DREAMING BEYOND THE LAMENT BY DR. ERIKA GISELA ABAD
We often defied the dreams US schools taught us to dream while simultaneously challenging the expectations set upon us by the people we chose and the people we came from In light of the Supreme Court case that eventually overturned Roe v. Wade, the homo- and trans-antagonistic policies emerging across the United States, and the environmental injustices that continue to displace Indigenous communities and threaten our access to water, this show ties these issues together in the greater conversation of family. The political moment's relationship to the artwork emerged in talking with friends like Justin Favela and Fawn Douglas or meeting new artists like Lisa Jarrett and Gabriela Muñoz. In some cases, our shared awareness of the United States’s lingering control over Indigenous, Black, and immigrant bodies’ self-determination emerged as moments of connection and solidarity. For many of us, this moment reminded us how frail our civil rights are. Still, for others, these conversations around their work provided an opportunity for us to imagine something hopeful and uplifting, if not an opportunity to share work that honors the families we come from and, in light of normed discrimination, the families we build. In her statement, Keeva Lough explains, "My closest chosen family is made up almost entirely of fellow Queer trans folks. They are the first audience in my mind. That comes with a lot of responsibility.”1 Lough’s sentiment permeates through the artists’ statements, centering communities and voices so minimally considered in other institutions or spaces. Whether speaking of the families they build, their chosen family, or the people they come from, they take on the responsibility because of their privilege. For example, Jarrett explains, “Weaving and braiding allow me to move my hands as many of my ancestors may have, and this contact point provides a type of protection in the present.”2 Each artist speaks to their motivations as a form of protection for themselves and their communities in ways that foreground the meaning of home, family,
1
Lough, Keeva. (2022) Artist statement.
2
Jarrett, Lisa. (2022) Artist statement. 3
