AM I NEXT, Art League House, Houston TX, curated by Ann Johnson

As we know messages are more effective when repeated. The repetitive pattern of this custom made font is meant to give the viewer a striking image while delivering a message. The font design was inspired by the artist indiginous background. It is meant to give the viewer a universal sense of, how to say her name. Since Sandra Bland is not the only woman of color who has been treated as if “her life doesn't matter” the artist intention was to remind the audience of this as well as be include the message of the missing and murdered indignous women along US and Canada. The silhouette in the center is an homage and shrine for Sandra Bland and many other women whose lives are devalued. This piece was interactive allowing the viewer to write the names and stories of women who are victims of injustice, insider her silhouette. We will not allow these stories to be untold or forgotten. This piece was part of a group exhibit titled, “How to Say Her Name” at Art League House, 2017.


MARIPOSA NEGRA, Idyllwild Arts Park Exhibition Center Gallery, Idyllwild, CA

This large serigraph print of a butterfly inspired by Mexican textile techniques tells the story of the US and Mexico underground black market of sex, drugs, guns, money and human trafficking. This has become the state of migration in the 21st century along our border. It tells the unfortunate cycle caused by laws and policies placed by both the US and Mexico government.


"VEILED BORDER", Santa Fe Art Institute

This is a collaborative art piece created by Lee Running and Monica Villarreal displayed at the Santa Fe Art Institute on November 27, 2015 during the All Refugees Welcome art exhibit. Veiled Border explores the authors of borders. The opacity of the border poses questions to the viewer. Who are the creator of borders; who are affected by them; and who can see them?

This work reflects solidarity with the larger artistic movement to welcome refugees.The artists involved with the All Refugees Welcome art exhibit believe that the ongoing conflict of refusing refugees from Mexico, Central and South America, and Syria has created an atmosphere of fear instead of love. We recognize the responsibility to counteract this threat of fear through the use of art.


WHO DO YOU CALL?

A Houston mural depicting 21st century cases of police brutality in the United States. Dedicated to Joe Campos Torres. This collaboration mural was created by local artists Daniel Anguilu, Roberto Castillo, Jessica Rios, and Monica Villarreal. Photos


MADE IN AMERICA

Made in America is a stencil installation of M16 that demonstratives the militarization of the Mexico-US border. This art was installed for the Voices Breaking Boundaries, Borderline Production - Livingroom Art series. This installation was inspired after my visit to El Calaboz, Texas during a State wide meeting that focused on MX-US borderline issues. The meeting was conducted by the Lipan Apache Defense Women.


"MIGRATION IS?" at Project Row Houses - Round 41: Process and Action An Exploration of Ideas. Curated by Ryan Dennis

Migrant workers have played a key role in the development of what we now call the United States. As the number of migrant workers from Latin America continues to rise, discourse surrounding these migrations focuses on their value as human beings by treating their bodies as exploitable commodities. The intention of Migration is? is to address and reframe this discussion by examining migration from the underrepresented perspective of the migrant. I will present a series of works exploring the experiences of Latin America migrant works through the use of printmaking, installations, large-scale paintings, and live performances.  I want to analyze the treatment of migrant works and shift discourse from their worth as commoditized bodies to their intrinsic value as human beings. 


"COMING THROUGH THE GAP IN THE MOUNTAIN ON AN ELEPHANT", curated by Robert Pruitt

Texas Southern University group exhibition on June 22, 2013. The photo on the left is a collaborative piece titled In Order of Life. This golden sculpture was made out of wood and aerosol painted goldThis was a collaborative with artist Michael K Taylor. The photo on the right is titled Pantli. This textile piece made out of cotton fabric was an extension of the golden sculptor. Both were inspired from an scripted language created for the exhibit.This piece was influence by knowledge of theLakota medicine wheel and Aztec sunstone. The shape of the cross in the sculpture represents thefour directions - South, North, East, West the other four panels beside thecross are Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest and the three centerpanels represent earth, sky, and the center. Once the sculpture took form itreminded us of the “most high”, the sun.  read more

 

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