Galla, Julia Lopez, became an Alumni of the
2009 Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute
on Saturday, November 14th!
I started as a NELI Fellow in April. One of the most rewarding parts of the program was the incredible network of support of NELI participants and Julia's working group the "VIPS". The non-profit community is very diverse and unique. I appreciate the opportunity to share the NELI experience with many of its most dedicated leadership!

Las Gallas in Juarez, Mexico

The United States Embassy selected galla Michelle Ortiz for the second time to conduct a series of workshops on urban art and recovery of public spaces, this time in Juarez, Mexico. During this two week residency, she conducted four intense community building workshops with local artists and community leaders. Fellow galla Julia Lopez conducted writing workshops that informed the content of the collaborative mural design.

From grafitti artists to grandmothers, a total of 80 participants worked diligently in creating the collaborative 17'x180' mural which depicts the themes of destruction, renovation, violence, change, power, unity, liberty and future. The mural entitled "El Nuevo Camino, La Alianza de Fe, Amor y Paz" stands as a testimony that in the midst of destruction and violence the people of Juarez are committed to creating social change through the arts. To view the more images of the mural click here.

Preparing for PHILAGRAFIKA 2010

From pronto plates to fabric dying with printmaker Wendy Osterweil, Las Gallas are hard at work preparing for our exhibition at Taller Puertorriqueño in April during the PHILAGRAFIKA 2010 International Print Festival. Check out our work in process and stay tuned for more details regarding workshops with the community.

Galla, Julia Lopez on "Radio Times" w/Marty Moss-Coane June 17, 2009

How do we create safe communities? Marty Moss-Coane interviews (galla) JULIA LOPEZ, the Executive Director of Centro Pedro Claver, an asset-based program that works towards a self-sufficient neighborhood through home foreclosure prevention counseling, a youth summer arts school & other programs to improve the neighborhood’s quality of life.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Las Gallas luck out on a fantastic concert
featuring Luba Mason at the World Cafe Live.
Ruben Blades is Luba's husband and he treated
us to a few songs with his wife. We also got
the amazing opportunity to talk with Luba and
then have a discussion with Ruben. He spoke to
about ten of us about his time as the
Minister of Culture in his homeland of Panama
and all of the difficult and rewarding work
with youth.

Hear Las Gallas on Termite Collective- Television!

Las Gallas will be your guide on this irreverent, hilarious, and often informative tour of Philadelphia- from North East corner of 4th & Race Streets. Film created by Graham Hancock.

WALK PHILLY is a series of video tours that you can download onto your ipod or iphone. You can then follow along in the actual location to get a unique first person experience of the space. Each video tour is a personal interpretation evoking different moods, memories and histories. Some are led by artists, historians and community organizers. Some are created by filmmakers incorporating experimental and fictional elements into the tour.

Las Gallas performance at AAI's Grand Opening

Las Gallas (Magda Martinez, Julia Lopez and Michelle Ortiz) pay homage to the Santa Galla to send blessings to the Asian Arts Initiative new space.

Next performance in Philly 4/4/09

Las Gallas will perform to celebrate the Asian Arts Initiative’s 15 year history and the opening of their new home! We will be performing with a fantastic diversity of dancers, musicians, poets, and spoken word artists in this live performance showcase.

Saturday, April 4, 2009 - 3 to 7 p.m.
Open house - 4 p.m. Live broadcast of www.WizWitRadio.com - 7:30 p.m. Performance Showcase: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=54338029091&ref=ts

All Grand Opening Celebration events are free and open to the public. Reservations for the performance showcase are encouraged.

Las Gallas receives grant from the NALAC Fund for the Arts

Las Gallas was awarded funding by the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. This grant will support their work in progress that will be featured at Taller Puertorriqueño, a participating organization at the Philagrafika 2010.

Philagrafika 2010 is an inaugural presentation of a multi-sited international festival of contemporary art that will occur in Philadelphia every four years. The festival will focus on artistic practices that engage the visual, intellectual and creative frontiers in printmaking and how these approaches relate to social and political issues in the public sphere.

Upcoming Workshop- Addressing Social Issues through the Arts

LAS GALLAS will conduct a workshop entitled:

Addressing Social Issues through the Arts
Friday, January 30, 1:00-4:30 pm
Fleisher Art Memorial, 709 Catherine St., Philadelphia

The arts are increasingly seen as a tool for addressing pressing social issues such as violence in a community. LINC Philadelphia has invited LAS GALLAS to conduct an interactive and interdisciplinary session for Teaching Artists and Program Directors, Las Gallas (an artists collective) will share their process for developing workshops that address social issues through the arts.

Participants will learn about two sample workshops series: Despierta, developed and facilitated by Las Gallas Artist Collective (Julia Lopez, Magda Martinez and Michelle Ortiz) and the Impact of Violence on Our Quality of Life, developed and facilitated by Centro Pedro Claver, Inc. a community based organization in North Philadelphia. Using these examples, participants will work in small groups to identify social themes in their community and begin to build curriculum that can effectively and responsibly address these themes. Participants will also receive sample curriculum, checklists and lesson plans.

For more information go to: www.artistlincphiladelphia.org/teaching

WHYY's Interview of Galla Michelle Ortiz- Obama Mural