Degrees of Visibility, Fall 2019 Programming


Visit Pitzer Art Galleries website here

 

September 14, 2–4pm   Exhibition opening, gallery welcome with community partners at 3:15pm.
Lenzner Family Art Gallery at Pitzer College, 1050 N Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711

September 14, 7pm   Critical Resistance presents Los Angeles for Abolition: Dismantling Jails and Building Liberation with Ruth Wilson Gilmore, with Robin D.G. Kelley, Sarah Haley, Michael Saavedra, Azadeh Zohrabi, www.criticalresistance.org/sept14
Watts Labor Community Action Center, 10950 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90059

September 19, 8–10pm   On Art and Organizing with Ashley Hunt and Jess Heaney (Scripps ‘08, Outstanding Recent Alumna ‘18) of Critical Resistance. Introducing Degrees of Visibility and Hunt’s years of work with Critical Resistance against the current landscape of abolition in Southern California.
Lenzner Family Art Gallery at Pitzer College, 1050 N Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711

September 20 & 21   Critical Resistance and the Claremont Colleges Prison Abolition Club offer Intro to Prison-Industrial Complex Abolition (Friday 9/20, 3-6pm) and Abolition of Policing (Saturday 9/21, 1-4pm). RSVP to: 5cprisonabolition@gmail.com.
The Hive, Studio 2: 130 E 7th St, Claremont, CA 91711      

October 10th at 7pm   California Coalition of Women Prisoners presents Gender Violence Behind Bars: Tactics of Resistance. Taylor Lytle, Michaé Pulido, Fatima Malika Shabazz and Rojas, moderated by Alisa Bierria, will speak about their experiences of gendered violence while incarcerated, followed by a discussion with organizers from CCWP and audience members on how to fight for women and gender-non-conforming individuals behind bars.

Taylor Lytle is an organizer with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) and a national Peer 2 Peer Fellow. Taylor is a former foster care youth and formerly incarcerated, having been caged as a youth and later at the California Institution for Women (CIW), one of California’s state prisons. Upon her release from prison, Taylor has dedicated herself to ending the prison industrial complex. She’s a talented poet and uses her craft to advocate for women still behind bars.

Michaé Pulido is a queer, trans, Latinx community connector, artist, and skill sharer born and raised in Los Angeles. She currently works as the  Policy coordinator at the TransLatin@ Coalition, where she is working to change the landscape for trans-inclusive legislation  statewide and nationally. Navigating this world post-gender, Michaé sees the direct impact of a corrupt social, economic, and political system that hurts those that choose to not live abiding by the norm. They believe it is their responsibility to uplift the real experiences of the trans community, not just what is glamorized. In becoming more fluent in  the policy process, she brings information about the system back to her community and works to improve conditions for future generations of Black, Brown, indigenous, queer, and trans people.

Stacy Rojas is an organizer with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners and the Young Women’s Freedom Center. Rojas was incarcerated for 15 years at the Central California Women’s Facility.

Fatima Malika Shabazz is a 55 year-old formerly incarcerated Transwoman, LGBTQ Social Activist and criminal justice reform and restorative justice advocate belonging to several different organizations: All of us or none; Time done; Advisory Board member for Prison health news; Black and pink LA; Ceo/President of Fatima Speaks LLC. She seeks to create safer and more inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ men and woman, as well as to create policies that ensure the enforcement of laws that should protect the trans population.
Alisa Bierria is a co-founder of Survived and Punished, a member of INCITE!, and an Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies at UC Riverside.

Women’s Center for Creative Work, 2425 Glover Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90031

October 13th, 2–4pm   Practicing Abolition 1: Thoughts = Conversations = Knowledge, panel and discussion organized by Gloria Galvez, with Micah Bournes, Jasmine Nyende, Shabina Toorawa, Elli Virrueta, and performances by Edxi, and Ra Avis.
Navel, 1611 S Hope St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Saturday Oct 19, 1–3pm    Critical Resistance LA presents: Abolition is Ongoing: Reportback from the campaign to stop Los Angeles jail construction. Since 2004, CRLA has been organizing with communities across Los Angeles and California to stop jail expansion and build a movement to abolish imprisonment. Following years of dedicated and creative organizing in Los Angeles with LA No More Jails (2004-2016) coalition and recently with JusticeLA coalition (2017-present), CRLA and partners defeated the two huge proposed plans for $3 billion jail construction this year! The task in front of us now is to ensure that LA County follows through on resourcing decentralized, community-based care – and that those resources truly reflect the communities who are directly impacted by the prison industrial complex. Come learn about what is next in the campaign and how to get involved.
Southern California Library: 6120 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90044

November 8, 8–9:30 pm   Suchi Branfman’s Dancing Through Prison Walls, which explores the prison industrial complex through several pieces inspired by Branfman’s five-year choreographic residency at California Rehabilitation Center, a medium-security men’s state prison in Norco, California.  http://www.scrippscollege.edu/events/calendar/dancing-through-prison-walls
Garrison Theater at Scripps College, 231 E 10th St, Claremont, CA 91711

November 9, 11am   Practicing Abolition 2: Knowledge = Skill Shares = Practices, Meet at Chuco’s Justice Center and carpool to Pitzer College to see Degrees of Visibility and a workshop building upon the ideas from Practicing Abolition 1 (October 13th).
RSVP required to: glorygalvez@gmail.com 

December 5, 6–8pm   Carceral Geographies of Southern California, roundtable with Vonya Quarles (Starting Over Inc & All of Us or None), Amber-Rose Howard (Californians United for a Responsible Budget), Hilda Cruz from (Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity), and Dylan Rodriguez (UC Riverside), and moderation by Ashley Hunt (artist).
Lenzner Family Art Gallery at Pitzer College, 1050 N Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711

December 7, 12–5pm   Critical Resistance LA presents: Annual Prisoner Solidarity Postcard Event and Holiday Book Sale. Every year in the holiday times, CR chapters bring together communities to send over 7,000 postcards to our imprisoned supporters and readers of The Abolitionist newspaper. Participants help add personalized notes for people inside. We invite you to support this ambitious and meaningful project and come thru! We partner with the Southern California library for a fun, family-friendly daytime event with food, desserts, kids activities, a used book sale, live music and DJs.
Southern California Library: 6120 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90044