We ask you to respond

We are collecting phrases, words, responses related to our theme "Lo que Aparece y Desaparece" (What Appears and Disappears) for our exhibit at Taller Puertorriqueno in April.

We ask you to respond to these questions at las_gallas@hotmail.com

How are experiences, people, places imprinted on YOU?

How do YOU manipulate and recombine the artifacts of memory?

What does a memory become when it begins to fade?

How do YOU decipher marks with unknown origins?

Scar and Imprint

Lo Que Aparece 

              foto by J.Lopez

Getting ready for Las Gallas exhibit "Lo Que Aparece y Desaparece" opening 

Friday, April 9, 2010

at Taller Puertorriqueno, Inc. 

for the Philagrafika International Quadrennial of Printmaking in Philadelphia.

I have spent a lot of time with images of Mami, Papi, and an abuelo I never met. Spending hours and hours with these images and reimagine-ing a story; stories that she told me, that he withheld and a story that I never got to hear. All have left an imprint; one that you can see on my skin and another that is buried within. This play is one that is almost done. I wrote "Graciela" to pay tribute to Mami's struggle as a single mother, as an immigrant, and as a woman who survived domestic abuse. She defended herself from all these trials by creating a world that left a bundle of scars in her abdomen, scars that lined her uterus and electrified her brain cells. Text from "Graciela" will be incorporated in the prints that are being produced for the exhibit. Mami is forever. It is my intention to acknowledge the value of the imprint and the impact it has had on my way of seeing the world and being in the world. This circle ends. The next celebrates the wonder of this struggle I call Life.

Las Gallas Community Art Workshop

On January 23rd, Las Gallas led a workshop at Taller Puertorriqueño to explore the themes related to marks that appear and disappear in our lives. The images are works created by the participants. And some will be shown in our exhibit in April at the Taller Puertorriqueño as part of Philagrafika.

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.