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.
