episodes of a collaborative experience

the art world is composed of everyone not just artist . writers . musicians . and or poets the audience is as important as those creating the art objects and happenings.

"Every human being is an artist, a freedom being, called to participate in transforming and reshaping the conditions, thinking and structures that shape and inform our lives"

Joseph Beuys

Phish Festival 8. Community Print Press
Mono type print press powered by human weight and friction.This process was used by a community of campers at the phish music and arts festival in 2009 to produce one of a kind prints that were then displayed and traded for the during the 3 day event.

El muralismo

In 2007 Louisa castrodale and I began the Mural Project for Palm Springs Unified School District . What was initially envisioned to be a single project housed by the Desert Hot Springs Alternative Education program became an ongoing district wide Arts Program. This effort produced over 50 murals in a time span of three years. The Murals were created in collaboration with students ranging in from middle to high school grade levels

achieved objective : produced murals through which students learned essentials in painting and drawing while simultaneously providing a forum for teacher/student mentorship and open dialogue in a safe and productive environment. As well as creating a model that encouraged student attendance and responsibility .

Special thanks to collaborating artist : Bijan Masoumpanah and Aaron Hansen .

THanks given .

thanksgiving 2010 saw me in a new place. . a big city . with many people and new horizons. I may not have a lot but i am grateful for what i do have and what i have done. i thank all the people who have lent a hand along the way. And as most of these thank you speeches go , I also will start by thanking my mother who carried me Across the American border in a morral, to my father who always told me that hard work was essential to any and all achievements, to my English teachers who taught me how to speak the language of this country, my math teachers who figured out a way to make me learn the things i thought i wouldn't, to my mentors Louisa , Terry , miss stone , Mrs..west., and Carlos who i will never forget and can not thank enough. to Aaron a die hard collaborator and inspiring force in my life . to my ex girlfriends who stood up with me in my crazy years. and to my partner in crime Sarah who challenges me daily to see things differently than just another 24 year old Chicano. Thank you .

Sometimes it is easier to forget than remember, dismiss than embrace, overlook than confront, and we are all familiar with the idea of impermanence. Here today and gone tomorrow.

This project grew out of these ideas and a few different encounters with clothes found around the bay area. Just about everyone has had seen the lonely pair of slacks sitting on a bus top or the "almost new" sneakers curbside waiting for someone to pick them up. Often times we just pass them up. But curiosity always strikes to pose the questions of whom they belonged to or how they got there.






Perhaps the reason discarded clothes sparked our curiosity is because we knew that at some point they belonged to someone and that it still carried some of their essence. We all have special relationships to clothes and they are an extension to ourselves. Often they are connected to particular moments in time and memories. Just think of a time you lost a special hat or jacket. What did it feel like?

After sifting through dozens of found clothes we finally choose seven Outfits that were used to create short 2-3 sentence narratives. These narratives were formulated in a collaborative writing process that focused on our own relationships to the clothes, the locations in which they were found, and possible identities of the people who may have worn them.

Then a mock up of the future public installation inside one of the CCA studios


Once the lay out was determined through the studio mock up the third stage could be set in motion. This would be a Public art piece set in an area of high foot traffic near the locations where the clothes had originally been found.

The location search took place post Oscar Grant trial on October 6, 2010 just a day after the Oakland riots. The aftermath of this event left many building with boarded up windows and storefronts. Perfect surfaces for easy installation of anything that had to be nailed or stapled. Using this to our advantage location outside of the 19th streets Bart was chosen. This was an ideal location since it is a place for high foot traffic.






Display :







Overall public resoponse was positive.

Collaborations:

Character Building and Layout - Sarah Valentine
Technical Support - Chris Granillo
Clothing donation ( Black Pants for "Rey" )- Noah Legget
Photographic support - Madelon Kaye Calasuonno
Directions and News - Anonymous Man at Fat Cat Cafe

Memory Boxes . Oakland California 2010

we are all responsible for capturing the present and representing the future.It is up to us to decide how we will encapsulate the stories of today so they can be told tommorow.


a collection of found arifacts, memories, and events.