A Creative Activist Organizing Workshop for Immigrant Rights - Detention Nation
Friday, October 19th, 9:30am-12:30pm
Texas Tech School of Art Satellite Gallery
1108 5th St, Lubbock, Texas 79401
Registration Form for the workshop can be found here :
Workshop Description:
In the past several years, as the immigrant rights movement has gained momentum, lost ground, and continued to fight back in the midst of heightened racial rhetoric and state-sanctioned violence, the idea that art can confront injustice and that social activism not only can but must be creative has become paramount. Artists, once reluctant to describe what they do as “political art” now often embrace the terms like “artivist” or even at times “activist” without hesitation. This is not without tension, however, as those who were once seen as the vulnerable objects of representation now increasingly “take the mic” and demand to represent themselves. In such a context, what is the role of “the artist”? What is the role of “the activist”? What is the role of the community member who may be one or all of these? In this workshop, we hope to explore some of these questions, while also engaging in a dialogue aimed at producing stronger collaborations and a deeper interpenetration of the creative and the activist in our work. Above all, we will explore the following question, how can artists, activists and artivists work with directly affected folks to produce equitable relationships and projects that impact the world.
Facilitator Bios:
Orlando Lara is an artist, writer, and educator working at the intersections of art, critical pedagogy, and ethnic studies. He is currently Associate Director of Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Previously, he worked as Mexican American Studies Faculty at Lee College and before that as a deportation defense organizer for the Texas Undocumented Youth Alliance or La TUYA. He is an active member of the Sin Huellas artist collective and is involved in the state-wide movement to integrate MAS and Ethnic Studies into Texas public schools. He advocates for Ethnic Studies at all levels from K-PhD and believes in breaking the borders between art, activism, scholarship, and community spaces.
Email: olaraza@gmail.com, o.lara@tcu.edu
Phone: 281-948-9383
Deyadira Arellano is a Community Organizer for Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services and member of the Sin Huellas artist collective. As an organizer for TEJAS, Deyadira has organized countless campaigns and service projects. As a volunteer for La TUYA, she worked on several anti-deportation campaigns. As a member of Sin Huellas, Deyadira has brought her commitment to empowering the voices of undocumented communities into the collective’s work. As a mother and organizer, she continues to bring an intersectional approach to all her efforts, addressing issues like education, environmental justice, healthcare, and the military industrial complex in her immigrant rights work. Her Mexico/Texas connection, grounded in family heritage and respect for nature, has motivated her to work for the preservation of land, resources, species, and humanity. Together with her partner, Orlando Lara, she co-founded and manages the Texas-wide activist network, the Deportation Defense Network of Tejas.
Email: deyadira_a@hotmail.com
Phone: 281-323-0968
Landmark Arts exhibitions and speaker programs in the Texas Tech University School of Art are made possible in part with a generous grant from the Helen Jones Foundation of Lubbock. Additional support comes from Cultural Activities Fees administered by the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts.
