggle of the undocumented community. I have personally witnessed Julio's growth as an artist and I'm proud to support him. As an artist who was born in the U.S., I feel I have the responsiblity to support other younger artists who are most affected by the laws that I'm fighting against. I can use my American priviledge to be an ally to undocumented migrants, starting with artists.

Julio recently shared his father's reaction to him being on the cover of TIME.

“When I called my father and told him that I was going to be on the cover of TIME Magazine along with other DREAMers he began to cry. I haven’t heard my dad cry in years. In between sobs, he told me how proud of me he was. When I heard the Obama announcement, I thought of my dad and how much he has contributed to this country with his labor. Yet he will not benefit from the administrative relief. It is because of people like my father that I will continue to speak out about what it means to be an undocumented immigrant and make sure to keep politicians accountable.”

More about Julio Salgado: Julio Salgado is the co-founder of DreamersAdrift.com. His activist artwork has become a staple of the DREAM Act movement. His status as an undocumented, queer artivist has fueled the contents of his illustrations, which depict key individuals and moments of the DREAM Act movement. Undocumented students and allies across the country have used Salgado's artwork to call attention to the youth-led movement. Salgado graduated from California State Universitiy, Long Beach with a degree in journalism.

New Art Piece about Family Separation and loss of Parental Rights for Street-Art Exhibit in SF

I am part of a new exhibit titled Motion Graphics: In and Beyond the Street. The show is currently showing at Intersection For the Arts in San Francisco and "looks at street art and the practice underlying social engagement and artistic work in the public sphere."

I developed a new print for this show titled "22% of Deportee's have U.S. Citizen Children". I developed this piece in response to our country's devastating immigration policy that is separating families, traumatizing children, and creating a cycle in which parents are losing their parental rights after being deported.

I was inspired to create this piece after learning about the plight of Felipe Montes. For nine years, Felipe Montes lived and worked in North Carolina. He married a U.S. citizen, and he and his wife have three sons. But after immigration officials deported Montes in late 2010, he will likely never see his children again.

The piece depicts a mother and child separated from a father. The father is depicted as an alien, alluding to the way in which inhumane immigration policy dehumanizes people. Using words like "illegal" and "alien", all words use by the Department of Homeland Security, make it acceptable to treat these courageous human beings as second class citizens.

I'm happy to be showing this piece alongside works by Ricardo Richey with Evan Bissell, Ana Teresa Fernandez, Chad Hasegawa and Eric Staller.

Here are some photos of the show:

Exhibit Dates & Gallery Hours: June 13 - August 25, Tues.-Sat., 12-6pm FREE

Location: 925 Mission Street, Suite 109, SF CA 94103

 

Liberate Your Ass: Why Sexual Freedom Is Key To Fighting The Right - VIDEO UP!

The highly-talked about sex panel at Netroots Nation is up online!!! I was so proud (and nervous) to be a part of this panel, and now you can hear for yourself why sexual freedom is key to liberation,

Watch live streaming video from freespeechtv at livestream.com

This year, we had the first ever sex panel ever at the 7th Netroots Nation!!

This was both great and sad, because it was surprising to many of us panelists that sexual freedom was not something that had been fully incorporated into this progressive gathering, when so much of what we do in our work in some ways ties back our agency to be free, and sexually liberated.

My co-presenter, Charlie Glickman, Education Program Manager at Good Vibrations, wrote on his blog:

It’s hardly news that neo-conservative groups are waging a war on sex. But it’s often a surprise to me how rarely progressive movements integrate sexuality issues into their efforts. In my view, there is no freedom without sexual freedom. ...this is the first time that this particular topic has been presented at this event, which is in its 7th year. While I’m glad to see movement towards including issues of sexual justice, I’m surprised that it took this long, since the links between sexuality and social justice seem so clear to me.

I was on the panel speaking with Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Elisabeth Fernandez-Kimmel, Kierra Johnson, William Winters and Charlie Glickman.

Sign On! The Cultural Community Supports Humane Immigration Solutions. TIME Mag story features undocumented artist!

Big news!! My friend, collaborator, and mentee, Julio Salgado is featured on the cover of TIME magazine today! His story and his work are mentioned in the article written by our friend, Jose Antonio Vargas. The conversation in this country about immigration is about to change! 

This proves a point that I make often, that culture is key in transforming the immigration debate and building good will for humane and just solutions to the immigration crisis.

Are you an artist, creative, writer, musician? Can you join the cultural community as we stand with Julio Salgado? 

The Culture Community Stands with Julio Salgado

“I make art for survival because it's the only way I know how to speak out and make sure that my story and the story of my community gets noticed. I knew I had to speak for myself and not let others define who I am." - Julio Salgado

click here to see video on Time’s website

Today, Time magazine becomes the first national magazine to put undocumented immigrants right on its cover, in a time when many immigrants still live in hiding. The cover story features two artists: Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jose Antonio Vargas and artist Julio Salgado, one of the core members of CultureStrike. A young artist who is redefining the immigrant experience through posters and videos, Julio joined a CultureStrike delegation of artists witnessing the Arizona border and has been crucial in creating a CultureStrike’s national poster project that will launch later this year. A video series he helped create, “Undocumented and Awkward,” mentioned in the Time article, highlights the “painfully awkward moments” of being an undocumented immigrant--and was created at a CultureStrike residency.

We, the cultural community, stand side-by-side Julio Salgado and the millions of other undocumented individuals who are bravely fighting for dignity and acceptance. There are more than eleven million undocumented individuals, like Julio, in the United States. We believe this means there are more than eleven million stories that need to be told. In a time when over a million individuals have been deported in the last three years, Julio represents something different and inspiring: the belief that we can imagine immigrants as fellow human beings, people who belong here as much as anyone else.

Signed,

Jeff Chang, Ken Chen, Andrew Hsiao, Favianna Rodriguez - On Behalf of CultureStrike

[More Names to come]

To add your name, email your name and title to: theculturestrike [at] gmail.com

CultureStrike is an artist-led initiative that seeks to shift the national imagination on immigration through innovative and urgent collaborations between artists, writers and other cultural workers. We send writers and artists to the frontlines of the immigration civil rights battle--such as our 2011 delegation of 50 writers and artists to Arizona. At CultureStrike.org, our online magazine, we publish the best arts and culture emerging from the immigration counterculture. A collaborative project of the Citizen Engagement Lab and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, we seek to build a cultural movement on immigration.

Pics from Providence and Netroots Nation 2012! LOVED it this year!

Just left Providence last night after a week at Netroots Nation 2012, which I attended this year as an Artist-Activist-Cultural-Worker-Promoter-in-Residence.

I rolled deep to Providence with my crew to bring some much needed art and culture to one of the most important progressive gatherings in the country - Netroots Nation. They describe themselves as "a giant family reunion for the left."  Every year, thousands of bloggers, newsmakers, social justice advocates, labor and organizational leaders, grassroots organizers and online activists come together to build, learn, train, share skills, and party. In the past, art and culture haven't been a huge part of this mix, but this year, the leadership recognized this gap and invited me to contribute in a huge way. 

While I was there I spoke on three panels - including a panel on Inspiration, Agitation and Cultural Organizing - I organized an art exhibit, ran an art booth in the exhibitor space that featured not just my work but also art by other radical artists, and participated in a new event called Ignite where speakers would get to show 20 slides and talk for 20 seconds per slide (kinda like Pecha Kucha). 

Overall, the conference was freaking amazing!! And my overall time in Providence was amazing. Here are some highlights.

Above: My friends, Gan Golan and Betsy Richards, and I kicked off NN12 by dressing up as superheroes from Gan's book, Unemployed Man. I am on the left dressed as Fantasma - the first undocumented superhero!

Above: Here is Julio Salgado, the most famous undocumented artist illustrator artivist on the planet! We had just finished up setting up our sales booth at the Netroots Nation Exhibitor Booth.

Above: We started out Thursday morning with a panel: Agitation & Inspiration: The Power of Art & Cultural Organizing, which you can see streamed here.

Above: Small Money vs. Super Pacs, a cool coin installation in the hallways of NN12 by my homie, Billy Wimsatt.

Above: It's kinda hard to see, but the posters hanging in the background are part of the art exhibit we set up, featuring art about Occupy and migrant justice.

Above: While walking through the streets of Providence, I ran into the folks who do these puppets - Big Nazo!

Above & Below: One of the things that's not so great about Netroots Nation is the fee required to get in - it's cost prohibitive for lots of folks. So Julio Salgado and I were asked to host a free workshop with local youth and organizers at New Urban Arts. Our poster workshop and artist talk was a hit!

 

Pussy Power Poontang-Celebrating Patriarchy-Defeating Slut-Positive POSTERS for Free DOWNLOAD!

Here are some slut power powers for all my sisters out there! I'm reposting these pieces so that they can be shared far and wide.

Politicians and conservatives are waging an all out war on women, our bodies, our access to health, our right to birth control, and our right to free, accessible and safe abortion. Everywhere you turn, the right wing is attempting to further limit and hinder our access to our reproductive rights through anti-contraceptive measures.

This is just the latest of attacks on women, and I am fed up.

Patriarchy is destructive to society, it's a form of violence against women, and there is no place for it in contemporary culture. We have to call it out when it happens.

I decided it was time for some slut positivity and some major ass kicking of these conservative, woman-hating men. 

Please share and disseminate. High res versions available here:

• Politicians Off My Pootang (download pdf)
• I'm A Slut. I Vote. (download pdf)
• It's My Pussy. It's My Body. (download pdf)
• Yo! Pussy Power! (download pdf)

Introducing you the work of "Show Me Your Papers: Immigration, Youth, Printmaking & Storytelling For Social Justice"

I was super nervous on the first day of the SHOW ME YOUR PAPERS class at Stanford University - I must admit. Not only was I going to be teaching at one of the most prestigious universities in this country, but this was going to be a twice-a-week-kinda gig, for a solid 10 weeks - which meant that I had to cut back on my usual traveling and buckle down to handle business.

I prepared for months before the class. I wanted to give students a deep look at the devastation, trauma, and violation of human rights caused by our country's failed immigration system. I also wanted to show the power that art can have in bringing humanity to this issue, in exposing the truth around how these laws are passed, and what their effects are on children, students and families. I wanted each student to have a sense of the power of culture and art in helping to change the national imagination on immigration.

I wasn't sure what to expect from my students. Would they be into social activism? Would they be inspired to fight on behalf of the millions of undocumented migrants in the US? Would they be artsy students trying to take a "different" kind of course just for the sake of it? And most importantly, would they like me?!??

It only took a few initial introductions to see just how passionate these students were! I was very surprised and pleased to learn that my students were already very engaged in social justice and organizers themselves. Some of them are organizing around Filipino migrant issues, while others are involved with the Domestic Workers Alliance, while others are going to spend their summer internining with non-profits that fight deportations. Interestingly enough, none of my students were in the art department.

Every single week each and every students not only poured their creativity into these beautiful pieces, but they also made sure to thorougly research the subject of immigration. We spent loads of time on figuring out the main messages and the call to action. We explored subjects from the Dream act, to deportations, to S-Comm, to the rights of migrant parents who are losing their children as a result of deporations. I am a firm believer that in order to make an effective political poster, one must know the issues that they are trying to depct. We must research our topics and not be afraid to ask questions. My students did all of this.

I am so proud to show you the final stages of these posters as we wrap up the class. I am thoroughly impressed with the quality and artistic caliber. Special thanks to the artists who came to help me with the classes - Julio Salgado, Oree Originol, and Texta Queen - artists who shared their skills and provided overall support to me each week. And thanks to Jeff Chang, director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford, and Ellen Oh. THANK YOU for making this class a reality!

Fresh off the presses: This print by Oscar Ortiz focuses on Latino working familes and how Latino communities deal with racism and police violence.

Prints waiting to dry.

 

This print by Madeline Sides uses humor to educate viewers on what SCOMM is and its negative impacts on immigrant communities.

 

Print calling out the Border Patrol for the killing of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, by Irene Jor.

This print by Teresa Miroslaw pays homage to farmworkers in the East Coast and shows how even folks with papers can form resistance to anti-migrant laws.

 

This is another print by Irene Jor where she quotes Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist who recently came out as an undocumented immigrant.

Heading to Netroots Nation #NN12 - Immigration & Occupy Exhibit, Panels, & more

I'm headed to Rhode Island to participate in the yearly Netroots Nation. I will be on two panels on Thursday and one on Saturday. Panel info is below. I will also be organizing an exhibit that will run the entire duration of the conference. And you can also find me selling my prints, posters and shirts in Booth 212. 

PANELS that I'll be on

Agitatation & Inspiration: The Power of Art & Cultural Organizing, more info here
Thursday, June 7 @ 9 am 

Liberate Your Ass: Why Sexual Freedom is Key to Fighting the Right, more info here
Thursday, June 7 @ 9 am 

The Worst Immigration Law in the United States, more info here
Saturday, Jun. 9 @ 3 pm

EXHIBIT

Please join me for the Exhibit Reception on Friday, June 8 from 6 - 7:30 PM at the Rotunda Room on the 5th Floor of the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Featuring artist from around the country, including Lalo Alcaraz, Julio Salgado, Dignidad Rebelde, Rich Black, Roger Pett, Josh MacPhee, Oree Originol, Emory Douglas, myself and many more!