February 2007
Call for Art: Movimiento Por Justicia Del Barrio
Posted February 27, 2007 by in Art & Politics
This is an open call for artists to design logos for Movimiento Por Justicia Del Barrio, an immigrant-led social justice organization based in East Harlem. The group was founded in December of 2004 to organize resistance against the devastating effects of gentrification in their community. The immigrant base and leadership of their organization has led Movimiento Por Justicia Del Barrio to also address the pressing issue of immigrant rights. In 2005, their predominantly Mexican membership decided to become adherents to Zapatista’s Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle and joined The Other Campaign, a national movement to change Mexico initiated by the Zapatistas. Since then, the group has facilitated a comprehensive Consulta Con El Barrio to invite popular community participation in developing strategy and focus for the struggle for community based justice.
Increasing attention and support from the public and the press has created a need for logos to represent their group. Movimiento Por Justicia Del Barrio is looking for two logos, one to represent the organizations local organizing efforts, including their fight against gentrification, and another to represent their transnational organizing as part of the Zapatista-initiated movement in Mexico, The Other Campaign.
If you are interested in making a submission for one or both of the logos, please email movementforjusticeinelbarrio@yahoo.com or call (212) 561-0555 for a few simple guidelines.
Responding to limited responses to their call, Movimiento Por Justicia Del Barrio is EXTENDING THEIR DEADLINE FOR SUBMITIONS.
Here is a more detailed call written by members of Movimiento Por Justicia del Barrio.
Open call to artists for the creation of the logos for our immigrant-led social justice organization!!
“BEST POWER TO THE PEOPLE MOVEMENT IN NYC”-VILLAGE VOICE ‘06
“IT IS REAL GRASS-ROOTS DEMOCRACY, AND IT IS BEING PRACTICED BY THE IMMIGRANTS WHO LIVE IN EAST HARLEM”-DAILY NEWS ‘06
Who we are:
We are the color of the earth. We are women, men, youth and children of corn. We are immigrants. We have not lived in our home countries for a long time, but home is still the air we breathe, still the pulse of our heart, it is still the thought that fills our minds. We were born in our lands and our lands were born in us.
We are Movement for Justice in El Barrio, an organization of immigrants fighting for justice in East Harlem.
As immigrants, we were forced to leave our native countries because of a savage neoliberal economic system. Here in the U.S, we are affected by neoliberalism on a daily basis. Gentrification pushes us out of our homes in El Barrio. Exploitation at the workplace forces us to work twelve hours daily for poverty wages. Racist immigration policies attempt to criminalize and dehumanize us.
In New York, we fight against neoliberalism in all its forms. We fight against racism, xenophobia, sexism, classism, and homophobia.
We fight for humanity.
Movement for Justice in El Barrio is a rapidly expanding immigrant-led social justice organization led by immigrants in El Barrio (East Harlem, NYC). Founded in December 2004 to fight a voracious trend towards gentrification, Movement for Justice in El Barrio has received passionate support and attention from the public and the press and is in need of logos to represent the group!!!
As immigrants, our organizing is necessarily both local and transnational at the same time. In 2005, our predominantly Mexican membership made the decision to become adherents to Zapatista’s Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle and joined The Other Campaign, a national movement to change Mexico initiated by the Zapatistas.
Therefore, we are looking for TWO LOGOS. One to represent our organizing around local issues here in El Barrio, including our fight against gentrification and greedy slumlords, and the city and financial institutions that facilitate the displacement of immigrant families from their homes and another to represent our transnational organizing as part of the Zapatista-initiated movement in Mexico, “The Other Campaign”.
If you are interested in making a submission for either one of the logos, or both, please email movementforjusticeinelbarrio@yahoo.com or call (212) 561-0555 for a few simple guidelines.
JustSeeds update: Swoon print available
Posted February 19, 2007 by
Quick update on JustSeeds: After a financial disaster in December and a few months of planning, it looks like JustSeeds will relaunch in March as a national, non-profit cooperative. Over a dozen artists are on board as owner-operators, including Josh MacPhee, Chris Stain, Pete Yahnke, Kristine Virsis, Colin Matthes, and Meredith Stern.
After the relaunch, Visual Resistance and JustSeeds will become partners, and the two websites will merge to create one online source for radical art and ideas. We're excited about this new opportunity and are working on a totally new website design that will hopefully bring together the best of both projects. Offline, the JustSeeds benefit show last week served as an example of what future collaborations will look like. The show raised enough money to finally pull JustSeeds out of debt, and provided some startup funds to build infrastructure for the co-op.
In anticipation of the JustSeeds.org relaunch next month, we're selling a new, limited-edition silkscreen print by Swoon as a further fund raiser. The print is the first in a series of small prints that Swoon will be distributing through JustSeeds. Printed by Visual Resistance, it's signed and numbered by Swoon, from an edition of 250. Size: 8.25" x 18" or about 200x450mm. The print is a detail from a larger piece inspired by images from Argentina. Click the image for a larger version:
Price: $100 + $5 shipping & handling. Limit 1 per household -- multiple orders will be canceled. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. UK buyers, click here for special instructions -- other international buyers, please email us in advance for shipping costs.
Let us know if you have any questions about the print, or about the future of JustSeeds & VR. Thanks!
UPDATE 3/25/07: THIS PRINT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE.
Quick update as of 3/6: Yes, the prints are still available. Swoon is going to be a member of the new cooperative, so this is the first of a series of small-scale, affordable prints she'll be releasing through JustSeeds.org. Check that site after the relaunch in April for more info. I think her plan is to print at least 3 or 4 different images each year.
Sorry for being a little slow with shipping; we've been a little overwhelmed with the orders. Anyone who ordered before today, you should receive your print no later than next Wednesday. Thanks for your patience!
Jeff Luers' sentence reversed!
Posted February 19, 2007 by in Art & Politics
Incredible news from Oregon: Jeff "Free" Luers' legal team finally won an appeal, and his ridiculous 22-year sentence could potentially be cut by two-thirds. From FreeFreeNow.org:
We have some good news. The Court of Appeals just unanimously ruled that Jeff's case will be reversed and remanded back to the Circuit Court for resentencing as a result of Judge Velure's errors in imposing the original draconian sentence. The opinion just came out this morning and we are still reviewing it for details, but it looks like Jeff could potentially get about 15 years taken off his 266 month sentence. We will provide you with more information as it becomes known. The entire opinion is available here for those who are interested. Congratulations to Jeff and his family! Thank you to everyone for their support! Now, on to the next phase of the appeal for which donations are desperately needed in order to cover legal costs. Donation options are available here.
Fore those who don't know, Jeff Luers was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the arson of the Romania car dealership in Eugene, OR, and an attempted arson of Tyree Oil. The total damage amounted to burned tires on 3 SUVs , the tires were replaced and the SUVs were resold. No harm to any living things. Outrage over the unjust sentence spanned the globe. Luers is currently imprisoned at the Oregon State Prison and CLDC has continuously assisted Jeff with various legal matters during his incarceration.
