"Murals, Messaging, and Organizing", a presentation and discussion on the history of collaboration between Lower East Side artists and community organizers, will be presented at Downtown Art, 70 East 4th Street, Tuesday, April 10th, at 6:30 pm. Admission is free; reservations can be made by emailing peoplesles@fabnyc.org
Presenters include muralist Tomie Arai of the
Chinatown Art Brigade, Anna Ozbek of The Illuminator, author and scholar Dipti Desai, and Loisaida Inc.'s director Libertad Guerra. The discussion will include an overview of historic mural work and its relationship to community organizing in the Lower East Side, as well as current projects using murals and projections that are part of anti-displacement efforts in the neighborhood. Dakota Scott, director of The People's LES, a project of FABnyc and
Downtown Art, will moderate.
The People's LES, a project initiated by
Downtown Art and FABnyc, aims to share a 'people's history' of the Lower East Side. The People's LES recognizes the neighborhood's historic identity as a community of immigrants, workers, artists, and activists; has developed a shared online platform (
www.peoplesles.org) for local stories and histories; commissions public artworks and murals related to those stories, and convenes historians, artists, organizers, local leaders and residents in public dialogues which connect the past with the present, helping to shape a future vision for the neighborhood.
Murals, Messaging, and Organizing is sponsored by a Humanities New York Action Grant and supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
