Artists and professors discussed their experiences on using art as a form of resistance and pathways to liberation with students on March 21 at Citrus College.
Throughout the presentations students were equipped with knowledge on the history of oppression and the various resistance movements that utilized art to project their voices into the public space.
The discussion panels included topics on intersection, zines, propaganda, community, culture, music, performance art, dance, identity and artistic expression.
Citrus’ Visual and Performing Arts Lecture Hall resonated with music, dance, singing, and applause as keynote speaker Martha Gonzalez, who’s a professor of Chicanx/Latinx Studies at Scripps College, spoke about what it means to be an artavista (artist and activist).
“As soon as I started valuing more of my culture, my own experience, and my history, I feel like I became stronger,” Gonzalez said.
Keith Madrid, a Citrus student and event volunteer, said the importance of going out into the world and getting to know people to experience other cultures so that they don’t find themselves trapped in a bubble of isolation.
Madrid also said that he would choose zines as a way of expressing his resistance because of how quickly they can be produced and how their small size is an effective way of spreading your message.
Illustrator and art educator, Daniel Gonzales, advises students to use whatever is available to
them to express their resistance, whether it be old magazine collages, sculpting or painting.
The emphasis should be on telling a story, not on technical expertise Gonzales said. He said he recommends that students research where they come from, but to also be patient on the journey of finding their voice; because for him it didn’t happen right away.
Lina Cardinas, a Citrus College art student, shared her experience going to the poetry workshop.
“I just kind of rolled with it and I allowed myself to be vulnerable and ended up being kind of liberated by the end,” Cardinas said.
This story was updated at 10.10 a.m. on March 26 with correct information.
