I made this silkscreen print for the 2018 CSA (Community Supported Art - a Justseeds project to recoup funds for the cooperative. Please see here for this year's collection). I recently found a pile of extras and would love to get more out in the world.
This is from my original description:
This print is inspired by the solidarity and organizing that I witnessed in the aftermath of the September 19, 2017, earthquake that hit central Mexico. More than forty buildings collapsed and approximately 370 people were killed, most of whom were in the capital, Mexico City. Beyond the shock and tragedy of the earthquake in itself, the strangest, and even cruelest, twist had this earthquake fall exactly on the 32nd anniversary of the even more devastating Mexico City earthquake of 1985. Around 10,000 people died on that day and every year the city commemorates this great loss with an evacuation drill. On this past September 19, at 11 a.m., many in the city dutifully left their offices or homes to reflect on the tragedy of 32 years earlier only to have a real earthquake hit two hours later, without any warning.
The reaction to this past earthquake was very similar to the reaction in 1985: Citizens brigades were quickly and efficiently created. A heart-bursting feeling of solidarity swept through the city and is still felt now, seven months later. And the governmental bodies were again being criticized and scrutinized. This time, however, social media played a huge role in communication and organizing. I saw many of my friends and colleagues doing amazing work: organizing brigades for food and tools, often in bicycle brigades; collecting and sewing clothes for those left without homes or possessions; doing childcare and children’s entertainment in the emergency shelters; and on and on.
I made this print to convey a speck of the vision that was begun to be realized in the aftermath of S19: A fiercely autonomous vision of organizing, that shows that when disaster rips open the social fabric, a scaffolding of autonomous power is already being built from below.
Please see my blog post on the S19 earthquake at www.justseeds.org/six-months-
In tones of muted pink and mauve, a scene of destruction of an urban area after an earthquake. Crowds of people are helping remove the rubble, passing large chunks of concrete. Many wear face masks. Others are looking for survivors under the collapsed walls. In an opening in the sky, are the words in Spanish, El sismo abre la tierra, y estrecha las manos, which translate to "The earthquake opens the earth, and brings hands together."
