Midterms: Art Intervention
The topic I wanted to tackle with my intervention was the safety of immigrants against ICE in Jersey City. My father and I only recently arrived in the US, and even though we both entered the country legally, I believe I have a moral obligation as an immigrant to stand with those who weren’t as fortunate as me, as well as a personal stake in protecting my own rights and safety.
Summary:
My intervention art project of both a wearable object and of a poster with a QR code directing people to an online document full of information on how to protect oneself from ICE agents. The vest was meant to be worn at a protest that took place at the Grove Street PATH station earlier this week, but I missed the crowd and was unable to participate. To compensate, I made a poster with a QR code that was linked to a public online document containing instructions and resources for how to deal with ICE agents in Jersey City. For both attempts at the intervention, I used the image of the monarch butterfly, which is commonly used as a symbol of immigration in America.
Research:
The two art interventions I took inspiration from were the Undocubus and Favianna Rodriguez’s “Migration is Beautiful” poster, both created in 2012 in collaboration with each other. The Undocubus was a political movement in 2012 involving a bus covered in paintings of monarch butterflies and the phrase “no papers, no fear” written in both Spanish and English. The bus was full of undocumented immigrants traveling towards the Democratic National Convention, where they protested on behalf of immigrant reform. Advertising oneself as an undocumented immigrant was an incredibly bold choice back then, and I wanted to summon that kind of bravery for my intervention. Favianna Rodriguez’s “Migration is Beautiful” poster, meanwhile, took on a more compassionate route towards the same message. The sentence “Migration is Beautiful” reinforces that the journey to America from a different country in hopes of a better life is natural and something to be admired.
Quotes:
The Art of Activism, Chapter 2: “In order for our creativity to progress, we need to allow ourselves the freedom to make fools of ourselves.”
- I spent about an hour at the Grove Street PATH station waiting for the protest to start. I didn’t find out until yesterday that they had moved on to somewhere else. I don’t regret it, but it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.
The Art of Activism, Chapter 1: “Politics is about people's perceptions of the truth, their feelings about facts, and their visceral experiences of the world.”
- I wasn’t expecting to be in America so soon until the day it happened. My experience coming here greatly impacted my perception of American politics, particularly against the Trump Administration. In an instant, I was turned from a spectator to an unwitting participant.
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