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Food & Art Panel in Oakland 4/2! How do cultural workers address food justice issues? Oakland Museum of CA

I will be on a panel of cultural workers discussing how art is intertwined with the food justice movement. I will be joined by two other panelists: Amara Tabor-Smith, Artistic Director, Deep Waters Dance Theater and Gail P. Myers, PhD, Executive Director, Farms to Grow, Inc.

Conference Title: Food Fights: Popular Struggles Beyond California Cuisine
Our panel is on Saturday, April 2, 2011, 11:05-12:25am - click here for full info
@ the Oakland Museum of California

California Studies Association in partnership with the Oakland Museum of California, presents the CSA Annual Conference 2011. California has been a historical epicenter to successive revolutions in what we eat, where it comes from, and how it is produced and marketed—from the rise of agri-business and growers’ co-ops during the late 19th/early 20th century to the turn to health food in the 1970s to today’s slow food and food justice movements. This event brings together activists, scholars, community leaders, and the broader public to explore food as a fulcrum of political and social change over time. Sessions will focus on three themes: Food Justice, Organizing the Food Chain, and Agri-Culture.

Women's Migration Under Globalization [VIDEO] - 2 more days to see NYC Exhibit

The woman's migrant experience is something I frequently address in my art work. Whether it's doing a print about the story of my mother, who migrated from Peru in search of more opportunities, or developing a poster about women organizers in Chicago who are organizing to get out the vote - my work serves as a homage to migrant women.

In 2008, I traveled to Chicago to interview five women about their experiences migrating to the United States. All of the women I interviewed were survivors. One of them had experienced sexual abuse at the border during her journey to the United States, while another struggled in her home country as she fought for the rights of her disabled daugher. One woman had taken refuge in a church to protest this country's harsh immigration laws, while another devoted herself to the legal field in order to fight for the rights of her fellow migrants. Together with my collaborator, Geraldine Lozano, we documented the voices of these women into a short video, which you can see here.

I later developed posters about their stories and plastered them all over Chicago.

On a related note, I have a few works of mine in an exhibit in New York, which comes down this March 31. You don't want to miss this show - where women artist take on the theme of women and migration. Moni Vargas, of Friends We Love, writes:

The highly relevant and pertinent voice of female artists is essential in the conversation of immigration as many of us, who migrated to this country, have chosen to express our experience in a myriad of ways. Please support this project in any way you can.

The exhibit officially departs March 31st. The closing reception will take place at 7pm, at the Project Reach 4th Floor Gallery, 39 Eldridge Street, New York City, NY 10002.  The show is currently on view through the close date, daily, from 1 to 5pm.

Curated by Ninotchka Rosca (Filipina) and Leilani Montes (Guatemalan Mexican) and co-sponsored by Zero Capital and other groups, ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES presented a diverse offering of multimedia and performance art, pushing the audience to examine more closely what it means to leave and what it means once you arrive.

Lecture in NYC @ the Bronx on April 5th - Political Graphics, Street Art & Cultural Organizing

Attention New York Art Fans. I'll be in NYC doing a public lecture at Lehman College. I will be speaking about my beginning as an artist, about the organizations I helped found, and about how artists can develop innovative models to sustain their work. Info here:

April 5, 2011
4:30 pm
In the Rotunda of the Lehman College Art Gallery
Fine Arts Building
250 Bedford Park Blvd. West
Bronx, NY 10468

Fighting Hate, Misinformation, Dehumanization in the Media, and the Murder of Brisenia Flores

"Immigrants have the same impact on this country as a major terrorist attack."

All "good patriots" should "go to the border" and "lock and load."

"[The Bible] says that if they break into your country, you must cut off their limbs."

Xenophobic and hateful words like this is are all too common these days in the mainstream media and largely go by unchallenged. Meanwhile, hate crimes against Latinos and other people of color are at an all-time high. There is a definitive link between anti-immigrant hate talk and violence against immigrants & Latinos, and  I'll be speaking about this on an upcoming panel in Boston during the National Conference for Media Reform, taking place from April 8-10th at Seaport World Trade Center Boston, 1 Seaport Lane, Boston, MA, 02210. The purpose of this panel is to examine the extent and effects of hate speech and to discuss strategies to hold the media accountable for responsible journalism, while respecting First Amendment freedoms.

The panel will be held on Saturday, April 9th @ 2pm. Get more info by clicking here.

One of the stories I will be sharing is the murder of Brisenia Flores. Nine-year-old Brisenia was murdered in her home in Arivaca, Arizona in May 2009. She pleaded, “Please don’t shoot me,” right before she was shot — point blank, in the face — by a member of the Minutemen American Defense Corps.

The alleged mastermind behind Brisenia’s murder, Shawna Forde, had publicly represented anti-Latino hate groups including the Minutemen and the Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform (FAIR). On February 22, a jury gave Shawna Forde the death penalty for the deaths of both Brisenia and her father.

Brisenia's murder represents the violence that follows when hateful and dehumanizing rhetoric and the groups that promote it goes unchecked.

Brisenia’s story was largely ignored in the mainstream media, but her life galvanized people around the country to speak out against hate violence towards Latinos. I designed a poster to honor Brisenia’s memory, and to send a statement that our community wanted justice.

This child’s murder follows the mainstreaming of the most dangerous strands of hatred in the United States. The extremist groups like those that Shawna Forde represented publicly are the same groups responsible for hateful laws like Arizona’s SB1070, attempts to repeal birth-right citizenship for babies born in the U.S. and the dehumanization of immigrants and Latinos.

It’s up to each of us to stand up against anti-Latino violence everywhere. By displaying this poster and helping people learn about the story of this amazing girl and her tragic murder, you can help build resolve to end the discrimination and violence that took Brisenia’s life. Click here to download.

Brisenia, we will never forget you.

How to Help Japan

The devastation in Japan demands that all of us donate what we can to support people in need. I had the priviledge of traveling to Japan on multiple occasions from 2005-2006 to work with Japanese artists, activists and people looking to change the world. Some of my Peruvian-Japanese family members are living in Japan, as well as people who I call my family. I have a deep love for the wonderful people of Japan and I urge you to donate what you can and to keep abreast of events, in particular to the nuclear disaster that is unfolding. This is an opportunity for us as citizens of the world to call for an end to nukes.

I'm a part of various online organizing communities and I've run across some great resources to donate and to call for action in the U.S. My first suggestion is from MoveOn.org:

Right now the people of Japan are in crisis, their resources are stretched thin, and they need our help. Many organizations are already on the ground providing relief, including Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross. You can provide immediate assistance by donating to help fund the emergency response:

Doctors Without Borders is sending highly trained teams of doctors into the hardest-hit and most difficult-to-reach regions of Japan. (Note: Doctors Without Borders is not accepting contributions "earmarked" for Japan, but rather drawing from general support to enable their important response work there. Also note their website has been acting up due to increased traffic.)

Donate here: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/

Japanese Red Cross:  The Japanese Red Cross has already deployed more than 900 rescue workers to the affected region. Donating directly through their Japan website is a bit complicated. Google.org has set up an easier way to do this and donations can be made directly to the Japanese branch of the International Red Cross through the Google Crisis and Response page here: http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html#donation.

 

And we must also demand that something be done about nukes. Our friends at CREDO put together a great petition.

Tell President Obama: Reverse your support of risky nuclear power!

click here to take action

Even now, politicians of both parties are so beholden to the nuclear industry, that they are racing to microphones to say that the U.S. must EXPAND its taxpayer support of building even more nuclear reactors.

President Obama's 2012 budget includes $36 billion in loan guarantees to the nuclear energy industry. With Congressional leaders competing to cut public spending, we face a spectacle where senators in both parties were quick to defend nuclear power in the days following earthquake. Sen. Chuck Schumer, vice chair of the Democratic Senate caucus, has joined with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, in refusing to support a moratorium on building new nuclear reactors in seismically active areas in the U.S.

Nuclear power generation is so financially risky that it requires government intervention to obtain sufficient financing for development. Even nuclear power proponents admit the stakes.

Tell President Obama: We need investment in clean, renewable energy, not more nuclear time bombs. Clicking here will automatically sign the petition.

What does it take for Congress and President Obama to get the message? In just the last year, we have suffered massive disasters as a result of declining and risky energy technologies. Coal, oil, and now nuclear power have been the center of soul searching crises in the past 12 months. First came the massive coal mine collapse in West Virginia courtesy of the rapacious Massey Energy. Then came the massive BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico which failed to slow significant advances by the oil companies in drilling offshore of the United States. And now comes a massive nuclear crisis in Japan, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. Yet nothing has been done.

click here to take action 

Two posters are by my artist friend, UG Sato, who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Photo up top is from NY Times, click here to see full interactive feature.

Last Week to see ChicaChic Exhibit & see my install in San Francisco

This is the last week to see the Chicana Art group show, ChicaChic, with some of my favorite contemporaries, including Shizu Saldamando and Ana Teresa Fernández. ChicaChic includes images that honor the concepts, themes, and iconography of the Chicano civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s but reflect a world that is drastically changed.

The exhibit is on display in the buildings of the California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS). I did a installation in the stairway of the CIIS building which will be up only for a few more days - see photo above. (Photo by Michael Amici)

The curator, Raquel de Anda, formerly of Galería de la Raza in San Francisco's Mission district, explains, "ChicaChic is about stepping beyond the boundaries of identity, challenging stereotypes about what it means to be Chicana," says de Anda. "It's about the fluidity of identity and the need for new kinds of images in a fast-paced, media-saturated society."

The exhibit closes Friday, March 18. Here are details about the show:

Exhibit on Display @: CIIS Main Building, 1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, 3rd floor
AND CIIS Minna Street Center, 2nd Floor

Support the ongoing work of the US Social Forum!! Commemorative Poster for Sale

This poster was commissioned in 2010 by the US Social Forum.

Each character is developed via heavy lines that create geometric shapes intersecting to become body parts. My favorite character in this piece is the grower/farmer on the left. He has no eye because he is anonymous, he is all of us. His hands are reaching out to his sister and together they are reaching out to the planet, which is symbolized by a seed. I placed the plant inside the seed as a metaphor of our ecosystem, to show how all forms of life are dependent on each other.

The woman on the right is singing, speaking, and sharing her truth. I included her because in all people's movements, artists play a vital role. The two figures at the top are looking to the future. But in order to look forward, we must look back - to understand where we have been and where we can go. A large pentagon is located behind all the figures, symbolizing the ways in which of our paths are interconnected.

The piece reads, "Tu Lucha es Mi Lucha," which translated means, "Your Struggle is My Struggle."

You can purchase this LIMITED EDITION POSTER for $20 and help support the ongoing work of the US Social Forum.

Food must be Good, Clean & Fair - Tips for eating right & fighting for Food Justice!

I have transformed the way I eat, and as a result I am experiencing more energy, keeping my weight stable, and overall feeling better.

It was not something that I did in a few days or even a year, its been a commitment I make and renew to myself every day, in fact, every time I eat.

Eight years ago, I stopped eating fast food entirely after reading the groundbreaking book, Fast Food Nation. I stopped eating food that was not cooked and prepared at the restaurant's premise, and that was linked to a corporate entity.

I stopped eating fast food because I no longer wanted to support the grotesque, inhumane and systematic slaughtering of animals, and manufacturing of a goods like potatoes and tomatoes, that were leaving hundreds of thousands of farmers in misery (because of their inability to compete with factory farming).

I made some rules for myself about what I would eat, and while they have changed over the years, these basic guidelines have helped me stick to a meal plan. They are:

- Buy local and buy organic (from Farmer's Markets, local organic coops). I didn't want to support the pesticides and chemicals being sprayed on my food, nor did I want to condone the fact that these same chemicals were being exposed to the agricultural workers that toiled for my food to reach my plate. People tell me it's expensive to buy organic food. But my response is that cheap food is not really cheap,  there is a high price that is paid by the planet, by the workers, and by your own body - so we have to get rid of the "cheap" excuse. Agribusiness corporations have taught us that "cheap food" line and its a lie.

- Buy foods that are simple. This means buying foods that have little ingredients, preservatives and chemicals. Of course this means reading the labels. The less stuff in my food, the better - even when it comes to canned foods. This meant buying canned tomato sauce with no salt instead of buying prepared sauces with lots stuff of stuff in them. The more fresh, the better. Simple, simple, simple.

- Opt to prepare my food at home. Because I wanted to stay away from too much sugar and salt (things that are toxic to the body), I get simple foods that I can prepare at home. So I get all the ingredients to make pasta sauce, and cook it at home instead of buying ready made sauce. The process of cooking connects me to my food and gives me time to bond with the stuff I'm gonna put into my body. It's also tremendously relaxing.

- Eat whole and raw foods. This means, I don't cook everything. I try to eat salads, and raw fruits, and things that are in their natural state (nuts, raisins, dried fruits). Its harder now that I have braces, so I've gotten into juicing.

- Eat a rainbow. This is a great basic rule to have. When I cook my veggies and make meals, I try to eat as many colors as possible, with an emphasis on greens. This also means not overcooking my veggies. I don't make them soggy and brown, I like them in their bright colors and crunchy.

- Keep a list in my wallet. There are things I always buy for my kitchen, like onions, eggplant, zuchinni, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, bananas, etc. I always keep my staple list in my wallet so that I can shop for groceries at any time when I have a break.

- Break the sugar addiction. This has been the hardest thing for me because I love sweets, but I'm realizing that I have a major sugar addiction (for years now) and so I had to just refuse to buy sugary things. I don't eat desserts anymore except for maybe once a week. Its the hardest thing for me, but sugar is the one thing that makes my weight go up.

- Cook for a few days. I'm one of the busiest people you will meet, so when I cook, I cook for 3-4 servings. This helps me eat leftovers and it keeps me on a good path even when I don't feel like cooking. I also freeze my leftovers sometimes so that they don't go bad so soon.

- Clean meats and fish. Every so often I'll eat meat, poultry and fish, but I make sure that they are humanely treated (as in not-caged, free-range) and that they are from a local farm. This means getting to know your local organic butchers.

- Be really selective when you eat out. I use Yelp to find restaurants that serve local, organic, and clean foods. I LOVE to support restaurants that have good food practices.

- Learn how to cook! Ok, I have to say I know so many people that don't know how to cook and are intimidated by the very notion of cooking. I always tell them that cooking is a way that we can empower ourselves. It is the one universal practice, where we are in control of what will keep us alive and nourish us. We can make it an enjoyable experience but we have to own it. Our bodies are our temples, and learning about what our bodies like, and don't like, is an exercise in getting to know yourself. If you don't know how to cook, I suggest watching some YouTube videos and starting with some basic recipes. Or ask others to help you learn. But more what I would suggest, is a change in attitude. You also  have to be sure you have some basics: a good knife, cutting board, pot, pan, wooden spoon, and access to an stove is all you need to start. It's so hot to meet men and women who can cook!

So those are the things I do in order to eat right. I'm a busy, single, working woman that juggles lots of tasks, but I really try to make time for eating, because its the way I put energy into my body. It sounds basic, but it is a way to show my body love and respect.

I also make art pieces about my love for good, clean, and fair food, as well as my commitment to support local farming. I'm a big fan of Vandana Shiva, whose books have informed much of my work, particularly "Manifesto of the Seed." If you are in the Bay Area, you can hear me speak about the cultural work I do around Food Justice on April 2nd. Details below.

You can also buy the posters above by visiting my online store here.

 

Food Fights: Popular Struggles Beyond California Cuisine
Friday, April 1 & Saturday, April 2, 2011 - click here for full info
@ the Oakland Museum of California

My panel is  11:05 to 12:25 on Saturday, April 2

California Studies Association in partnership with the Oakland Museum of California, presents the CSA Annual Conference 2011. California has been a historical epicenter to successive revolutions in what we eat, where it comes from, and how it is produced and marketed—from the rise of agri-business and growers’ co-ops during the late 19th/early 20th century to the turn to health food in the 1970s to today’s slow food and food justice movements. This event brings together activists, scholars, community leaders, and the broader public to explore food as a fulcrum of political and social change over time. Sessions will focus on three themes: Food Justice, Organizing the Food Chain, and Agri-Culture.

Post-Chicana: Artist Talk w/ some Bad Ass Sistahs Tonight!

I am on a panel tonight, March 12! Don't miss it.

Intergenerational Panel Discussion
Sat., March 12, 6 pm
CIIS Minna Street Center - 695 Minna at the corner of 8th St., Downtown San Francisco
Featuring: Ana Teresa Fernández , Angelica Muro, Patricia Rodriguez, Viva Paredes, Favianna Rodriguez, and Lorraine García Nakata

From now through March 18, 2011, you can catch my work in a group show at the Center for Integrative Studies. The exhibit, ChicaChic, showcases the work of five prominent Chicana visual artists who are responding to the social shifts in their communities. Raquel De Anda, guest curator, explains:

“ChicaChic is about stepping beyond the boundaries of identity, challenging stereotypes about what it means to be Chicana. It’s about the fluidity of identity and the need for new kinds of images in a fast-paced, media-saturated society.”

Check out this video of Raquel speaking about the exhibit.

ChicaChic: The New Wave of Chicana Art // Interview with Curator Raquel De Anda from New America Media on Vimeo.

 

Poster celebrating Latinos & Education - I'll be on Panel w/Edward James Olmos

There is an education crisis looming for Latinos, the nation’s largest and most rapidly growing ethnic group. Last year, the Pew Hispanic Center released the report “Hispanics, High School Dropouts and the GED.”  The report finds that 41% of Hispanic adults age 20 and older in the United States do not have a regular high school diploma, compared with 23% of black adults and 14% of white adults.

This means simply, that the fastest growing youth population, faces the risk of also being the most uneducated, posing a problem not just for Latinos, but for the entire country. The National Journal reports:

Today's minority students will represent an increasing share of tomorrow's workforce and thus pay more of the payroll taxes that will be required to fund Social Security and Medicare benefits for the mostly white Baby Boomers. Many analysts warn that if the U.S. doesn't improve educational performance among African-American and Hispanic children, who now lag badly behind whites in both high school and college graduation rates, the nation will have difficulty producing enough high-paying jobs to generate the tax revenue to maintain a robust retirement safety net.

When media oulets report on the figures, the common, unspoken perception is that Latino students are lazy and unmotivated, or that their families don't care about education. But it is all the contrary, Latino families have a strong sense of the promising role that education has for their children's paths.

This print, which I just completed for The College Board, celebrates the great value that Latino families place on education. The young man on the left is recreating indigenous Inca bird icons as he imagines the many possibilities for his future. In the center, a mother teaches her daughter about Caribbean indigenous history. On the right, a high school student proudly graduates and is committed to social justice. The background demonstrates the various milestones in a young person’s education.

The print will be available at the annual College Board Conference, Prepárate!, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, this year. (details here)

This March 11th, I will be presenting alongside Edward James Olmos at a lunch plenary, "Mobilizing our Community: From Macro to Micro".

I LOVE Edward James Olmos! Not just because of his role in Stand in Deliver, but for his outstanding performance in BattleStar Galactica! I'm more than honored to be presenting on a panel with Commander Adama.

Edward James Olmos will share his wisdom as an activist, actor and movie-maker (with special highlights on "Stand and Deliver" and "Walkout") to help educators understand how they can raise awareness and mobilize to resolve problems in the education pipeline that are directly hampering progress in our communities. He will be joined by artist, activist and co-Founder of Presente.org, Favianna Rodríguez, who will elaborate on this theme from a social media and grassroots organizing perspective. As we witnessed with the DREAM Act mobilizations across the country, raising awareness, building support and activism around an issue is a challenging endeavor with varying approaches. Learn about national and regional community movements that keep educational and civil rights issues at the forefront. This plenary session focuses on the power of a mobilized community and the current methods utilized to create change for the future of this country - our students.

To register for the conference, click here.