I was thrilled and honored to profile L.A. based Chicanx artist
@studio.sandyrodriguez and her breathtaking and prescient exhibition
@theringling for
@artnews this week. As a life-long student of colonialism in the Americas, this was truly a dream project, especially since it explored the early history of my home state- Florida. Sandy’s methods and process expanded my understanding of material culture. “Rodriguez sees [the exhibit] ‘Currents of Resistance’ as a site of education—about the past, present, and future. The artist draws on her 20-year career as a museum educator, which included a long tenure at the Getty Museum in LA. In looking at the first incursion of colonialism in the mainland US, the exhibition “reminds us that the colonial history of what became the United States began not with the British, but with the Spanish in Florida,” according to Christopher Jones, the exhibition’s curator, while also uplifting the Indigenous people, plants, and animals who were already here and calling attention to the risks that climate change poses to the region. Jones sees Rodriguez’s installation as an important reminder of Florida’s long history, dispelling the “preconceived notion of what this state means: resorts, theme parks, the beach lifestyle,” he said. “I’ve always been disappointed that there’s so little understanding of or interest in the state’s realhistory. Indigenous cultures have existed here for over 12,000 years and continue to endure.”
Rodriguez’s “Currents of Resistance,” like her interdisciplinary practice as a whole, reveals the hidden layers of history, where colonial resistance still echoes in the land itself. Her work reminds us of the need to engage with history as an agent of change. “We are living in a very dangerous time,” Rodriguez said. “Art must create space—for critical thinking, conversations, for beauty, for joy, and for action. It is essential to look back at factual histories, paying close attention to those eras where our communities have been targeted to understand how we protect each other [in order to] persist and thrive.” 🙌🏾full article linked in bio🙌🏾
![I was thrilled and honored to profile L.A. based Chicanx artist @studio.sandyrodriguez and her breathtaking and prescient exhibition @theringling for @artnews this week. As a life-long student of colonialism in the Americas, this was truly a dream project, especially since it explored the early history of my home state- Florida. Sandy’s methods and process expanded my understanding of material culture. “Rodriguez sees [the exhibit] ‘Currents of Resistance’ as a site of education—about the past, present, and future. The artist draws on her 20-year career as a museum educator, which included a long tenure at the Getty Museum in LA. In looking at the first incursion of colonialism in the mainland US, the exhibition “reminds us that the colonial history of what became the United States began not with the British, but with the Spanish in Florida,” according to Christopher Jones, the exhibition’s curator, while also uplifting the Indigenous people, plants, and animals who were already here and calling attention to the risks that climate change poses to the region. Jones sees Rodriguez’s installation as an important reminder of Florida’s long history, dispelling the “preconceived notion of what this state means: resorts, theme parks, the beach lifestyle,” he said. “I’ve always been disappointed that there’s so little understanding of or interest in the state’s realhistory. Indigenous cultures have existed here for over 12,000 years and continue to endure.”Rodriguez’s “Currents of Resistance,” like her interdisciplinary practice as a whole, reveals the hidden layers of history, where colonial resistance still echoes in the land itself. Her work reminds us of the need to engage with history as an agent of change. “We are living in a very dangerous time,” Rodriguez said. “Art must create space—for critical thinking, conversations, for beauty, for joy, and for action. It is essential to look back at factual histories, paying close attention to those eras where our communities have been targeted to understand how we protect each other [in order to] persist and thrive.” full article linked in bio](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_25697123652540264025236523694071654065252665_0_4325e511df7f94606ddf7d4154eb6301.jpg?o=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&h=2562795faaab16fcc63b86b248c09987)
![Maximilíano Durón reviews Sam Nakahira’s forthcoming graphic novel “Ruth Asawa: An Artist Takes Shape,” which illustrates her early career, how she developed her signature style, and her relocation to San Francisco. “’An Artist Takes Shape’ is a significant new publication—similar in a way to Faith Ringgold’s 1991 book “Tar Beach”—in that it allows children, especially Asian girls, to dream big about the power of art, even in the most ghastly of times,” writes Durón. For incisive criticism and commentary, subscribe to our new weekly newsletter “Reframed,” delivered each Thursday and packed with fresh perspectives from our editors, who also run down the week’s top stories and let you know what shows to see. Check the link in our bio to read the full review.Image: Pages 4-5 from "Ruth Asawa: An Artist Takes Shape" by Sam Nakahira.Credit: Text and illustrations ©Sam Nakahira. Used with permission of Getty Publications.[ID: A young girl sits in a cabbage field playing with wire, while several people work behind her.]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_25112312262365402525264071716526407125612626_0_9413cb13f33228ee836dc7790bc20106.jpg?o=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&h=674eb03881ecc404ac2630df6b37a8eb)