Volume 78, Issue 7 | www.elaccampusnews.com | Wednesday, October 27, 2021 | Single copy free - additional copies 50 cents
Guest artist uses art activism for immigration movements become less and less involved in his arts. “I dropped out of high school, Staff Writer came out as queer, and started to Nicolas Gonzales Medina talked live on my own at the age of 16-17,” about his art and activism with Medina said. Medina’s only escape from his East Los Angeles Colleges dream resource center during an event on personal life was to stay involved in his community. It felt right Thursday. Medina known as Nico the in his heart to stay active with Artivist, partnered with the ELAC undocumented people. “Being involved got me a job DRC to bring awareness to the ongoing fight of the undocumented at the University of Illinois and I was able to help a student win the community. “Printmaking as Protest” poster deportation battle,” Medina said. Medina learned about the includes Medina’s story of being an activist and later adapting his oppression undocumented people face from firstlove for creating hand experince. art to advocate for Medina’s undocumented “We need more queer, m o t h e r w h o people like him. “I never really women, undocumented suffered from lung cancer and considered myself died in 2008 and people of color as an artist. My p a r e n t s n e v e r artists making art about s h o w e d h i m the injustice understood the undcoumened the issues their own arts and how it people face in can support me communities face .” the medical financially,” said field. Medina. “Public At the age of 15, hospitals Medina assisted NICOLAS GONZALES treatment of his teacher on a Art/Activist undocumented mural. This mural people also sparked an interest made me in his background realize how and people that are undocumented. Medina said, “It was the only much I needed to fight for my mural I got paid for due to my community,” Medina said. The “2010 Immigrant Youth status.” This worried Medina as he Justice League: Coming Out” wondered how his love for art could was one of Medina’s first acts of activism. help him succeed financially. “We were told to never share Closer to the end of his high school years, Medina started to our status because we might get
BY NATALIA ANGELES
COURTESY OF NICHOLAS GONZALES
DEFEND DACA—One of Nicholas Gonzales immigration related art pieces. More can be found on his website.
deported, but this was our time to come out,” Medina said. Many alongside Medina showed their passion for this issue and projected their voices without fear. This was not the first or last act of civil disobedience Medina took part in. On March 10, 2012 Medina joined the “Walking for the American Dream” event that went from San Francisco to Washington D.C. This walk was another way of showing that undocumented people were no longer going to hide in the shadows. In the process Medina and other participants found out more information about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and what could be done to work with politicians in these areas. Throughout various acts of civil disobedience, Medina recognized how his love for art can send out a message concering the undocumented fight. “‘Sin papeles y Sin Medio’ art piece I did, motivated me to do more with my artwork,” Medina said. The more Medina created, the more people around the community supported the fight against oppression. “We need more queer, women, undocumented, and people of color artists making art about the issues their own communites face,” Medina said. His art helps people understanding the struggle of undocumented people. To view Medina’s artwork visit, https:// nicolasgonzalezmedina.square.site.
Vincent Price Museum encourages students to join museum industry BY TERESA ACOSTA Staff Writer The Vincent Price Art Museum hosted a meeting with Michelle Powers on Thursday, sharing a stepby-step guide to develop a museum related career action plan. Powers, a talent consultant, presented a multi-step plan for understanding and getting started in the museum industry. She detailed all of the different types of institutions that can fall under the umbrella of the museum industry. Libraries, universities and hybrid museums can be avenues for getting into the field. Some of the top positions in the industry include, director, curator and educator. She said some of the lesser known, yet highly valued roles, include the departments of development, marketing and event coordinating. She said these underrepresented roles come with less competition, but are still prized opportunities. Powers included salary examples for each of the top positions. She said the information was extremely valuable to someone starting out in their career. It is an uncommon practice for museums to share this information. An applicant can look at their current situation, work and volunteer experiences and use that to find a career that matches those experiences. She said translating skills acquired from all of these avenues and using them to directly fit an open position worked as well. Powers specifically went through the transferable skills obtained through a retail job. She said customer service jobs are of great value to those looking to work in events coordinating. “All of my retail jobs I have had over the years have absolutely made me a better fundraiser, “Powers said. Research, networking and
News Briefs
mentorships are elements that help create a thorough action plan. Research was recommended to narrow down interests. Applicants should look ahead by checking out current job boards at the top 50 museums to see what are the common openings. Networking was encouraged during all stages of the action plan and as well as after securing a career. Asking peers about your strengths and weaknesses helps highlight competencies when working on a resume. It also helps on the deficiencies. Mentorships can be great resources for guidance and direction. Getting real-world examples of successes and lessons learned from these mentors can be an advantage. She said self-reflection was very important. Answering questions like, “What exactly do I want from my museum career?” Create a plan. It becomes about strategizing on how to get to that point and what to do once there. There is also a look at what growth looks like from that point on. Powers was careful not to use a checklist format so as not to discourage starting or continuing to grow in any one area. She stressed that there is no one way or path to completing an action plan. Attendees were asked what the first step in a career action plan would look like. ELAC student, Abigail Ceja said, “My first step will be research. I am going to do more research on the different types of jobs, well known and not. Then I will join the certificate program they have at my school. I will also look into areas I haven’t checked before to see what type of museums they have.” The tools and advice that Powers shared were clear, concise and could benefit anyone looking to begin a career in any profession.
Domestic Violence Awareness
CN/STEVEN ADAMO
A LOVE SUPREME—During the Q&A session, California State University, Los Angeles professor Beville Constantine talks about how his professors Melvin Donalson motivated him to become a professor at Cal State LA himself. Constantine said that having more individuals of color on hiring committees would be a step in the right direction.
Town hall covers racial equity, social justice BY STEVEN ADAMO Staff Writer A town hall discussion hosted by East Los Angeles College on Friday focused on racial equity and social justice with guest speakers Dr. Cornel West and Rick Najera. Increasing access to higher education, specifically among men of color, was one of the topics of discussion. West, professor, philosopher, author and activist said that confidence and a belief in self is important. West said a belief in self is obtained through access to the arts and arts education. “The arts need to be incorporated because it’s a way in which people gain confidence; then say yes, with this kind of confidence I can become a doctor, a lawyer,” West said.
The SAAVE team will present a workshop on sexual wisdom and wellness today from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8197837244.
“The arts also teach people compassion,” said Rick Najera, a comedian, actor, writer, director and producer. “This is also about women,” Najera said, when the wage gap in employment among Latinas specifically was brought up. “When a Latina is bringing money back to home, that Latina is often in charge of child care, they’re looking after grandparents. They have a lot more on their plate and we don’t have corporations culturally understanding that.” Najera said that because of the focus on remote-learning during the pandemic, it allows for his family to work while being together as a family. Both West and Najera agreed that increased Black and Brown representation among staff and faculty is important. West said
Transfer Student Experience
Dr. Thomas A. Parham, the first Black president of California State University Dominguez Hills was a good example, “When [the students] see Parham, they see this is an exemplar of a tradition, an extension of a community, but is rooted in a deep belief in self.” West said mass incarceration was devastating among Black and Brown youth. “How do you get those precious brothers and sisters making the transition into community college so they have the kind of support that’s required?” West asked. West said that bringing pressure to the establishment is necessary to create fundamental change in the educational system. “Not just promote diversity, but to understand that diversity is a form of quality,” West said. “It makes a fundamental
ELAC success coaches are hosting a workshop to share transfer experiences and college tips for first generation students on Friday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Register at tinyurl.com/FirstGenLACP.
contribution in the way in which we frame certain questions. You can be very smart and educated, but have a very narrow lens, and you still therefore end up learning but ignorant. [Education] is the broadening of the lens.” West highlighted the importance of having visionary leadership in our education systems. He used the German philosopher Arthur S c h o p e n h a u e r ’s d i s t i n c t i o n between talent and genius as an example, which states that talent hits a “bullseye” no one else can hit, genius hits a “bullseye” no one else can see. “The genius of Black brothers, the genius of Brown brothers,” West said, “is that oftentimes we’ve been left out and rendered invisible for so long, that when we are included, we see bullseyes that the talented have not seen.”
In-Person ELAC Theater Performance The ELAC theater deparment will perform it’s first in-person production since COVID-19. “It Can Change In An Instant,” will be on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m at the Proscenium Theater. Ticket info at www.elactheater.org.