 Hi everyone. Good afternoon. Thank you so much for joining us today for this very special panel, Art as a Vehicle for Social and Political Change, with Bay Area Artists Mark, Jason, Kinyas, Narissa Lee, and Pixie Castillo. We will be starting momentarily. We're just waiting for more folks to hop on, either on the Zoom or on YouTube. Okay, we're going to get started. Good afternoon. Thank you again. My name is Melissa. I am a library worker at the Eureka Valley branch here in the Castro. I'm very excited to be here today as a moderator for this panel with artists from the Bay Area that I really respect and admire. Again, the artists who are joining us today on this panel are Mark, Jason, Kinyas, Narissa Lee and Pixie Castillo. I'm going to start just with some announcements and some, you know, some housekeeping. So we are in a webinar. We will have a Q&A portion towards the end of the program. You will see a Q&A tab right there on the bottom. If you have a question, please do type it there in the Q&A portion, in the Q&A little tab. There's also, I believe, a chat, but yeah, questions and the question and answer portion will be reserved for the end. We just wanted to start this program off first by providing this land acknowledgement. So, you know, just acknowledging that we are all, we are on the unceded land of the Ohlone Tribal people. And we wanted to acknowledge the Remitesh Ohlone Tribal groups and families who are the stewards of this land that we reside on. SFPL is committed to uplifting these lands and the community members and nations with whom we live together. The library system also encourages you all to learn more about first person culture and land rights, and we are committed to hosting events and providing educational resources on these topics. We also wanted to just briefly acknowledge the rise in violence among the Asian American API community. It is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And, you know, what better time to acknowledge the, you know, the, just the rise in violence and the terror that many of our community members have faced. And there is a statement by the SFPL Racial Equity Committee regarding the recent violence. We can include a link to that statement in the chat. But, you know, the library really, we are not a neutral institution. We stand in solidarity with the Asian American API community that has been facing this increased violence, just in this past year alone. And of course, we know before that as well. And really wanting to uplift that both anti-Asian violence and anti-black violence are connected to the white supremacist system and the white supremacy. So we really wanted to just make sure that we acknowledge that as well today. Just another reminder to keep wearing your mask. We know that folks are getting vaccinated, but please do for the safety of others to continue wearing your mask. And this is some beautiful art by Samuel Rodriguez. There are a few programs, more amazing programs coming up for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. There's one next week on May 12. We have a conversation called Facing Mecca, Reflections of Islam and Art, and that is in partnership with the Asian Art Museum. You can see all of these events on our website, and you can register. We also have a conversation between two of these authors, Mia Maninsala and Jiji Pandian. Arsenic in Adobo and Alchemist Illusion, that's on May 18th at 7pm. There is another program on May 19th with the author Louis Gadan, Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization on May 19th. And we really wanted to uplift the total SF Book Club home baked by Alia Volz that is on May 20th at 7pm, as well as the on the same page book by Vanessa Hua, A River of Stars, and she will be in conversation with Yelitza Ferraris on May 24th at 7pm. So please don't miss any of these amazing programs that SFPL is hosting and in partnership for AAPI Heritage Month. There is also another event on May 25th called Chinatown Pretty and the romance of Chinese poetry on May 27th. Okay, we're going to get started. I am first going to introduce the artists and showcase some of their work just so that you all get to know each of them. And then afterwards we'll begin our panel conversation where I'll be moderating and asking the panelists some questions again about how they both view and use their art as a vehicle or a tool for social and political change, especially as we've mentioned with a recent rise of violence among the AAPI community. And I think additionally just, you know, political turmoil, not just locally but nationally and internationally. I know these artists are responding to things that are happening, not just here in the San Francisco Bay Area, but also using their art to respond to things happening around the world. So we'll get into that conversation, but again, first I will introduce all of our amazing artists who are joining us today. So the first artist I'll be introducing is Mark Jason Kienius, who is a photographer from the Bay Area. He works with photography to explore contemporary subcultures and his work features cultural iconic themes that deal with value, commerce and identity. He had a solo exhibition, nobody, and use Michael Jordan as a metaphorical vehicle connecting his ubiquitous image through ephemera and people in urban communities. He also follows other projects, also consider converging interest with his youth and current observations of having been born and raised in the Bay Area so I'm going to showcase some of his amazing photography and then afterwards we'll ask, you know, we'll ask, we can ask Mark some questions about his work. Next I will introduce Narisa Lee, another artist who's joining us today for our panel. She is a filmmaker who produces digital digital and online content and films and her short films have screened in Film Festival statewide and internationally. She also got an audience award for Best Short Film at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco and Lee would like to use her film to reverse climate change to pose corrupt leaders and cultivate community resilience and international solidarity. So I'm going to go ahead and share a video clip really quickly. I think I'm familiar to her. Next artist I'll be introducing is Pixie Castillo, who is a Filipino American activist and artist. She uses writing, printmaking, painting and both digital and traditional illustration to convey concepts of liberation and national democracy with a socialist perspective. She is inspired largely by the Filipino people struggle for genuine and lasting peace in the Philippines and by BTS, Korean artist BTS if you're familiar. Here's some of her work. Okay. So that was a brief introduction of our artists. Give them a round of applause for being here today. I'm very, very excited to be able to talk with all of them today and ask them a few questions about their art. And that was just a glimpse of some of their work and later on we can ask them about some of the current projects that they have going on. So, hi y'all, how is everyone doing. Thank you so much for joining today for being a part of this panel. I was able to, you know, provide a glimpse of, you know, all of your work but I wanted to ask each of you a little bit more about how you kind of arrived at your art. So if you have specific influences or if there were life experiences that you had that kind of brought you to your art medium. So anyone can start. But please take it away. Sure, I'll go for it. Everybody, I'm Mark. Yeah, and I also want to say thanks, Mel, for having us on board, especially for this month, definitely important to highlight a lot of things have been going on and also I think propping art which is very important thing. So I appreciate that. How did, how did I get to my work well I think like, as all of us here there's like so many things that are coming in and out especially with the birth of the internet. There's a lot of things but I can my earliest memory is, and maybe this is like with everybody else when they discover their families photo album. It's an uncommon thing but I can't lie that I was flipping through my parents. I might have been like eight, I don't know, and I've flipping through my family's album and it wasn't actually the photos. Those were really pressing to see how, you know, my mom was like wearing her nurse self in the Philippines and my dad was like trying to look very swag with this Toyota car from the 70s, but I think I was really looking at the negative. And the negative, you know, you look at this thing you're like what the heck is this as a kid because you know, you know the actual physical four by six photograph. And so I guess I don't didn't have the words for it but I'm like, this is literally a physical memory. This object this negative is a memory. The photograph is what we're able to see after the fact to analyze this this memory. That's kind of like how I've computed. But yeah, a lot of other things to obviously like music. My brother was a big influence growing up he was very large and introducing me to a lot of alternative culture and music and art and weird things. And obviously a lot of families and friends. But yeah, I can go on but that's kind of like the my earliest memory was the photo albums from my family. I guess I'll go. So, for myself. For film, I, I didn't really think of it as a something to study or build a career off of, at least while I was in college. I was a community studies major and a friend of mine sort of just asked me to take an intro to film class. And then I took that class. And it's like okay yeah that sounds like fun and then you watch a film and then you talk about it and that was like the entire course. And I was like you can major in this and so I was like, okay yeah I'm doing that. I'm going to major in film. So that seems like a pretty, pretty great way to spend my college career. And so I ended up doing that and thinking about it in terms of the skill, or a tool to use. And then I ended up dropping community studies, but that's a different story, but yeah. And then, and looking back I should have known that that that was something that I was really gravitating towards was a film, the film medium because my first job was at blockbuster. And then I worked out low video if you know if you're from San Francisco you know that's like an iconic establishment. And so it's always been something that I've gravitated towards this medium that that seems just like a really powerful tool to shape culture and to enjoy as well. Hi, I can go. Yeah, I also want to say thank you to the San Francisco Public Library and Melissa Mel for also inviting us to be on this panel, especially this month and with all of the. Yeah, kind of different social issues that are happening right now, getting to like visual art and illustration. I think for me, I'm a younger sibling. My older sister is actually like the painter or like, she would make these like really large scale portraits of her favorite, like movie characters. I remember like growing up and watching her paint like. Yeah, I really like large like large canvas of the characters from like the labyrinth. So she would like just yeah paint really like realistically very talented. And I wanted to be like her too. But I didn't get into like illustration until more recently I started. I think more in middle school and high school was like writing, and then eventually wanted to find a way to get points across. Even if folks couldn't necessarily like read words, but could see more like visually and I think also yeah growing up in internet culture. And just like knowing how I think also become like a very much like visual person to. And so wanting to figure out how to portray different concepts visually and how to do that and then kind of like looking more into it and seeing that it's really an art. And so I think from there, and then also beginning to get tapped to make flyers for different events and activities, especially in college, when I joined student organizations as a state. So from there just started more and more like the visual aspect of things with like design. And then in, I think, 2018, I just was immersed online with a lot of really talented like digital, digital creators I watched a lot of like I still watch a lot of illustrators on like YouTube, who do like tutorials and yeah, kind of like found myself like oh I don't want to just like be on the sidelines or just like watching things. I want to like create things too. So this started trying to do more illustration, particularly like 2018. All of you for sharing your kind of the departure point for your art so like, you know, something as simple as photo albums I think that's, that's huge and then, you know having siblings who also introduce you to things or do art or things that you're like oh that's so cool or taking a class randomly and you're like oh this is awesome. So it's really great to hear kind of how you all started off with your art and how it's really like the trajectory of it and how it's developed over time. So this is more of a broad question but if each of you wanted to answer it. What do you think an artist's role is in society, and anyone can start. I saw that question actually and it was it's interesting because like that same week I like pulled out my phone I was like, I have to write this thought down and I like wrote down a few points so I'm really glad that you put this on. I think the role of an artist in society is to, I mean in a nutshell show and express how it is to live today, right, like I think if you look at something you photograph or made maybe like 10 years ago even just like, you know, yesterday. It kind of shows you the state of mind that you were in at that period in time and I think that also shows. I mean that's that's really important document. Depending on what it is, I mean I think for the most part it shows your state, what your thoughts were what was happening and it's a very powerful tool to showcase. Another thing is to challenge and challenge the ways of thinking living saying communicating. And, you know, one thing I was thinking about is, even just the way we communicate in words right, I think that in itself to, for me, for example I have so many thoughts in my head that like how are you able to express these things rather if it's if it's words, which are urgent, because that's a that's a tool that we have immediately, or if it's something like a canvas, or if it's like, you know, video, I think those are different ways of communicating that in a more complex way. And then it another thing I heard recently, it reminded me of it but it was, you have to tell this the story over again, because no one was listening the first time. And that, you know, there's nothing really quote unquote new, but, but the the role I think of the artist today is to share those stories in your own unique way, you know you have to reiterate those stories because there's so many things going on, and we're inundated with so many, so much information, we have to find these complex ways and also simple ways to that can be the right way to, to message what we're trying to say. I can go next. I think, yeah, I'm very similar to what Mark is saying, but yeah I really think that an artist role in society is really to reflect back the conditions of, of what's going on in the current, or currently, like what are the actual conditions of a folks in the world particularly. Yeah, whether that's like what's going on in your local neighborhood what's going on in the US right now, or if you're also connected to like a homeland what's going on back there as well to really reflect the kind of spotlight, the different challenges, different contradictions and, and especially I think the victories. I think with with art and like particularly visual art. It's a way to also, yeah kind of like dismantle what could be like a very like intricate very intricate like issues, and like take it piece by piece to for whoever like is going to be like the audience or the people to start understanding. What it is that they're going through in another like reflected back onto them, not that they they don't understand what they're going through but also that they can see what's happening, and also help to like make connections to like different issues that I think, yeah, very much so to highlight and reflect back current conditions. Yeah, I think I'll, I really appreciate how mark you're talking about it as memory and like how people are at a particular time. I think like what you're talking about affirming people's experiences and like reflecting that back to them I think that's really powerful as artists. And then, I think also, I tend to gravitate towards like sort of in terms of fiction like surreal or speculative type fiction work right. And what I love about the film medium is, is that this idea of world building and really creating a world that is either a version of the one that we're living in or maybe a better one or a different one. And what I love about that is that it's really like, like the other panelists have said like it's challenging the notion of what we have now, and maybe trying to shape what it could look like. We are critical of what doesn't serve our world now. What's not good for our society right now and we're able to critique that and then also uplift communities principles and values that do serve to create a better world. And so I see see the work of the artist as working alongside and within communities that are marginalized oppressed or who are actively engaging in this building of a better world. And also for the the artist to, to, to help forge that, but through this this creative medium like how do we make that irresistible, how do we make this project of what I see as like, you know, creating either social change political change or just just this project I that's like the ultimate art project right is building a better world, I think. And we're not always engaged in that but but also I think the responsibility of the artist is also to, to be very aware of our position in society, and to, to understand that you know our art is, is a statement. So what is the statement that we want to make. And who are we making that with, and also who are we accountable to when we're making that right. So yeah I guess that's kind of a lot for artists. Those were fantastic responses all of you brought. Yeah I was like, really. Everything you've, you've all said really resonated with me I think I really appreciated. Yeah just the idea of art communicating something you know beyond words at times or reflecting and spotlighting current conditions like. Marisa mentioned the affirming of people's lived experiences. So I think all of you have said you know what's what's happening now what's currently happening what's relevant to you know what people are experiencing or what people need. And I really love Mary said that you brought it back to like the speculative speculative fiction. We are in a library panel, but this idea of world building I think that's so such a great way to put it. That is the ultimate project right like how do we build a new world that that is actually quite necessary, especially as we're you know kind of we've we've mentioned some of the things that are happening right now. Thank you so much for all of those really thoughtful and insightful responses. Yeah, that's, I'm really taking away a lot of the things that you have all said, I think connected to what, what you've all shared around kind of reflecting what how art reflects the current conditions of what's happening. I think I did want to bring it back to, you know the rise in the anti Asian violence happening locally and nationally. You know there's been a lot of media coverage and we know that it's not new actually that it has been happening for a very long time. You know, quite literally the, the inception of this country and when folks started to come here, but I did read somewhere that there has been just in the past year alone. There have been over 1000 over 4000 cases that have been documented of just attacks on, you know, on Asian communities, elders. So, I guess my question is, kind of, you know, maybe carving out a space to just briefly talk about how it does make you feel as folks who, you know, are anti Asian who are on this panel, but also if in any way it has influenced your own art or creative process. Yeah, I, you know, I think I was hearing it's not it's not a new thing right, I think it's a, it's, it's something that's always been happening in the US, but I think it definitely was amplified. In the pandemic, definitely started seeing a lot of news coverage on it from elderly to parents and even kids and even my best friend over in New York who's telling me a few stories that he had, living out there, making assumptions and and calling him names on the street. And even when he would step into a convenience store. But I definitely think it's more heightened now. Especially toward the end of Trump's presidency and also the Atlanta eight. That was definitely one thing that really amplified it especially for me. But I think right away I felt, felt very confused, you know, I think I was very angry, definitely, but a mix of confusion. And it was a strange thing where my senses were so heightened after that, and maybe that was like this sense of vulnerability, just kind of just hearing hearing that from a lot of friends and a lot of phone calls. I mean, it was like a sensitive thing for me to, to feel, especially after the George Floyd murders. I think it was just like, I don't know, it was so I mean I'm still putting it together because I feel like it's a conversation that's still happening, even in the communities that I am in, which is, I guess you can call it the photo industry, where a lot of people are being very careful of like, even the people that they photograph or how they photograph them. Not going to mention any names but a conversation that I had just last week was and he was very open to it and I think it was great to have that conversation which again I think is what art can do in a lot of the conversation the rallies that we've had, especially here in San Francisco is a gentleman I was working with he was saying to me right off the bat he's like I just turned down two jobs. And he shared me the first job was photographing. Again, not going to name any names, but it was a very famous Native American, and I might have given it away but he basically was saying that he had to think about maybe I'm not in the place as a white male to be in the space to photograph this Native American. The second job was kind of something similar for for large brand. And again he was like well maybe someone else should be photographing that but then the conversation there I think sort of like went to well. Well, am I just going to not photograph people, you know people of color. Am I just going to be destined to photograph just 30 year old something white men. I don't know, you know, again, I don't, I have more questions and answers. I think I'll say this is with the news coverage I don't think they at the beginning I don't think they did a good job, or they knew to even talk about and say Asian violence I just feel like that there was a lot of time and there was a lot of not not enough urgency. And I think that just calls on to the community to step forward and you know be heard, you know, make artwork have these conversations because you can't depend on the news to just amplify anger all the time. And I think that's what art can really do you don't need an X, you don't need to rely on an institution, or someone else do it you can rely on the tools that you have and your thoughts and literally share it out there so. Can you repeat the question. I think, you know, I was just kind of thinking about the things you all said about the artist role in society and a lot of what came up was, you know, kind of reflecting back what's currently happening what are the current conditions that people are kind of facing. So, just based on, you know, the more recent anti Asian violence has any of the coverage or, I guess how has it made you feel one, and to, if it has, you can speak to it if not it's fine. If it's influenced your own art or your own creative process. I mean personally I think I've looked towards community based artists to understand the situation. More clearly or to see what's happening on the ground or photographers who are documenting all of the really amazing rallies that are happening around black and Asian solidarity to capture that. And it's, yeah, it's difficult that, like Mark was saying mainstream media is not going to really unearth some of the root causes of this anti Asian violence, like hundreds of years of white supremacy. I don't know that we're going to see that on on you know our local news channel, talking about it in such a deep way and to give us like strong analysis on what's happening right. But yeah it has been, has been scary to see vulnerable communities being attacked. Yeah and just growing up in San Francisco I mean I've heard instances. I'm not saying that right of anti Asian violence, like all through my life. And yeah and I think what has happened on a national level and the sort of permission that the people in leadership are giving towards anti Asian violence has been really scary. But we also know that this has has happened through through the entire history of the United States to, but to know people who have been attacked personally and like in our neighborhoods right in residential neighborhoods in San Francisco is really alarming. But yeah I think holding on to sort of what are the community responses. And then how are we able to capture those responses and and what what that looks like moving forward to to really forge community safety right so. For me, I think the, of course the mainstream media coverage, like just makes me like fly angry. And I think. Yeah, if you're only looking at the mainstream news then that's really like going to be kind of yeah like it's just continuously like feeling like anger but also that some news. I mean, angry because of what's going on but also, I think to see some of the coverage happening in mainstream media that's also pitting communities of color against each other is also like angering to. So I think definitely it's been looking more at the communities on the ground who've been the community artists on the ground have been covering different stories and also also like the community organizations on the ground and being able to also like talk with folks and although not everyone is doing like gatherings. I think there have been, you know, like spaces as specifically like in in San Francisco, where, yeah, communities have been able to come together to. Yeah, to be in community with each other and especially right now while we're all like physically like distant but also a lot of things have been moved online. Like actually like processing, like, yeah, like, folks is different emotions like being scared, or being afraid, kind of like the also I know there's like a lot of people who like already like had a lot of anxiety just with the, the changes during the pandemic but now even like, you know, safety from the violence of like others around you like that's also heightened. I think for me, like a big thing was like, yeah, how do I also explain or share with my family members, like my parents who are much older, also, making sure that they also understand that like, yeah, there are community violence that are on the ground in the, like, also in like the grassroots that are also, yeah, like doing things responding to, to the violence in a way that's not covered by the media, so that they also have a another perspective of what else is going on and it's not like solely shaped on like the three different news channels that they, they bounce from from time to time. I think it's like reflected in some of the work that I've been doing just, just generally I think the, the hate and the different like, yeah crimes, or attacks and like a violent attacks on like our elders and our different community are, I think I tie it back to also the violence that's happening in other communities around the world, like globally as well for folks to see that, yeah, that there's the attacks that are happening on our elders like here in our backyards, in our like neighborhoods and our streets, and also to show that there is also like attacks happening, like in the Philippines, in Palestine, in Colombia, but also not just like, oh, there's like so much like violence happening and like leaving it at that, but also like show, you know, like to also connect that there's also organizations and there's also people's movements that are also really the ones who are responding in a way that's pro people to the different incidences and different attacks. So I think in a way it's also for me like also trying to reflect that with like different communities but also just in, yeah, looking at like what's going on and and trying to help bridge the different like acts of solidarity that we're seeing like globally and locally. Yeah, thanks Pixie for ending it on that note. That's actually a perfect segue into my next question, but I really liked that. Yeah, that there was that each of you, you know kind of shared the that the mainstream media will not amplify the. Yeah, the things that communities are actually doing to respond to the violence and respond to. Yeah, not just the recent violence but what we've seen for you know for so many years now right, and I think really thinking about how the acts of violence that we're seeing here are connected. There is like a you know a link to what's happening in places abroad and so my next question. Pixie you've already kind of covered a lot of it but what are other issues. Not just locally or nationally but also globally that each of you think people should be paying attention to and I think. Yeah, not just the violence right not just the like horrific images of what's happening in, in all of, you know, everywhere I feel like we're so bombarded by the just the terror of what's happening around the world but I think what, where do you think people should also what other places should people be paying attention to for like the world building that we're talking about right like where people building worlds new in in the face of the terror and just like this like really, really horrible kind of like violence that's that's happening around the world. I had to, I had to tune out of the news for a period of time because I think I was so exposed to a lot of the violence and a lot of things are that were coming in coming to me and I just felt. I was very, very depressed. And so, there are, I mean there's a lot of things going locally nationally and globally always I mean I think, I mean it still pertains to violence but I think police brutality was like is in the forefront of, of what I'm definitely saying but I think one thing maybe on the lighter side mental health like health and safety is a huge thing. I think, you know, on a personal level and also just giving that to friends and I'm talking about just, you know, we're here in me, you know, in an immediate sense with your family yourself I think that's kind of in a local conversation and self but another thing. There's a conversation that has been coming up and I don't know if this is tying in with the question but I think housing crisis is definitely a thing one thing that's been coming up and it's not going conversation as well gentrification. But more so these honey bears that have better up with a particular artist named Finch. I'm more than happy to dive into it, because it's a conversation that has come up. So I'm happy to speak on a remit land or at least I am. So I'm happy to speak on it, but I think that's another topic that comes up. I know India is a is it another point of conversation with the vaccines. You know, I think in the Philippines one thing that I'm interested in is J1 workers and how are they being. That's a project that I would like to dive into a little bit further. But yeah, you know again I had to tune out the news because I think I just had to have to do with my art and this ties in as well as I think well I'm being so exposed to imagery that is, you know very violent, you know, on both sides of police brutality, but also, you know, us as as as Asian Americans stepping forth and, you know, having to be aggressive with our voices and standing up against a lot of the violence that has been going on. So, yeah, I'm, I'm also curious on, on, on numbers and pixies view because I feel like again I have to tune up because I have to think about well how am I photographing these people in conversation to be imagery that I'm being that I'm taking in which are violent like what are what am I seeing out in the world in my communities and how do I act as a mirror to share, you know just like everyday living, you know it doesn't always have to be violent. I think it could just be a picture of someone that you adore someone that I think in my my work. Oftentimes when I photograph people I see a part of myself in them. And I think there's a certain amount of empathy in that in itself that I think it's something that you don't see because I think violence is very. It's a very visual thing you know I think you can you can see you can you can see when it's happening and point it out, but I think what I do in a lot of my photographs they seem just like an ordinary picture someone standing in front of the camera. But again, like, that's kind of how our photo albums are you know they're these very vernacular pictures of us of this document of this point in time of here I am. Take me as I am, you know and I think that elicits so much different things. If you look at it from my mind, then. I don't know I think I see I see a lot. Definitely, when I see a picture of say, like, I remember watching this video, and looking though and there was a video of the of the officer like post the needle to the neck. And that was very violent in my vulnerability. But then I saw this other video of Andrew looking to and he has this this video of him and then I and I recommend anyone to watch it. It's just, it's such a great video of him. It's him taking a walk and any in a park and any I can he's just sharing his thoughts, you know it's very simple it's very just him. Like, kind of like a vernacular snapshot of him in his life. And it's not anything crazy, you know, I don't, it's not violent. And I think those are things are just as important to document as it is the violence. Because it's like what do you at the end of the day what do you really want to remember. I think, yeah, it's such a such a large question. But I think some of the things that just come to mind for me locally is I've had a conversation recently with some colleagues about paying attention or just like you know also understanding that you know we have our community members who are communities who are on the front line so thinking about the, yeah, like the global COVID-19 pandemic, but also how the pandemic has also shed a lot of a lot of like, or has pulled back like a curtain on on many folks who are seeing that like the these systems we had in place pre pandemic, although like, we were all going along our like Mary wave before. Now with like the, or once that when the pandemic happened like we just saw the exposure of all the the cracks. We saw, we're talking about like, oh yeah communities on the front lines and also on the fault lines. And so the ones that we're we're seeing a lot of cracks is like the communities that are, you know, on the on the on the edges. So like, working class communities, immigrant communities, especially here, like working poor folks in the US and how. Like, they're, yeah, we're being affected like detrimentally with the, the different, like, which is with the conditions so the impacts on young people's schooling right like I know that's a big issue for for families and for who are working. And you know for those who have the ability to work from home, but then have, you know, a full time job work from home, and then also have to then like, yeah, like address their, their child and like their child needs to go to school every day online which you know that's just a whole nother matter in itself. And so, and then also like of course our community members who are not I'm not able to work from home and continue to go into work, being the most exposed. And also, you know, I think in San Francisco, we at least there is like some, like, some protections or some thought put into it right like into like the workers however like we live in almost like a bubble. I mean, at some point I felt like it was especially when like they had all those colored tears, and it was like SF is not yet purple and then everyone else is purple. But anyways, I think, yeah, we should be paying attention to to our neighbors. I think one of the things I saw was just like the lack of basic things like food. Like a big issue. Food pantries making sure folks have yeah something to eat. I think, going back to making sure yeah folks have like, like housing. What does that mean in a pandemic when maybe folks get cut hours or they're being laid off from jobs and how are we like as community members. Like, if, yeah, if you're also an artist, but also, yeah, how are we also making sure that you know we're not just creating in like a silo without seeing like other people. I think that's also something we have to like be wary of, because it's so easy to just like get your supplies and this like go do your own thing. And then I think, yeah, that also like reflects internationally. So how you know like with the crisis of COVID-19 and seeing that, you know the response to it here was like very lacking. And there's like many people who haven't gotten like stimulus checks and also some people who are like, well what's like $800 like, like going to like get me to the next like partial like rent payment but then like what comes after that. And then seeing how like, where is, where is that support that is supposed to be there. And so paying attention to how we act locally and how it is connected to like international like how it can impact internationally. And so, yeah, like, for example, in the Philippines, activists and community leaders, and anyone who's showing dissent really are being attacked by the this like administrative body called like the NTF LCAC. And so they're tagging community leaders and activists as terrorists and communists and in the Philippines, like that's that's a death sentence. And so what they've even tagged, I brought that up because they're doing community pantries and like community pantries like the idea I think here is like, yes, of course, like we have pantries but in the Philippines like, no one has like, there's no pantries. It's like an English word. But even like thinking about like, wow, these folks are just like trying to like have food like for anyone who needs it. And they're like putting up these like, like, yeah, small carts, just like in the neighborhood, and like they're getting like tagged as terrorists, they're getting like attacked by their government for doing these very like, caring acts that are very much like, yeah, just like, acknowledge what's going on with your neighbor and how can you help, how can you be in community with others. And so there's also we should pay attention to those things here. There's the Philippine Human Rights Act that actually can is trying to end military aid from the US to the Philippines. And I think of this because I have a lot of like friends, or who are also still like in college, a lot of them who are like still paying full tuition amounts. And just like, it just boggles my mind, is there so much support that like people on the ground need right now, and have needed for the past year. And yet we're still seeing US, eating like countries like, like the Philippines to enact military like responses to like very human like, like needs like mass testing or like food, just like things like that. And so I just think about also like our communities here who also need the same things like food, assistance with rent, like these very like tangible things. And so, yeah, if we can, if we can pay attention like locally and connecting to that globally. I feel like that's like some of the like a really big ask but also something tangible that I think everyone can do. Yeah, I think, in terms of what's exciting. Well, I'll start with what's like, not, not so great right. I think we are all going there as well. I know your question was, what is, what is positive, but like, we're not doing so well right as as a global society right I don't know. I think, I think, you know, we look at the bigger picture, there's climate change, there's to just vast inequity that exists on this planet, what indigenous people steward and protect like 80% of the biodiversity on the planet but their communities are constantly being displaced and destroyed in their lands being exploited. Right. You have, what is it one billion people using 80% of the world's resources. Like that's just, so, so in terms of what I mean that's, that just boggles my mind right like so, so to me what's exciting is the stories coming from the six to seven billion other people. Right, like what, what are they doing already how are they. These, the rest of the world that is, that's living under exploited conditions who are the workers of the world who are the peasants. How are they, and also neglected by many of the governments in the world how are they surviving how are they building communities how are they building this new world because I just think that that is where our solutions will come from from people who understand the problems that deep and are are affected by the problems of our global economic system. So deeply right like we, it's exciting that we live in a globalized society but as as individuals as people I think we're not, we're not always thinking about the, the globe the way that like multinational corporations are. Right, like they seamlessly are like okay where's the next land to exploit, you know where's, where's the next people that we can take advantage of in order to gain more profit. And I think as artists and as people in general. It's like where are the communities that are really doing these exciting community, community building. Work like like pixie saying can you community pantries and it's is a form of mutual aid but but it's also confronting you know the inequities or the the neglect of the state in the Philippines right so so that's, I think that's exciting that's interesting. And then also being being mindful as artists that that art is a tool for for this political economic system, it can either combat it or it can sort of just go along with it. Right, and not critique it and just be like art for art's sake, but that in itself is like also political right. It's just not maybe not aware of its political stance. And so those are the stories I mean. Yeah, I, I think, you know what was formative to me was a Hong Kong martial art films from the 90s. I really love those types of films because because it was really the first time where I saw communities, films about communities different community groups and like fighting each other or fighting with each other and I felt very reflective of, of like my understanding of what community is and I just didn't see that in Western media where it's very much about the individual, and about like finding, you know, what's true to you as a person, sort of separate from the community. And so, so I think art like we have, we understand that art also is, is a way that we can build new new language of how to be with each other. Right. And I'll just go back to one one more example like, or two examples sorry, but one being like Chinese painting. If you look at ancient Chinese paintings. You'll see the past murals. And you'll see maybe 100 people in the scene. Right. And they're just scattered everywhere. And every, every scene, there's something intricate happening. Right. And so this entire canvas that's, that's about taking it all in as a whole, and not centering any individual and I just think that's like, that's fascinating that's amazing. And the way that art is reflecting and also creating the types of relationships that we value and the type of world that we value and want to see right. For example, Bollywood, before Modi came into power the peasant hasn't the depictions of peasants were actually really positive. Right. Like the peasants were, were heroes in their movies and then now that Modi is in power. They shifted, they pivoted the focus to people who are more upper class, and then they started showing negative depictions of the poor communities. So then we have to understand how, you know, our art is really being utilized and for what purpose, but also to reach the stories that we think might be not relevant to us, because ultimately, like, what's happening in another part of the world and the virus is a great example of that. It's going to come back and it's going to affect us. Right. Or it does affect us, maybe we just don't see it. So, yeah. I'm so blown away by all of the things that you guys have shared. I'm like, you were the perfect panelists. Because I think you're all bringing up. Yeah, I mean, I know that you all pay attention to what's happening so I think it's really great, the way that you're able to connect it to the role of the artist or not even just to the role of the public, but all of our kind of our collective responsibility right to pay attention to what's happening and yeah it is hard to be bombarded by so much violence and so much terror, but I think it's really, really great to hear the the uplifting things that are happening in different places that could, you know, the community pantries or even just, yeah, thinking about how our can teach us can continue to teach us how, how we can really better to one another So, I'm, yeah, I'm like, I lost my train of thought because I'm just really blown away by what all of you have shared. And Mark let's talk about Finch another day because I would love to get into that conversation. But I think we're kind of winding down I did want to ask one more question. You know, we have our personal relationships but just for folks who are also on the panel. What, how do you view art, or how do you think you use art or other art that you've seen that inspires you to highlight campaigns or other people's issues. And I know you all have alluded to it in different ways. But if you wanted to answer that question and then if there are any organizations you're a part of or that you'd like to let folks know about or current projects that you have going on, either individually or that are connected to the organizations that you're a part of or the work that you're doing, you know, in the world. I can start. So, yeah, a lot of the highlighted pieces from the slide show that Mel was able to show earlier are all pieces connected to some kind of campaign that was able to support with some some artwork or submissions. Oh, yeah, thank you. Thanks Mel. So this one in particular, or yeah is this one is called protect the earth. It's a digital collage but it was for the campaign for justice for Brandon Lee. Brandon Lee, if folks are not familiar is actually born and raised in San Francisco, but who's a human rights and land defender of the of the of in the Philippines. So, the, the place behind him in the collage. It depicts the area where he was from from the mountainous regions in the Philippines in the cordial years. And so one of this piece was created inspired by his. His story. He was actually also targeted by this Philippine state and was hadn't attempted assassination against him. And so there was a huge campaign that many of us were involved in bringing him back to get the medical support that he needs. And so this was something that, yeah, I just wanted to do to support that. And yeah I continued to like try and submit this like in other spaces to to continue to like uplift his story, because the campaign is still ongoing. Yeah, so different ways like that and then Kora Agavida is a political prisoner currently in the Philippines. Also part of the organization that I'm a part of. Filipino women's Progressive Alliance, who she was a community leader, whose office was rated in 2019. And she was detained and arrested with her child, who is depicted in this picture. So there's a bigger picture from the media that was taken of her breastfeeding in one of the precincts where they were booking her and her partner. And so yeah, many of the pieces that I have are connected to different campaigns, like the political prisoners, different human rights based campaigns, different issues in the Philippines. And Alvarez was also is actually a martyr. So she was actually killed in 2020 in the height of the anti terror law debate that was going on. She was very outspoken against the terror law that Duterte was is implementing continued attacks on activists and she was actually gunned down outside of her home. So this was also a piece dedicated to her legacy of continuing to fight for against exploitation and oppression in the Philippines, but also around the world. And there's many different, also other pieces that I have. I have most of them up on Instagram, if folks. Yeah, want to take a look but yeah those are some of the things that I have connected directly to some campaigns and yeah thanks for that question. Does anyone else want to share. So I know my questions are a bit loaded I apologize but yeah are there. Are you doing any art or have you done art or are you inspired by art that is highlighting any particular campaigns or people's issues or organizations you're part of if you're a part of any organizations. And if you want to yeah like pixie just did if you wanted to talk more about your work, just in general or any current or future projects you have. Okay, I'll go. Yeah, there was a period of time where I was. I mean, right now things have been picking picking up so I've been doing lots of it, but definitely want to go back into it is a lot of the rallies that have been happening. And I think that on a fire in San Francisco has been part of with all the other organizations like Malaya and Gabriella have been putting forth and as a chirp, I chirp. I've been photographing at a lot of those events. And I think it's great for me again like the idea of memory and remembering these things like I'll kind of just go through a few things within my folders and just be like oh yeah I remember that moment I mean it's weird to kind of see that say that in a very digital asset kind of thing because there's so again so much things that are going on in our mind, but that photograph the same way that I found my parents negative was enough for me to trigger that. Oh yeah, that was a place in time I was in front of the Philippine consulate, and I was in solidarity with with people in the Philippines I was doing that with my local community. So definitely there was a period of time where I was like it was back to back to back to back I mean it was. You know, more of the killings that were happening in the Philippines a and then I think there was another one that was happening. I think that was bloody Sunday that they were calling it and or we were calling it and then after that this is all the same day was I think it was the CCSF collective. I was with them and photographing a lot of the budget cuts that were happening. Still a thing by the way, but I think it's gotten better as far as getting more more more budget to to the education system. And then also there was another campaign free man, free Mamiya his birthday was actually not that long ago, but he is he's like an elder you know, definitely another activist someone that we should also prop up and support and we also need to free. But, you know, I wish I did a lot more. And I want to, I want to prop more things, but I think the thing that I've been doing is not propping necessarily just my voice but trying to help out other people in my community. A lot of different artists that are even just doing things locally, speaking on. There's an artist I've been a couple artists that I've been I've been helping out here in the Excelsior. I think that I think like we go into these neighborhoods we see a lot of these billboards are we again Instagram is such a huge thing right we see things being sold to us or at least I do that I kind of forget the sense of community and imagery that they're elicited from from directly from my community so I've been helping out with as much as I can with my resources with like printing artwork you know photographing their artwork. I was helping out and another friend with event that he was doing he was recording a live live showing to look both great great musician by the way. I think it's a, in some ways I kind of feel like. Maybe this is me seeing other people's work, again like pixie and Narissa, like, and even, you know, you know, like having to put this together. Maybe it's just like, I'm in my body seeing other artists doing these like really great things, and I want to prop that as much as possible. I think I think my artwork is, maybe this is a little self deprecating but I think my artwork is is okay. But I do believe in there's this idea of a slow burn in the sense that, you know, I think I'm more actually affected by the work that you know, pixie and Narissa does I think I look to you guys, and this is me just being very transparent is very involved in the community, and I very much adore that and I think for the work that I do photographically it's so everywhere everybody photographs, everyone has a camera. And I'm so involved in that aspect of it that it's interesting to kind of see what kind of going back to that conversation of like what do people want to remember like I'm interested in like, well, why do people want to do this, or what do people remember and how do you commingle of that and I think like being part of an organization like on a by in San Francisco, who's mostly mostly youth and students but you know I'm a little bit older but I definitely akin to a lot of their attitudes of what's happening in the Philippines and bringing it here locally is that like how do I do that with my own art, you know I think on on. I'm making a lot of my photography it was very surface level again like putting a mirror to what there's a picture of me that in the slideshow and I think I'm like 13, you know that's circa 2001. And I reflect back and I'm like, God, what was I into you know I was like into ddr dance dance revolution I was like wearing a freaking puka shell my t shirt is a dragon ball z t shirt. These are things that I think like a word that came up was this cultural consumerism that comes up of like, again we're so inundated with this information. Here's an evidence of how an Asian American boy can grow up. And I think like being a little bit older, you know, I'm 33 now looking at a, you know, 13 year old me. And those other photographs that I've taken that like say a car show, or even this boy in the street where, you know, I grew up in this is an on Avalon in daily city, holding these, these Nike sneakers. It seems very, you know, cool and playful to be wearing these cultural icons and things from someone like, say Michael Jordan, but in a weird way I look at this photograph and I don't know if anybody sees this but I see shackles. You know, these sneakers also look kind of like shackles to me in the sense that they kind of weigh you down these these things that are put onto us in in a consumerist kind of way these 150 you know onward to like $500,000 sneakers. And I feel like shackles. And it's weird to kind of like see that now like it just seemed like this, this picture of this kid who, you know, play basketball didn't want to get shoes dirty but the same time like, why is he holding these, why isn't he wearing these shoes while he thinks these things are of value. I'm curious on the other spectrum when I see, you know, I wish I was, and I think maybe that's my next step for a few upcoming projects. I was going to go to the Philippines and photograph but then you know the pandemic happened and I think that was going to be my way of engaging a little bit more and what was happening. And to be honest, I don't know how I make some of these projects. But I think, again, on the propping of voice I ended up finding myself propping another person voice person's voice, who actually made a trip to the Philippines. I was photographing a lot of the EJK, which is the extra just sorry, extra judicial killings that were happening, which are very visual, a lot of blood, a lot of violence. Not that I showcase a lot of that but I think in in helping with that project I was able to make some posters some artwork for an event that we did called outside lands that was in September 2019. So I think close to believe like $3,000 was it for for Brandon Lee who was shot by PNP in the Philippines. So that was definitely a success. But again, like I like propping other people's voices and having that conversation what is that, how do I respond to that. Yeah, and I think that's a very important as another role to kind of circle it back to the role of the artists I think that's another thing is to have these conversations visually vocally and it becomes a thing where it's like well what do we do about it now, and then you can take those next steps of what that could possibly look like in in what you know nursery you're saying what is this like new world look like, you know, when you put the mirror up and you see all this chaos. Hopefully, the next time you, you paint you illustrate you make a video that it's closer to what you would want to then the last painting you did before, or the last video you made before. In terms of what what I'm doing now. Hey Mark, thanks so much for those words to that's really meaningful to hear that that you've been impacted by the work. You know in the movement as well as other artists that are in community with you. I think for my own work. Yeah, I think if you saw the clip. It's, it's been filming rallies and filming that capturing sort of the spirit of of what the movement is is up to and in our local area and to. Like I said before, how do we make it irresistible how do we make it so that that people can see this as as a viable option to to be a part of and to build our to build a better world right. And then also it's that aspect of building the relationships outside of the art as well. So that, you know artists, sometimes we think of it as an individual endeavor, I think film is one of those really resource intensive projects that that actually do sometimes require a whole crew right, but. How do we how do we do it in a way that is not harming communities to and and how can we know that unless we are actively create creating those relationships with communities right. And that's that's like a, it's like an internal conflict I've always had with film and documentaries is that it can just, it can be just as extractive. It's like the extractive industry the fossil fuel industry is like, let me take what what you have oh let me take all these cool things from your, your people your stories. And then let me make a name for myself. It's always been a conflict that I, I had with the medium itself and how it's played out. Yeah doing. It's taken the art form to a different place right where where I have been adverse to doing documentary work but now I find myself doing a lot more. So, but, but if I'm doing it with community then then it feels right. Yeah. It doesn't feel extractive. And then, and then currently in June, there's going to be a showcase it's queer women of color film festival. And they asked me to do a project about how queer people have been creating space in San Francisco. So that's going to premiere, like June 14, something like that, during Pride month. That's exciting. And then, oh, but if I could, if I could be in multiple places at once, I mean, I would love to capture what's happening in Indonesia and in India with Indonesia like the workers strikes that were happening. You just see the footage of it you won't see it on mainstream news right but you see it on alternative media sites. It's just so incredible what's happening. And then in India with the peasant farmers protesting. I mean this that's, that's exciting right it's like the billions of people who are really tired of being treated so poorly right and, and how are they holding it how are they already doing the work that is probably so much more advanced than than some of us can imagine. But, but because of you know our standards of like who's smart for who's, who's a, who has the right way of doing things is sort of distorted at this point so we don't give credit to to the people on the ground who are really holding up the world. Right. So that that those are stories that I want to to tell and then also the resistance that's happening and the struggle for self determination in the Philippines as well right. And so the, the organization that I'm with is San Francisco Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines. And yeah, since like 2017 or so I kind of made a conscious decision as, as a film person to not really do personal work as much anymore. But then I did do quite a bit up until that point. And the work that I had done up until that point was really like using film as a way to process grief and morning. Normally, you automatically was around my mom. So, but, so we'll see every 10 years I tend to do a piece about my mom. So, we're kind of coming up on the 10 year mark so we'll see if that happens again but anyway, yeah, so it's been an honor to be able to do to do work within community setting. And it's very, it's very different than, than I think how I used to approach the craft. Thank you all. We are right up for 31. I don't know if there are any questions, but I just wanted to thank each of you again so much. All of the work you do, not just as artists but as community members as organizers and activists is so inspiring and I'm so so glad and grateful that I got to have all of you on this panel. It's been really, really nice to talk with all of you in this way. And I hope we can continue to, but we're already done and I wish that it wasn't the case but I'm not sure if there are questions I know there's a YouTube live stream as well I don't know if there are questions there. I don't see any questions on this end. But if you do have a question, maybe we'll give it like two, three more minutes if you want to add one in the Q&A. Little chat, you can do that. And if not, thank you for joining us this afternoon and yeah just listening to these amazing artists, talk about their creative process talk about the way they view, you know art in society and the world, and just for joining us for this program with the San Francisco Public Library. And one more thing you can find all of their work there you can go to their handles I think it was already shared in the chat but it's also in the program description so they have websites, they got Twitter's they got Instagram's follow their work and, you know, continue supporting the work they do again not just as artists but just as, you know, community, community workers and people who are really trying to build new worlds, like Narissa mentioned. Thank you so much, Mark, Pixie and Narissa. Thanks for having us. Yeah, thank you.