An evening of artistic engagement, photography, fiction, poetry and music where we’ll use memory to retrace our steps and create forward momentum. All art forms help us hold onto that intangible thing called memory. Art gives weight to memory and creative expression helps us connect with others and, by extension, ourselves. There are parts of us that we’ve lost touch with that we need to connect to again. Creativity is a way of being reintroduced to past versions of ourselves which may seem distant but that we always carry with us. With so much change, we continue to navigate storms; we need moments of steadiness. By telling past stories and being able to reference who we once were, we can find another perspective on our journey. Through this event we hope to explore how to transform painful memories instead of erasing them. We ask, what is the connection between individual and communal memories and how do they live in the body and in art?
NOTE; This is a hybrid evento to join in the zoom mundo;
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https://zoom.us/j/96527627652?pwd=SHhKc2h0Qit5YXZVWHl3eTZURW9YQT09
Bios
Joi Ward is an artist and educator living and working in Oakland, California. She is a founding member of Latitude High 37.8, where she gets to celebrate and support young people as they navigate the world. As a visual storyteller, Joi enjoys documenting relationships between people and place. She is deeply inspired by the relationships we cultivate with others and ourselves. Born and raised on the East Coast, Joi is a big fan of thunderstorms and road trips. She is also a Pisces, respectively
Monica Zarazua no middle name, writes fiction. She co-founded Pochino Press: a family enterprise begun on a whim to help bring to print stories of multi-hued colors. She self-published her first collection of short stories called Slide which turned into a collaborative project with visual artists. In the works is a novel that explores thievery, memory, the guidance of trees and the design of fugitive DNA. For three years she lived in Las Vegas where her fortitude was tested in the heat of the desert, the stickiness of the Strip and where she completed an M. F.A. in Creative Writing. She taught elementary school in Richmond, California and later at the International Community School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She loves all the ways that humans win on the day to day. As of 2022, year of the tiger, she lives and teaches in Oakland, CA. She is part of the Latitude 37.8 crew.
Christian Martinez, also known as Galactico, is an educator & poeta. Born in Uruapan, Michoacan, Mexico, he and his family migrated to Oakland, California in 1999 to pursue a better future. Growing up in East Oakland deeply influenced his desire to elevate in the community. Galactico witnessed and experienced the social and educational inequities first hand and wanted to contribute to leveling the playing field for communities of color. In 2010, Galactico commenced his career as an educator in his beloved Fruitvale community. Here, he co-founded Latitude 37.8, a unique high school that focuses on real-world project-based learning, with strong arts, multimedia, and technology integration. The focus of the school deeply aligns with Galactico’s creative vision. Galactico developed a passion for music, recording and producing all while fostering a drive to succeed. In 2018, Galactico founded Noxhegalactica Podcast & Magazine. Noxhegalactica invites all participants--the host, its guest, and listeners--to reveal our struggles and build the community we never thought we would have. Noxhegalactica aims to elevate the community. Galactico is a big fan of fashion and promoting mental health. In 2019, he took a trip to Tokyo, Japan where he was inspired to uplift and motivate people through his message. He started his own clothing brand named swimgood. Swimgood is rooted in the idea that "No matter where you are in this ocean called life , you’ll be okay if you just swimgood."
Poeta Si has been a noteworthy leader in the community. You may know her from her work with youth as an educator & coach in Oakland, She can also be credited with contributions to the outreach and advocacy of countless community movements. Outside of her dedicated work in education she is a partner, a creator, a dog daddy, and a poeta. Ready to spread light, and ready to spread love.
March 22