A Group Exhibition curated by Sen Mendez
Zine Release & Closing Reception: March 22, 6 – 9 PM
Join us for the Closing Reception and a celebration of a Zine publishing the works of Y(our) Legacy cohort artists!
This exhibition of ‘Y(our) Legacy’ centers previous participants and a specific cohort of LGBTQ+ immigrants and refugees as we are currently witnessing the attack on LGBT communities made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Their description of artwork would consist of their self-reflection of what they feel about the current news impacting them and/or their community.
Their stories aim to document and contextualize present-day LGBTQIA+, and Refugee/Immigrant experiences. In 2023 alone, more than 435 anti-trans bills have been introduced across 44 states. These proposed laws attack trans peoples’ access to essential life-giving healthcare: the right to use the correct bathroom, to play youth sports, to enjoy full and vibrant lives, free from discrimination, dystopian surveillance, and the vicious attempts by conservative lawmakers to twist our humanity into a tool of reelection. The goal is for participants as LGBTQIA+ refugees and Immigrants to share their narratives of joy, hope, and urgency to promote a more just, equitable world.
It is important to share these powerful narratives to humanize their experience by offering an opportunity to participate in a group exhibition to display the finished images in Oakland. Special thanks to our funders Oakland Futures Award and our partners ARTogether and Moments Cooperative & Community Space!
Sen Mendez is the creator and founder of the Y(our) Legacy workshop. Y(our) Legacy goal is to create an accessible therapeutic art setting for community to envision their own artistic expression constructing empowering narrative, and unapologetically envisioning their liberation story through the process of block printing as a somatic tool to carve away pain and heartbreak to end with a final image of healing and relief.
Featured Artists: Yaffa, Sonemani Bitna, Aspensong Nevarez, NiQueen Jones, Dana Castillo, Cynthia Garcia, Polina Marso, Sen Mendez and Erina Alejo. Learn more about the artists here.
