Week 8: ¡Printing the Revolution! Virtual Conversation Series: From Black and Brown Solidarity to Afro-Latinidad

¡Printing the Revolution! Virtual Conversation Series: From Black and Brown Solidarity to Afro-Latinidad hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum addressed how Black and Latinx artivists have and continue to strongly impact social justice and equity. The panel was moderated by Kaelyn Rodriguez, a social art historian, activist, and professor from Los Angeles, CA. The panelists included Malaquias Montoya, Moses Ros-Suárez, and Favianna Rodriguez.

A Free Palestine, 1989

Malaquias Montoya is a graphic poster artist who was raised in the San Joaquin Valley and later moved to San Jose, CA. During his upbringing, he and his family spent their days harvesting crops, which Montoya describes as having a strong impact on his artivism efforts since it allowed him to learn and grow within a multi-ethnic community. His first experience creating a political poster was in 1968, where Montoya was asked to create several hundred posters to publicize a walkout planned by Chicanx high school students in San Jose. He described this experience as the moment he realized the positive impact that posters can have on activism efforts. I really enjoyed his discussion regarding how Caesar Chavez's push for reform for farm workers has been able to change his perspectives. Montoya used to be embarrassed when his mother would pick him up from school in her work clothes, but Caesar Chavez was able to teach Montoya about how his mother actually contributed greatly to the developing wealth of this country.

Rebirth of Our Nation, 2020

Moses Ros-Suárez is an artist, printmaker, and architect who was born and raised by a single mother in New York City. Ros-Suárez described his early experiences with graffiti art and mentioned how it gave him a sense of identity since he felt invisible growing up. While working with aerosol, Ros-Suárez was able to network with kids from different areas across the city. He then joined NOGA (Nation of Graffiti Artists) in the early '70s, where he shifted from painting on walls to working on canvas. Ros-Suárez has created work that is reflective of solidarity among Black and Brown artists, addressing topics that are not talked about enough in the community. For instance, he recently created an art piece (in the picture) where he added color to a black and white print. He described the addition of color as a way to better represent the rebirth of our nation and to give the painting more life. He mentioned that he included the words "class," "race," and "power" because of the lack of conversation on these topics in our society.

Black Latino Unity, 2008

Favianna Rodriguez is an interdisciplinary artist, cultural strategist, and activist who currently resides in Oakland, CA. She talked about how she grew up during the War on Drugs, which she mentioned is a consequence of a cultural narrative used against communities of color. This was a contributing factor to the current issue of mass incarceration. Rodriguez also witnessed police brutality, gangs, and the neglect of her community during her youth. Rodriguez is grounded in the belief that her art can share a story and how culture, art, and the stories we share are powerful in shaping politics and reality. Also an environmentalist and feminist, Rodriguez has been able to create works such as Reject. Restore. Project., 2019 to address the greater negative impact of pollution on communities of color as well as Feel It All, 2019 which focuses on sexual liberation and healing.