Perspectives 189: From the Margins

Katherine Anderson, Elijah Bondoc, Oceanne D’Amato, Brianna Diaz, Andrea Dolz-Alcala, Jasmin Duarte, Mauricio Exiga, Sarah Fairweather, Cierra Farias, Saxton Fisher, Regina Gomez, Natalie Hernandez, Lynn Huynh, Jihyeon Joung, Emma Kerr, Ashley Lawhorn, Louis Lee, Amy Liu, Andy Liu, Sunnie Liu, Charlie Magun, Sophie Margolin, Connor Mizell, Marcus Nanez, Luz Nava, Kennedy McCray, Lauren Putnam, Brianna Ramos, Abby Relf, Raquel Roberts, Rebecca Roff, Mindy Rose, Victor Sarabia, Mikhaela Sarmiento, Alyssa Smith, Kyle Smith, Amir Taghi, Mariam Tajuddin, Gabby Tallin, Hannah Taurins, Bella Tincher, Joshua Tran, Jacqueline Villarreal, Jaelyn Walls, Makena Washington, Matthew Watowich, Allison White, Kassandra Zuniga

From the Margins From the Margins

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WHAT DOES MARGINALIZATION LOOK LIKE AND FEEL LIKE? DOES IT HAVE A SOUND? WHAT DOES IT PRODUCE? CAN WE PREVENT MARGINALIZATION? IS IT ALWAYS NEGATIVE?

From

We decided that the title “From the Margins” summarized what all of these movements had in common—they came from a place that was not being recognized. ~TC

Perspectives 189

From the Margins Co-organized by Teen Council & Jamal Cyrus

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

Carving the Edges

Jamal Cyrus Teen Council Coordinator

Jamal Cyrus Teen Council Coordinator

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Carving the Edges

all-encompassing culture with its own dress, vernacular, music, and films—perfect for an adolescent still forming his identity. However, finding myself represented within the field of skateboarding during that time was definitely a challenge.

Things have changed since then, but in the mid1980s skating was a white domain—not exclusively, but primarily. And although skating as a black adolescent may not have turned many heads in Southern California, it was a different situation in Southern Texas, where I grew up. Unquestionably I put myself in some racially uncomfortable and potentially violent places in the name of skateboarding.

That verse from “Chum”– where Earl Sweatshirt states “Too black for the white kids, and too white for the blacks”—aptly describes the marginal zone in which I found myself. And it wasn’t From the Margins

I started skating in the sixth grade, around 1984.

My first skateboard was a yellow wood grain Tracker deck with clear grip tape, independent trucks, and Kryptonics wheels. A basic beginner investment, not much to look at, very functional.

As I got deeper into skating, I spent more money on better boards and custom setups. Thumb through any skate magazine, and you will find that skating culture has an extremely developed aesthetic; upon reflection, skating is perhaps one of the first instances where my tastes as a visual artist began to take shape.

The sport—though we did not refer to it as such, relishing in its unorganized and improvisational nature—afforded me a certain freedom of movement and expression that other sports did not.

Skateboarding was an

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CAMH Teen Council

until the advent of street skating, perhaps better read as “urban skating,” that I felt the racial climate within skateboarding begin to shift. Focused on pools and half pipes, previous waves of skating depended upon a certain type of access.

Street skating required fewer resources and contained a sensibility that responded creatively to architecture and the environment.

Coincidentally, the rise of street skating paralleled the rise of the Golden Age of Hip Hop, turning many away from the Punk and Hardcore music movements, which had served as the counter-cultural soundtrack for previous generations of skaters. By the time I stopped skating in the early ‘90s there existed a healthy contingent of Black professional skateboarders, such as Ron Allen, Ray Barbee, Ron Chatman, and Sean Sheffey.

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Now there is an even larger contingent, and the acceptance of skateboarding by Hip Hop performers such as Pharrell Williams “Skateboard P”, Lil Wayne, and Lupe Fiasco make skating a much less contentious activity for black youth to be involved in—a change that I could not foresee when I started skating.

In fact, I do not remember thinking then about how cultural change could relate to my experience, so rooted I was in the here and now. I suppose the moral of this story, if one were seeking it, is that despite the seemingly dire circumstances we might find ourselves in, a little resilience goes a long way, everything must change, and we will eventually see the end of the world as we knew it.

THAT VERSE FROM “CHUM,” WHERE EARL SWEATSHIRT STATES—

—APTLY DESCRIBES THE MARGINAL ZONE IN WHICH I FOUND MYSELF.

From the Margins

“TOO BLACK FOR THE WHITE KIDS, AND TOO WHITE FOR THE BLACKS”

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The Places in The Places in Between

Emily Almaraz on behalf of Teen Council

From the Margins

With hashtags like #Iftheygunnedmedown, #YesAllWomen, #YesMeansYes, #ProtectTransKids, and #WhyIStayed trending on Twitter yet largely ignored by television networks and printed media, we, as the Teen Council, realized that there were conversations we could not overlook. We felt that there is a considerable portion of the population relying on incorrect information and perceiving unverified details as fact, and another contingent who had not heard about these social issues altogether. We decided that the title From the Margins summarized what all of these movements had in common—they came from a place that was not being recognized. In light of the social and political events occurring around the country during the exhibition planning process, as well as our own experiences as teenagers in high school, we knew that not talking about these issues would be a mistake.

While it was not obvious then, in retrospect we

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CAMH Teen Council

realize that our community desperately needed to discuss the theme of marginalization.

Our initial goal for the exhibition was to generate much-needed conversations around “marginalization,” beginning with the series of questions—What does marginalization look like and feel like? Does it have a sound? What does it produce? Can we prevent marginalization? Are its outcomes always negative? We also wanted to explore the underlying significance of student artwork presented within the context of a museum. Younger artists are often dismissed due to their age, and we believed CAMH’s authority as an established museum would validate these voices and their accompanying personal narratives. While we had these notions in mind when sending out a call for submissions, we anticipated a variety of interpretations on the theme that we had not yet considered. We tried to keep the description as general as possible while still

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From the Margins

providing some direction so as not to limit ourselves to a single story; the biennial show is fittingly titled Perspectives, after all. What we did not anticipate was the range of themes the submissions would touch upon: illegal immigration, income inequality, gender, the prison industrial complex, misogyny, teen suicide. These submissions spoke to our own prejudices and educated us, each in its own way.

Many works in the exhibition challenge the viewer to confront sensitive material.

One example is the role of the Church and those at the margins of its establishment, as explored in Allison White’s How Do I Fit In? Historically, those excluded from the Church as an entity have changed over time. For instance, Christianity was once illegal and originally practiced as an underground movement. It seems ironic that in America today, Christianity has become its own kind of social

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CAMH Teen Council

currency. To reiterate the title, how do we fit in when we can’t find ourselves represented in a specific checklist or profile? We hope this question will shift social paradigms and restructure our current system. This change is something we hope to affect not only in regards to religion but with other themes in the show, as well. Particularly poignant is Lynn Huynh’s Self-History?, which speaks to issues such as police brutality, female roles and their expectations, and famous speeches in history, among other things. Juxtaposing clips from recent viral videos with archival footage of monumental speeches, the video installation explores manifestations of oppression that have been making the Internet rounds this past year. Placed in front of it is a full-length mirror that has the effect of incorporating the audience into the piece. Here, the question explored is how do we see ourselves in both the face of oppression and in light of some of

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Jasmin Duarte Are You Thin Enough, 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

Checklist Katherine Anderson Zambia, 2015 Pastel on paper Courtesy the artist

Saxton Fisher Suffocation, 2015 Foam, plastic, electric cords, vacuum hose, nails Courtesy the artist

Elijah Bondoc The Dermis, 2015 Digital image Courtesy the artist Oceanne D’Amato Annaka and Raquel, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Brianna Diaz Ghost Child, 2014 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Brianna Diaz Rogue Sheep, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Regina Gomez Catching On, 2015 Clay, wire Courtesy the artist

Amy Liu They Want Me Monochrome, 2015 Mixed media on paper Courtesy the artist

Regina Gomez Contemplated, 2015 Yarn, wood Courtesy the artist

Andy Liu Torn Dreams, 2015 Mixed media Courtesy the artist

Natalie Hernandez Evening Light, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Sunnie Liu American Dream Sin Fronteras, 2015 Colored pencil on paper Courtesy the artist

Natalie Hernandez The Wait, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Andrea Dolz-Alcala Miranjalina Joline, 2015 Digital image Courtesy the artist Andrea Dolz-Alcala That isn’t Lady-like, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Jasmin Duarte Are You Thin Enough?, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Mauricio Exiga Departure, 2014 Digital image Courtesy the artist

Lynn Huynh Self-History?, 2015 Video projection, mirror Courtesy the artist Jihyeon Joung Father’s Wrinkles, 2015 Colored pencil on paper Courtesy the artist Emma Kerr Still Waiting_1, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Emma Kerr Still Waiting_2, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Sarah Fairweather Infirmity, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Cierra Farias Adrenaline—Stress of a Female Surgeon, 2015 Colored pencil on paper Courtesy the artist

Louis Lee Brainscape, 2015 Digital video Courtesy the artist

Ashley Lawhorn 33 Skies, 2014 Mixed media on ceramic Courtesy the artist Ashley Lawhorn The Baptist, 2014 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Charlie Magun AAA (Illuminati), 2014 Digital image Courtesy the artist Charlie Magun Tinychat Lecture, 2015 Digital video Courtesy the artist Sophie Margolin Medication, 2015 Gouache on board Courtesy the artist Sophie Margolin Sick, 2015 Gouache on board Courtesy the artist Kennedy McCray The Blues, 2015 Acrylic on canvas Courtesy the artist Connor Mizell Homosapiens, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Jasmin Duarte Are You Thin Enough, 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

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Mauricio Exiga—Departure 2014, Digital image, Courtesy the artist

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Mauricio Exiga—Departure 2014, Digital image, Courtesy the artist

Sunnie Liu—American Dream Sin Fronteras 2015, Colored pencil on paper, Courtesy the artist

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Sunnie Liu—American Dream Sin Fronteras 2015, Colored pencil on paper, Courtesy the artist

Luz Nava—The Butterfly Effect (bottom) 2015, Acrylic on canvas, thread, batting, Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

Luz Nava—Time Space (top) 2015, Ink jet transfer on fabric, thread, cotton, Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

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Luz Nava—Time Space (top) 2015, Ink jet transfer on fabric, thread, cotton, Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

Luz Nava—The Butterfly Effect (bottom) 2015, Acrylic on canvas, thread, batting, Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

Mikhaela Sarmiento—Yellow Identity 2015, Digital image, Courtesy the artist Mikhaela Sarmiento—Yellow Identity 2015, Digital image, Courtesy the artist

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Emma Kerr—Still Waiting_1 2015, Digital photograph Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester Emma Kerr—Still Waiting 1 2015, Digital photograph Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

Emma Kerr—Still Waiting_1 2015, Digital photograph Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

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Emma Kerr—Still Waiting_2 2015, Digital photograph Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester Emma Kerr—Still Waiting_2 2015, Digital photograph Installation view, Photo courtesy Paul Hester

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Marcus Nanez—T is for Tea 2015, Stoneware, Courtesy the artist

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Marcus Nanez—T is for Tea 2015, Stoneware, Courtesy the artist

Regina Gomez—Catching On 2015, Clay and wire, Courtesy the artist

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Regina Gomez—Catching On 2015, Clay and wire, Courtesy the artist

Victor Sarabia—Anti-Portrait 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

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Victor Sarabia—Anti-Portrait 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

Brianna Diaz—Rogue Sheep 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

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Brianna Diaz—Rogue Sheep 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

Kyle Smith—Spare Parts 2015, Digital photograp, Courtesy the artist

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Kyle Smith—Spare Parts 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

Saxton Fisher—Suffocation 2015, Foam, plastic, electric cords, vacuum hose, nails, Courtesy the artist

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Saxton Fisher—Suffocation 2015, Foam, plastic, electric cords, vacuum hose, nails, Courtesy the artist

Alyssa Smith—Deviation 2015, Wire, wood, Courtesy the artist

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Alyssa Smith—Deviation 2015, Wire, wood, Courtesy the artist

Elijah Bondoc—The Dermis 2015,Digital image, Courtesy the artist Elijah Bondoc—The Dermis 2015,Digital image, Courtesy the artist

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Jasmin Duarte Are You Thin Enough, 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

Marcus Nanez T is for Tea, 2015 Stoneware Courtesy the artist

Mikhaela Sarmiento Yellow Identity, 2015 Digital image Courtesy the artist

Luz Nava The Butterfly Effect, 2015 Acrylic on canvas, thread, batting Courtesy the artist

Alyssa Smith Deviation, 2015 Wire, wood Courtesy the artist

Luz Nava Time Space, 2015 Ink jet transfer on fabric, thread, cotton Courtesy the artist Lauren Putnam Sweeping Away Native Americans, 2015 Broom, dustpan, wood, paper, plastic Courtesy the artist Brianna Ramos Nothing was the Same, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Abby Relf Aim Higher Reach Farther, 2015

Mixed media on wood Courtesy the artist Raquel Roberts Face of Reality, 2015 Charcoal on paper Courtesy the artist Rebecca Roff Senescence, 2015 Digital video Courtesy the artist

Kyle Smith Spare Parts, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Amir Taghi Body Guard, 2015 Wire, mannequin Courtesy the artist Amir Taghi Homeland Hostage, 2015 Digital image Courtesy the artist Mariam Tajuddin Introspection, 2015 Wood, metal, fabric, paint Courtesy the artist Mariam Tajuddin Masked Moments, 2015 Animated GIF Courtesy the artist Gabby Tallin Artifacts, 2015 Resin, plant matter, dye, latex, cereal Courtesy the artist Gabby Tallin I Can’t Recall, 2015 Acrylic on canvas Courtesy the artist

Mindy Rose The Patriot, 2015 Digital image Courtesy the artist

Bella Tincher Greetings from Keya & Wekiya, 2015 Colored pencil on paper Courtesy the artist Joshua Tran Stay Gold, 2015 Acrylic on canvas Courtesy the artist Jacqueline Villarreal Unfinished, 2015 Wire, wood Courtesy the artist Jaelyn Walls Children, 2015 Digital Video Courtesy the artist Makena Washington Are You A Thinker?, 2015 Digital image Courtesy the artist Matthew Watowich The 8%, 2015 Artificial and real roses, wood, wire Courtesy the artist Allison White How Do I Fit In?, 2015 Wood, photograph, mirror, book Courtesy the artist Kassandra Zuniga I’ll Make Mother Proud, 2015 Colored pencil on paper Courtesy the artist

Gabby Tallin Kitchen, 2015 Resin, plant matter, dye, latex Courtesy the artist

Victor Sarabia Anti-Portrait, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist Victor Sarabia Raised by Robots, 2015 Digital photograph Courtesy the artist

Hannah Taurins Aline Mask, 2015 Acrylic on canvas Courtesy the artist Hannah Taurins Baby, 2015 Acrylic on canvas Courtesy the artist

Jasmin Duarte Are You Thin Enough, 2015, Digital photograph, Courtesy the artist

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From the Margins

history’s most turbulant moments? Does our sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or belief systems come into play, and if so, how?

As with other pieces in the show, we deal with how we, as individuals, can approach a topic from a respectful place and at the same time examine it in a way as to gain insight into another’s struggles, or put in a more Hallmarkesque way, “put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.” Some experiences are foreign to us because we have not led the lives others have and have not been handed down the same set of circumstances. Since we do not choose what family, zip code, or body we are born into, what results is a beautiful spectrum of human experiences.

This is the paradox of the margins. While it is an ugly reality that groups of people have been stripped of their dignity, the storylines that have emerged capture some of the best qualities of humanity. What has surfaced from

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THIS IS THE PARADOX OF THE MARGINS:

CAMH Teen Council

WHILE IT IS AN UGLY REALITY THAT GROUPS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STRIPPED OF THEIR DIGNITY,

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THE STORYLINES THAT HAVE EMERGED CAPTURE SOME OF THE BEST QUALITIES OF HUMANITY.

From the Margins

the margins are leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, as well as Dorothy Day and Mother Teresa, who have felt the calling to dedicate their lives to fighting inequality in their own remarkable way. On a different scale, the advent of social media cyber zones like Twitter has allowed masses of people to organize against injustice. The protests in Baltimore, Ferguson, and other parts of the country, in solidarity, each protesting the use of excessive force against people of color, have been a aided by the use of social media.

In the unrest of this grassroots-type of organizing, we have seen the rise of many wise voices and leaders within local communities.

The suicide note of a transgender teen named Leelah Alcorn, which she published on her Tumblr blog in late 2014, has brought attention to reparative therapy, a practice intended to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. “Leelah’s Law,” a petition to

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ban reparative therapy has been circulating on the Internet; in response, President Obama has also called for a ban of these conversion therapies. Thanks to the Internet, these types of demonstrations are not easily contained or hidden. Instead, online protests will perhaps become the new norm for seeking change.

All of this to say, good does come out of the margins and positive change comes from telling these stories, and as exhibition participants, making them heard. We do not seek to go into the margins and “save it,” but instead simply choose to be present, listen, and stand alongside it.

Our hope is that by encouraging people to come to the margins, stripped of a hero-messiah complex, and ready to pay attention, we can move closer toward “erasing” those margins, as Greg Boyle said:

CAMH Teen Council

“We [move] ourselves closer to the margins so that the margins themselves will be erased. We stand

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there with those whose dignity has been denied. We locate ourselves with the poor and the powerless and the voiceless. At the edges, we join the easily despised and the readily left out. We stand with the demonized so that the demonizing will stop. We situate ourselves right next to the disposable so that the day will come when we stop throwing people away.”

—FR. GREG BOYLE

From the Margins

Seeing the humanity in another’s eyes and coming to the realization that a human being with goals, dreams, heartbreak, and passion stands behind them makes it harder to dismiss that person. This process forces us to listen, out of obligation to the fact that others are inherently equal to us, despite appearances. We can no longer persecute or oppress like we’ve seen repeated throughout history because we have seen something in others that we see in ourselves. We’ve heard the story,

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CAMH Teen Council

and we’re now involved. We move into the neighborhood. We become participants.

We unite with those who struggle until their struggle becomes our struggle. We share in the victories and the failures, too. This show is our attempt to involve you, the viewer, in the lives of Houston-area teens.

We present From the Margins knowing that there are countless more stories to be told that are worth telling that do not make it into our televisions, Instagram feeds, or our short-spanned radars. However, we humbly hope that our show has done justice to the few stories we are able to present and to the artists who bear witness.

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Matthew Watowich The 8%, 2015 Roses, wood, wire Courtesy the artist

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From the Margins

CAMH Teen Council

Listening, Reading, 34

1 Listening 1–Ana Tijoux. 1977. 2010. MP3.

2–Gil Scott-Heron. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

1970. MP3.

3–Kendrick Lamar. Complexion.

2015. MP3.

4–The Knife. A Tooth for an Eye. 2013. MP3.

5–Kero Kero Bonito. Sick Beat.

2014. MP3.

6–The Priests. USA (Incantations). 2013. MP3.

7–Public Enemy. Fight the Power.

1989. MP3.

8–Radiohead. Creep. 1992. MP3.

9–Valerie June. Workin’ Woman Blues. 2012. MP3.

10–The Wombats. This is Not a Party. 2015. MP3.

1–Brown, Alfred Emmanuel.

“Break the Wall.” Poetrysoup.

2013. Web. Accessed May 12, 2015.

2–Diaz, Natalie. “It was the Animals.” Poetry Magazine, March 2014. Print.

3–Ferry, David. “The Guest Ellen at the Supper for Street People” from Of No Country I Know: New and Selected Poems and Translations, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1999.

Print.

4–Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go, London: Faber & Faber, 2005.

Print.

5–Morrison, Toni. Beloved, New York: Knopf, 1987. Print.

6–Parker, Morgan. “If You are Over Staying Woke.” Poetry Foundation. 2015. Web. Accessed May 12, 2015.

7–Ratushinskaya, Irina. Grey is the Colour of Hope, London: Vintage, 1989. Print.

8–Solnit, Rebecca. Men Explain Things to Me, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2014. Print.

9–Tolson, Melvin B. “Old Houses” from Harlem Gallery and Other Poems of Melvin B. Tolson, Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1999. Print.

10–Trethewey, Natasha. “Incident” from Native Guard, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. Print.

3 Viewing 1–Beasts of the Southern Wild. Dir. Benh Zeitlin. 2012. DVD. 2–City of God. Dir. Fernando Meirelles. 2002. DVD. 3–Fruitvale Station. Dir. Ryan Coogler. 2013. DVD. 4–Helvetica, Dir. Gary Hustwit.

2007. DVD. 5–La Ville des Enfants Perdus.

Dirs. Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. 1995. DVD. 6–Red Balloon. Dir. Albert Lamorisse. 1956. DVD. 7–Spirited Away. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. 2002. DVD. 8–Steven Universe. Cartoon Network. 2013. TV. 9–The Usual Suspects. Dir. Bryan Singer. 1995. DVD. 10–Zero Motivation. Dir. Talya Lavie. 2014. DVD.

VIewing

Reading

From the Margins

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Teen Council is supported by Ms. Louisa Stude Sarofim.

Perspectives 189: From the Margins is supported in part by Bridget and Patrick Wade, Marion and David P. Young and generous supporters through an online crowd funding campaign.

This exhibition has been made possible by the patrons, benefactors and donors to the Museum’s Friends of Steel Exhibitions: Director’s Circle Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen Fayez Sarofim Michael Zilkha Curator’s Circle Dillon Kyle Architecture, Inc. Marita and J.B. Fairbanks Mr. and Mrs. I. H. Kempner III Ms. Louisa Stude Sarofim Major Exhibition Circle A Fare Extraordinaire Bank of Texas Bergner and Johnson Design Jereann Chaney Elizabeth Howard Crowell Sara Paschall Dodd Jo and Jim Furr Barbara and Michael Gamson Brenda and William Goldberg Blakely and Trey Griggs George and Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation Jackson and Company Louise D. Jamail Anne and David Kirkland KPMG, LLP Beverly and Howard Robinson Lauren Rottet Robin and Andrew Schirrmeister Leigh and Reggie Smith Yellow Cab Houston Mr. Wallace Wilson

Perspectives Exhibition Circle Bright Star Productions Inc. Dillon Kyle Architecture, Inc. Ruth Dreessen and Thomas Van Laan Greg Fourticq Heidi and David Gerger Melissa and Albert J. Grobmyer IV Kerry Inman and Denby Auble King & Spalding L.L.P. Marley Lott Susan Vaughan Foundation, Inc. The catalogue accompanying the exhibition is made possible by a grant from The Brown Foundation, Inc. The Museum’s education and outreach programming has been made possible by the patrons, benefactors and donors to its Families of Steel Programming: Vera and Andy Baker Mary and Marcel Barone Louise D. Jamail Kinder Morgan Foundation Robert and Pearl Wallis Knox Foundation Leticia Loya Marian and Speros Martel Foundation Endowment Elisabeth McCabe Andrew R. McFarland M.D. Anderson Foundation Nordstrom Nancy O’Connor Cabrina and Steven Owsley Ms. Louisa Stude Sarofim Texas Commission on the Arts Kim and Gerard Trevino Bridget and Patrick Wade Funding for the Museum’s operations through the Fund for the Future is made possible by generous grants from Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Jereann Chaney, Marita and J.B. Fairbanks, Jo and Jim Furr,

CAMH Teen Council and Jamal Cyrus would like to give an extra special shout out to: Director: Bill Arning; Curatorial Staff: Valerie Cassel Oliver and Dean Daderko; Community Engagement and Education staff Daniel Atkinson, Oscar Cornejo, Max Fields, Connie McAllister; Art Handling staff Jessica Anderson, Tim Barkley, Kenya Evans, Mike Reed, Jeff Shore; Controller Monica Hoffman; Development Director Amanda Bredbenner along with the entire Development staff; Claire Chauvin, Robert Stiles, Samantha Jowers, Eileen Montgomery and the HSPVA crew, Debra Brock, as well as all the art educators that made this a successful exhibition by supporting their students in the art making and submission process!

2014–2015 Teen Council Members: Emily Almaraz, Riane Belgau, Hank Bond, Isaac Gallegos, Will Insull, Priyanka Jain, Adrian Jimenez, Diana Jimenez, Kizer Shelton, Katie Wolfe

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Barbara and Michael Gamson, Brenda and William Goldberg, Leticia Loya, Fayez Sarofim, Robin and Andrew Schirrmeister and David and Marion Young.

The Museum’s operations and programs are made possible through the generosity of the Museum’s trustees, patrons, members and donors.

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston receives partial operating support from The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, the City of Houston through the Houston Museum District Association, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, The Wortham Foundation, Inc. and artMRKT Productions.

CAMH also thanks its artist benefactors for their support including Michael Bise, Bruce High Quality Foundation, Julia Dault, Keltie Ferris, Mark Flood, Barnaby Furnas, Theaster Gates, Jeffrey Gibson, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Jim Hodges, Joan Jonas, Jennie C. Jones, Maya Lin, Julian Lorber, Robert Mangold, Melissa Miller, Marilyn Minter, Angel Otero, McKay Otto, Enoc Perez, Rob Pruitt, Matthew Ritchie, Dario Robleto, Ed Ruscha, Cindy Sherman, Shinique Smith, John Sparagana, Al Souza, James Surls, Sam Taylor-Johnson, William Wegman, and Brenna Youngblood.

Official Airline of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

This catalogue has been prepared in conjunction with Perspectives 189: From the Margins. This exhibition was co-organized by Teen Council and Jamal Cyrus for the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, on view from May 1–July 19, 2015.

Editor: Patricia Restrepo Designer: Amanda Thomas Printer: Specialty Bindery/Printing, Houston, TX Installation Photography: Paul Hester Otherwise, all works, courtesy the artists ISBN: 1-933619-54-6 © 2015 Contemporary Arts Museum Houston Contemporary Arts Museum Houston 5216 Montrose Houston, Texas 77006 CAMH.ORG

WE COME FROM A DESIRE TO REMOVE OURSELVES FROM TRYING TO GO INTO THE MARGINS AND “SAVE IT”

AND INSTEAD, SIMPLY CHOOSE TO BE PRESENT, LISTEN, AND STAND ALONGSIDE IT.

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston’s Teen Council is pleased to present Perspectives 189: From the Margins, a group exhibition featuring work by Houston area teen artists. The exhibition focuses on marginalization and its personal, political, and social manifestations. The exhibition features work by 48 teens in a variety of media ranging from photography and video to sculpture and installation.

From the Margins is the 9th biennial youth art exhibition organized by CAMH’s Teen Council. Drawing from an open call, the Teen Council received

over 400 submissions responding to the questions: What does marginalization look like and feel like? Does it have a sound? What does it produce?

Can we prevent marginalization? Is it always negative?

Every other year, CAMH’s Teen Council organizes a Perspectives exhibition in the Zilkha Gallery featuring new work by young, Houston-area artists. The Teen Council selects the theme and title and assists with the design, installation, printed exhibition catalogue, and programming.