Dignidad Rebelde

Dignidad Rebelde at Taller 75 Grados in Mexico City

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 07:09:16 GMT

While we were on vacation in Mexico City we had the oportunity to work for a week at Taller 75 Grados run by Master Printer Arturo Negrete. We first met Maestro Negrete while we vistited Oaxaca and were able to join him and his crew for a workshop where we were able to print Melanie's Dia de los Muertos print. While at the taller we produced two four color screen printed editions that were finished during a live screen printing workshop and exhibit. THis live printing event is called "Taller en Vida" which the Maestro Negrete started to invite young artists to his studio to help revitalize screen printing with the new generation of artists and designers. For us it was really exciting to have the oportunity to work with a Master Printer that has work with some of Mexico's top designers over that past 30 years. Click here to buy the two prints we created.

Dignidad Reblede is out of town on vacation!

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:17:48 GMT

We're sorry but any orders place between now and June 2nd will be shipped out on June 3rd.

Dignidad Rebelde at Taller 75 Grados

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:02:50 GMT

While we are in Mexico City we have the opportunity to work with Master Printer Arturo Negrete in his studio 75 Grados and print two new posters. The prints will be completed during the Taller en Vida (Live Workshop) on Saturday May 25th, so if you're in Mexico City stop by score a new print and check out one of Mexico City's premiere screen printing studios.

Assata Shakur

Wed, 08 May 2013 04:28:03 GMT

Free 8.5 " x 11" poster available by clicking here DOWNLOAD

"It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains."-Assata Shakur

"Assata never finished high school, but obtained a GED and went on to receive a college degree at the same time as her radical activism blossomed. She joined the Black Panther Party and later the Black Liberations Army(BLA), and maintained a consistent critique of the gender dynamics within both organizations throughout her involvement. In her mind-twenties, she became the subject of a nationwide FBI hunt that sought to link her to any and all violent crimes involving a black woman on the East Coast, part of the convert COINTELPRO initiative to destabilize and dissolve perceived subversive groups operating in the United States.

Shakur was wanted for her alleged role in multiple murders and robberies, and was targeted as the leader of a Black Liberation Army cell. In 1973, she was captured and imprisoned after a shootout that resulted in the deaths of her friend Zayd Shakur and New Jersey State Police Trooper Werner Foerster. Shakur was shot twice with her arms raised in surrender. Following multiple lengthy and convoluted trails, Shakur was found guilty for her part in the 1973 shooting, despite evidence suggesting her innocence. Many believe that her guilt was predetermined by the media frenzy surrounding her fugitive status, which included trumped up claims and misattributed photographs of other, armed, African-American Women.

Shakur escaped from prison in 1979 with the help of several BLA members, and eventually fled to Cuba. The U.S. government has tried repeatedly to seek extradition from Cuba, and in 2005 the FBI listed Shakur as a "domestic terrorist, " offering one million dollars for her capture. Assata Shakur continues to write and speak out against racism from her exile, maintaining her innocence and locating her struggle within the entrenched and institutionalized racism of the United States. "

This passage about Assata Shakur is from a collectively illustrated and written book called "Firebrand:Portraits from the Americas", page 134-135 that was created by members of the Justseeds cooperative in 2010.You can still order the book at Justseeds.org.

Mama's Day 2013

Tue, 07 May 2013 05:28:36 GMT

For a second year I teamed up with Forward Together to create a unique design for their Strong Families Mama's Day campaign.

Strong Families celebrates Mama's Day by highlighting the real lives and experiences of the mamas in our lives.They launched the 2013 original eCards and a powerful blog series on May 2nd, as well as a way to take action in support of real immigration reform that supports families.

The piece I contributed to the Strong Families Mama's Day project, this year, honors Indigenous and First Nations Mamas through out Turtle Island whose fierce leadership move our communities forward and whose tender love holds our people and families together. This piece also honors my beautiful friend, who inspires me deeply, named Morning Star.

Make your own Mama's Day card here:http://mamasday.org/

Empujando Tinta @ the Galeria de la Raza

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:44:54 GMT

TALLER TUPAC AMARU - TEN YEARS OF COLLABORATIVE ACTIVISM

The Taller began with the aim of building a studio that focused on creating political posters that served as tools for community organizations as well as fine art prints with emerging and established artists. Throughout the past ten years, the Taller has collaborated with community organizations in the Bay Area and beyond, designing and screen printing posters for their campaigns focusing on social justice issues such as globalization, immigration, LGBT justice, food justice and sustainability. The Taller has strived to keep cultural and political fine art screen prints alive, collaborating with over 30 emerging and established artists.

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 4 @ 7:30 p.m.

Exhibition Dates: May 7 - June 20, 2013
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Carnaval San Francisco Poster Workshop with Nancy Hom
Wednesday, May 15 @ 7 p.m.

Galería de la Raza | 2857 24th Street • San Francisco, CA 94110

About the Postcard Image: When imagining Empujando Tinta, I wanted to invite an exceptional artist to create an image to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Taller Tupac Amaru. The incomparable Malaquias Montoya came to mind right away. I look up to Malaquias, one of the founders of the Chican@ Art Movement, as someone who after 40 years continues to perfect his artistic craft, connects to community as an ally, a teacher and a mentor. Malaquias was the first established artist the Taller Tupac Amaru worked with as a participating artist in the portfolio I printed, in 2004, for the Center for the Study of Political Graphics annual fundraising dinner. It was very meaningful the first time we worked with Malaquias and to once again collaborate for this anniversary as we forge ahead in our commitment to continue the tradition of political printmaking. -J. Barraza

California Domestic Worker's Bill of RIghts

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:26:34 GMT

Dignidad Rebelde is super happy to share the updated graphic for the California Domestic Workers Alliance. We wholeheartedly support the work these women and their allies are doing to end generations of exclusion from basic protections.

The California Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, AB241, will end generations of exclusion from basic labor protections. The second measure of its kind in the country, the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights will protect a vital workforce that has labored in the shadows without protections for too long. It will provide housekeepers, childcare providers & caregivers with:
   •   Overtime Pay
   •   Meal & Rest Breaks
   •   Adequate sleeping conditions for live-in workers.
   •
For more information and to sign a pledge to support the CA Domestic Workers Bill of Rights visit http://www.domesticworkers.org/ca-bill-of-rights

#NotOneMore

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:17:27 GMT

OVER 1.5 million people have been deported by the Obama administration.

As an artist I am using my voice to take a stand and call for an end to the criminalization of migrant( and people of color and working class) communities.#Not1More - Melanie Cervantes
Download Poster Here

It makes me so sad to see how many families are torn apart by these deportations, and I am tired of the way people are being criminalized for migrating in search of a better life. We need to fight back and demand an end to these deportations, #Not1More.
- Jesus Barraza
Download Poster Here

You can join in the fight too, you are the resistance:
http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/art/call-to-artists/

This Year So Far...

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:18:12 GMT

This year we have been printing away, I have been keeping busy in the studio running some new editions as well as reprining some older pieces. I am sharing some process pics of tome of the print I have been working on and talk a little bit about the process that goes into producing a printe edition.

This is after printing the first two colors, the orange for the background and the grey for the jacket and tie on Melanie's Malcolm X print. The film for the final color is placed on top to check how the trapping is coming along and to prepare for the next color.

This is the stack of prints once the third color was printed, the green was pretty hard to get right because it had to match up on the top, left and right sides. If that wasn't hard enough i also had to match on the X in the background pattern so it looks right once the red X's print it looks good.

This is the table I print on, you can see the way the screen is locked in and stays up with the help of a counter balance on the back of the table. This helps a lot during printing process to keep good registration as long I place the paper in the registration tabs correctly every time.

This is the print drying on the racks once the flesh was printed, this is the fourth color color down and two more to go.

This is the print once the red and the black were printed. I try to keep the registration as tight as possible and make sure everything comes out nice and aligned, this is a lot of work and in the end I am super happy when everything looks spot on.

This is the beginning of a new print, mixing colors for Melanie's Day of the Dead Print. This is the orange that will go down second. I used some fluorescent orange powder to get the color nice and bright.

Left: The first color to go down is a blend, orange to yellow to orange. On this pull I ended up printing with out a sheet of paper down, it sucks when this happens because i have to rush to clean the table so the ink doesn't dry in on the screen. Right: The second on top of the blend to give a cool effect on the circular design, almost like a sub burst coming out from behind the danzante.

Left: This blue green was the third color to go down, the registration on this color was crucial to get the last color to go down in the right place. Right: The last color down, I was super happy with the way this print came out. The registration was right on, which was pretty hard because the outline of the danzanteis just a hair bigger than the blue-green background color.

This is my Idle No More poster, I designed this using photos taken by Michelle Gutiérrez at an Idle No More event in Oakland. This is the first color drying on the racks with the film for the second color laying on top preparing to register the second color.

This is the stack of posters with the second color down, I printed 225 posters to give away at the Idle No More in Sacramento in January and the Big Time/Idle No More in San Francisco.

This is a reprint of a print I made back in 2001, the quote on the poster is from a Cafe Tacuba song about the Zapatistas. When I printed these I made about 15-20 prints so it is great to have some more of these to put out into the world.

This is another reprint, the first time around I had so many issue and lost so many prints with smudges and errors so I wanted to make so more because people have really loved these posters.

Together We Can

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 05:45:43 GMT

From author Chris Crass: " When I first imagined a poster promoting my new book, Towards Collective Liberation: anti-racist organizing, feminist praxis,and movement building strategy, the images that came to mind were the people in Melanie Cervantes’ “We are the 99%” posters, coming together to build the multiracial, feminist, working class-based movement for collective liberation that we need. My book is for activists engaging with dynamic questions of how to create and support effective movements for visionary systemic change. It offers lessons for transformative organizing through a firsthand look at the challenges and the opportunities of anti-racist work in white communities, feminist work with men, and bringing women of color feminism into the heart of social movements. In addition to stories and reflections from my own personal activist experience, there are also case studies of anti-racist social justice organizations working in white communities around the country. The primary focus of the book is on how we can transform divisions of race, class, and gender into catalysts for powerful vision, strategy, and movement building.

Melanie Cervantes’ art helps us visualize our movement’s visions, values and victories, and it is a blessing to have her illustrate this vision of my book. Three of the people in the poster are key leaders in the book: Ella Baker of the Black Freedom Struggle and someone who’s organizing I look to for guidance; Elizabeth ‘Betita’ Martinez of the Chicano Power Movement and my mentor; and Carla Wallace who is a leading contemporary white queer anti-racist organizer based in Louisville, Kentucky. The other three people are from Melanie’s imagined movement of the 99%."

Printed copies of the poster are available. The primary goal of the printed posters is to get them up in as many bookstores, activist spaces, schools, places of worship, and any other place you can imagine people seeing the poster who would be interested in the book. If you would like copies of the poster to put up in your community, contact me at chris4liberation at gmail.com.

To order or learn more about the book: https://secure.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=518.