CULTURE CLASH Galveston - November/December 2023

CULTURE

CLASH a venue for Galveston’s free thinkers

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VOTED GALV

ESTON’S

BEST LIVE M USIC MON - TUES: CLO SED |

WED

VENUE

- SUN:

4PM - 12AM

WED: Ladies Night 7PM - 10PM THURS: Total Texas Thursdays 7PM - 10PM FRI & SAT: Live Entertainment 7PM - 11PM SUN: Sing-A-Long Sunday 5PM - 9PM

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SolarPunk LETTER FROM PUBLISHER: Environmentally conscious and green living are near and dear to my heart. At Culture Clash magazine, we have long awaited the opportunity to help Galveston realize its full eco-potential. A seaside city fighting flooding, crumbling infrastructure, sea level rise, and increasing chances of hurricanes should be the obvious place to start. However, old white men and archaic ideas still stand in the way of immediate change.

X--M X MA AS S Ma M ad de eE E as a Or sy O rd y de er rN No ow w

When local artist Jessica Antonelli began working on her Galveston Solarpunk exhibit, I was beyond excited. Jessica’s project put words and images into a narrative I was only able to manifest in my mind. After months of research, working with AI, painting, and planning, Jessica was able to create a utopian Galveston of the future. Her exhibit at Mod Coffeehouse ran from late August 2023 through early October 2023 and sparked a conversation around the possibilities.

The following pages are an homage to Jessica Antonelli’s work and to the forward-thinking people of our community. Here you will find real information that has a real impact on your life on this island. If we can imagine the possibilities, design and build a better Galveston for the future, then we can offer our children the same eclectic Texas sandbar experience we have all come to love.

We hope you read, enjoy, and share.

Write us an email or shoot us a comment any time online: CultureClashGalveston.com CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com Janese Maricelli Publisher

ON THE COVER: Martini 2100 by Jessica Antonelli.

See more on page 23. jessicaantonelli.com/solarpunk-galveston-portfolio/

*This magazine is NOT printed on recycled paper or with soy-based inks YET! But we are working on it. Help us get there, advertise or sponsor us!

E-mail for more details CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com.

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table of contents Vol. 7 Issue 1 (Nov/Dec 2023)

DEPARTMENTS SOLARPUNK

CL AS H magazine

PUBLISHER Janese Maricelli-Thomasson

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LAYOUT & DESIGN JanMar Agency Corinne Tamayo

6 Solarpunk: A Visionary Movement 9

CULTURE

EDITOR Lauren Miller • Leslie Whaylen

A Solarpunk Manifesto

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12 Into the Great Wide Open 17 A Glimpse into the Future 18 Ask Asha 19 In Due Time

COOLTURE

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23 Featured Artist 24 Constitutional Amendments November Voting and the Texas Legislature

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27 PULSE Calendar 28 People of Galveston

MAKE A CONNECTION For ad rates or personalized marketing strategies, call us at 409.502.8221 CHECK US OUT CultureClashGalveston.com instagram.com/CultureClashMagazine facebook.com/CultureClashMag cultureclashgalveston@gmail.com

25 Tackling Texas Synthetic Marijuana Crisis 26 Nude

CONTRIBUTORS Jessica Antonelli Joe Edwards • Sasha Francis Rebecca Hersher • Ryan Kellman Jessica Safavimehr Roxy Hall Williamson

M A R D I G RA

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTIONS Please mail check payable to Culture Clash 1625 23rd St., • Galveston, TX 77550 In the amount of $24 Note “subscription” in memo line

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GET READY FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

Solarpunk

A Visionary Movement JESSICA ANTONELLI SO, WHAT’S But here’s the punk twist: design. But then came mass this limited THE DEAL WITH Solarpunk rebels against production and world wars, power source, SOLARPUNK? IT’S NOT the hustle-and-bustle. and art nouveau went out it’s like we’re at JUST A STEAMPUNK Forget chasing stacks of of style. the bottom of a OFFSHOOT; IT’S A WHOLE cash; Solarpunks are all pyramid scheme Fast forward to today, MOVEMENT. Picture this: about saving the Earth where the big Solarpunks are giving art a world juiced up on solar and living in peace and shots at the top nouveau a digital-age power, where humans and harmony. Imagine using our rake it all in. But in makeover and grandma’s Mother Nature are living technological innovations a Solarpunk world? vintage style is back in their best lives together. to allow us to slow down With boundless solar fashion. Designers are It might not seem punk at and savor life’s seasons, energy, the pyramid getting creative with first glance, with the flowery rather than race through crumbles, and an eco-friendly materials like influences of the art-nouveau endless workweeks. opportunity arises to mushroom leather while style seen in many solarpunk Hallmarks of Solarpunk share resources and tipping their hats to the art works, but this optimistic visions include gardens on spread the power. nouveau vibe. Solarpunk solar-powered vision of the every rooftop, walkable, festivals? Think art nouveau We don’t have a step-byfuture is more radical than bikeable cities, and futuristic meets sci-fi with epic stage step guide to this utopia it may seem. technology blended into designs. With less time yet, but Solarpunks are making everyday life more We’re all so used chained to work, Solarpunks daydreaming and building sustainable. to the same old are ready to flex their it as we speak. Galveston fossil fuel grind that Art Nouveau enters the creative muscles, diving into Island’s got its own climate imagining a climate picture as the cool grandma community gardening, and change challenges, and we apocalypse is easier of Solarpunk style. It was big unleashing their inner artists. need to brainstorm solutions than dreaming up a in the 20th century and was before the storms hit us.

In our oil-driven world, a better world. Who’s all about blending organic, Remember, even one islander scarce energy resource got time to ride a bike flowy lines inspired by plants can spark major change – leads to scarcity thinking to work or embrace and flowers into everything a local Galveston resident and exploiting our lovely community vibes and – from buildings to funky invented fracking! Imagine the planet. With a few big public transport when wallpaper. It was the OG in possibilities when we channel players warring over the life’s flying by at warp blurring the lines between that energy into creating a money to be made over speed? fine art and everyday brighter, more hopeful future.

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Photo generated by AI, prompted by Corinne Tamayo

CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

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Online Solutions for Your Business or Non-profit Specializing in Web Design & E-Commerce Stores

Proudly serving Galveston County! creativemousestudio.com

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

A SOLARPUNK MANIFESTO as found at re-des.org

an introduction

Many people have written about Solarpunk during the last 10+ years. Mostly after 2014. The genre is not yet clearly defined.

This Solarpunk Manifesto is a creative re-adaptation of ideas about solarpunk written by many people. These ideas can be mainly found in Solarpunk: A Reference Guide

by Jay Springett and in Solarpunk: Notes towards a Manifesto by Adam Flynn.

A SOLARPUNK MANIFESTO Solarpunk is a movement in speculative fiction, art, fashion, and activism that seeks to answer and embody the question, “What does a sustainable civilization look like, and how can we get there?”

The aesthetics of Solarpunk merge the practical with the beautiful, the well-designed with the green and lush, the bright and colorful with the earthy and solid.

Solarpunk can be utopian, just optimistic, or concerned with the struggles en route to a better world, but never dystopian. As our world roils with calamity, we need solutions, not only warnings: solutions to thrive without fossil fuels, to equitably manage real scarcity and share in abundance (instead of supporting false scarcity and false abundance), and to be kinder to each other and to the planet we share.

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Solarpunk is at once a vision of the future, a thoughtful provocation, a way of living, and a set of achievable proposals to get there.

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We are Solarpunks because optimism has been taken away from us and we are trying to take it back.

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We are Solarpunks because the only other options are denial or despair.

At its core, Solarpunk is a vision of a future that embodies the best of what humanity can achieve: a post-scarcity, post-hierarchy, post-capitalistic world where humanity sees itself as part of nature and clean energy replaces fossil fuels.

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

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Solarpunk recognizes the historical influence politics and science fiction have had on each other.

Solarpunk recognizes science fiction as not just entertainment, but as a form of activism.

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The “punk” in Solarpunk is about rebellion, counterculture, post-capitalism, decolonialism and enthusiasm. It is about going in a different direction than the mainstream, which is increasingly going in a scary direction.

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Solarpunk is about youth maker culture, local solutions, local energy grids, ways of creating autonomous functioning systems. It is about loving the world.

Solarpunk is a movement as much as it is a genre: it is not just about the stories; it is also about how we can get there.

Solarpunk embraces a diversity of tactics: there is no single right way to do Solarpunk.

Instead, diverse communities from around the world adopt the name and the ideas and build little nests of self-sustaining revolution.

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Solarpunk provides a valuable new perspective, a paradigm and a vocabulary through which to describe one possible future. Instead of embracing retrofuturism, Solarpunk looks completely to the future - not an alternative future, but a possible future.

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Solarpunk wants to counter the scenarios of a dying earth, an insuperable gap between rich and poor, and a society controlled by corporations. Not in hundreds of years, but within reach.

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Solarpunk includes all cultures, religions, abilities, sexes, genders, and sexual identities.

Solarpunk is the idea of humanity achieving a social evolution that embraces not just mere tolerance, but a more expansive compassion and acceptance.

Our futurism is not nihilistic like cyberpunk and it avoids steampunk’s potentially quasi-reactionary tendencies: it is about ingenuity, generativity, independence, and community.

Solarpunk emphasizes environmental sustainability and social justice.

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Solarpunk is about finding ways to make life more wonderful for us right now, and also for the generations that follow us.

Our future must involve repurposing and creating new things from what we already have. Imagine “smart cities” being junked in favor of smart citizenry.

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

18 Photos courtesy of Unsplash, Shutterstock, and FreePik.

The visual aesthetics of Solarpunk are open and evolving. As it stands, it is a mash-up of:

1800s age-of-sail/frontier living (but with more bicycles)

Art Nouveau

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Creative reuse of existing infrastructure

Appropriate technology

Hayao Miyazaki

Jugaad-style innovation from the non-Western world

Solarpunk is set in a future built according to principles of New Urbanism or New Pedestrianism and environmental sustainability.

Solarpunk envisions a built environment creatively adapted for solar gain, amongst other things, using different technologies. The objective is to promote self-sufficiency and living within natural limits.

In Solarpunk we’ve pulled back just in time to stop the slow destruction of our planet. We’ve learned to use science wisely, for the betterment of our life conditions as part of our planet. We’re no longer overlords. We’re caretakers. We’re gardeners.

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Solarpunk: Is diverse.

Has room for spirituality and science to coexist.

Is beautiful.

Can happen. Now.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

Into the

Great

Wide

Open

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THE GALVESTON OF TOMORROW COULD BE TODAY

BY SASHA FRANCIS A lush sea of yellow flowers ebbs and flows from block to block, creating colorful waves as you ride your bicycle through midtown Galveston. The coreopsis creates an effortless visual unity, connecting this once-forgotten community throughout the spring. A place formally void of nature, “not spacious enough” for protected prairies, and not wealthy enough to be a priority for beautification. People worked hard but most had no means for high maintenance landscaping or new trees to replace those lost in hurricanes. The summers were too hot. There was no shade for sanctuary from the sun, not enough water to keep the grass lawns green and the ornamental flowers in bloom, and too much demand for expensive energy across the grid. If it wasn’t a brutal drought, the opposite was worse.

Streets and lawns would fill to the brim with water anytime the clouds would open for too long on a random Tuesday, often without warning. Neighbors would trudge through knee-high rivers that used to be roads on their way back from parking their cars at the closest high ground they could find. They would hold their breath when trucks would drive through too fast, causing wakes to lap onto their front stairs. For many years, the sound of rain filled their chests with anxiety and reminded them how hard it was sometimes to just stay afloat. Enjoying nature was not for them; they were left to constantly fight against it instead.

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Images courtesy of Author.

CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

It didn’t have to be this way, though.

One winter, the whole island froze over. It was unlike any of the other fights against nature to which the locals were accustomed. Very few plants survived…but as the ground thawed, new ideas began to sprout. What if they worked with what nature gave them in abundance? Relentless sun. Extra rain when they already had too much. Those little yellow flowers that took over every May no matter what that year’s weather had brought. Some residents began to realize that, just like ecosystems adapt to fit together, perhaps they could learn to do this too. They started looking around, observing and learning about what was right in front of them. The Texas silver star sage bushes had survived the freeze effortlessly and sunflowers returned with ease when all of the ornamental garden plants had died. As spring began, they took photos of plants all around the neighborhood and learned about what they saw. Tiny flowers that were important to keep as the first food for bees and other pollinators to survive after each barren winter. Prairie grasses and tall flowers that grew roots so long they repaired the soil, absorbed floodwaters,

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and protected the land from erosion. Summer came and the wildflowers that offered themselves up among the grass didn’t need a drop of water to keep blooming during the drought.

The residents who learned or knew about these special native plants found each other and discussed what they had each been doing to help support them and create “pocket prairies” in their yards. They connected with local organizations that sold seeds, young plants, and provided free trees to the community. These people worked in their yards to pull out competitive plants like deep-rooted sedge, sand burs, and non-native grass and mowed high and less often to let the free native flowers prosper more each year. But some people in the city called these important native flowers “weeds” despite their obviously beautiful and pleasant yellow, red, purple, and white blooms. And these flowers grew easily and free to the residents without water, pesticides, fertilizers, or fancy pots. They kept coming back no matter the challenges.

Perhaps these “weeds” were resilient because they truly belonged? The definition of a weed is an unwanted plant, but these were wanted by the community, needed by the wildlife, and cultivated by the residents who learned how beneficial they were.

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Images courtesy of Author.

CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

It took time, dedication, and collaboration by the pocket prairie advocates and a mindset shift by city officials, but over the years people learned and grew to understand the importance of putting yards to use. Slowly all of the short grass lawns that ate up water and fertilizer and didn’t help pollinators were replaced with beneficial pocket prairies, rain gardens, and bioswales that beautified the city, reduced flooding, and more. And now we have a gorgeous sea of yellow flowers every spring across our seaside city.

To learn more about the benefits of native plants and what Texas plants will work for your yard, follow Sustainable Sasha on Facebook and visit the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center website.

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Potential Sea level Rise GALVESTON, TX YEAR 2100

ROSENBURG LIBRARY

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE WHY TEXANS NEED TO KNOW HOW FAST ANTARCTICA IS MELTING. REPORTING BY RYAN KELLMAN AND REBECCA HERSHER SOME OF THE FASTEST SEA LEVEL RISE IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING IN GALVESTON, TEXAS. Maybe you imagine sea level rise like a bathtub — with the water rising equally everywhere — but it’s much more complicated. The ocean is not a bathtub. West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by more than 10 feet and such melt affects certain places more than others. Galveston, Texas is in the crosshairs. By 2050, Galveston could experience more than 200 days of flooding every year.

UTMB STEWART BEACH PARK

The problem is that sea levels are rising faster in Galveston than almost anywhere else in the world. There has been more than 2 feet of sea level rise in Galveston in the last 100 years (19232023). The global average during that time was about 8 inches.

One hundred years from now, will there be 3 feet of sea level rise in Galveston? 11 feet? The answer partly depends on how much carbon dioxide humans pump into the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, we can’t predict how human greenhouse emissions will change. But the answer also depends on how ice caps respond to global warming. And there’s a lot we can learn about that.

SAENGERFEST PARK

LEARN MORE

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

Ask Asha A FUTURISTIC TAKE ON THE CLASSIC ‘DEAR ABBEY’ ADVICE COLUMN.

BY MARSHA HOST

ASHA, After breaking up with my partner of six years, I’m meeting new people. I’d like to sleep with at least one of them but worry if things get intimate, they’ll be turned off when my clothing armor’s gone. I never thought I’d say this, but I feel my butt or boobs need a lift, an enhancement; maybe both. My lips and skin aren’t as supple as they used to be. I like myself, I have enough courage to connect with new people, but I’m fearful of negative judgment and rejection once I’m naked and my make-up has faded.

SINCERELY, MATURE

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DEAREST MATURE, We’ve managed food sovereignty and security, yet we haven’t managed the same privilege for our bodies and ourselves. We needn’t chain ourselves to arbitrary beauty rubrics. Solar and lunar rays bathe in the lines above your brow.

Like trees’ rings, your body expresses resilience, as fermentation and age add depth to food, soothing our bellies. Emancipate yourself from ideas of what should be. You’re enough. But you know this….

The 2055 Accord legalized sustainability over waste globally; however, class and politics remain. Unnecessary practices remain legal, like elective cosmetic surgery.

It’s just more expensive. Normalized by celebrities and pageants in the 20th century, physical enhancements swelled amidst 21st century social media filters, fueled as ferociously as fires and floods permeating the planet. Our ancestors have long known, from scorched earth and ashes, nutrients create more verdant soil. Our ancestors slashed and burned in the day and tranced at night.

Vectors courtesy of Creative Market.

FEBRUARY 11TH, 2100

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CULTURE CLASH (SOLARPUNK)

We can inject synthetic hyaluronic acid and botox into ourselves (requiring follow-ups every few to several months) while you infinitely carry the irises and earlobes of your ancestors–no maintenance required. The width of your nose helped your grandmothers handle humidity and season chicken perfectly. You reflect evolutionary necessities of your bloodline: generations before and to come.

Your heart values the density of your breasts.

These features may no longer serve you; thus, cut or change whatever your brain convinces you.

Perception vacillates as easily as the hairs on your head – dye, shave, grow those follicles to your pleasure.

Note: healthcare requires significant energy emissions and waste-production. More people require plastic surgery and reconstruction from maiming by longer-lasting wildfires and natural disasters. Rising cancer incidences increase demand for breast augmentation. Allow the reconstruction badge to be worn by those who have suffered to earn it. Free up doctors for necessary healthcare.

With enough silicone, you’ll float through downtown Galveston – no gondola needed. We return to the earth, and injected materials require more carbon emissions to decompose. Acknowledge the radical you are. No Brazilian booty-lifts needed to appreciate the bounty surrounding you –shells shaped by water and sand, amber sunsets and sunrises while our Gulf ebbs and flows. You possess strength to tell your new lover about your insecurity.

They may prove they deserve you.

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In Due Time STUDENT SUBMISSION AUTHOR UNKNOWN Image courtesy of Author.

Some of us carry these traditions, including adorning and modifying our bodies, with the barrel cacti needle and fire’s charcoal. We can celebrate, mourn, appreciate, and communicate through sewing, tattooing, creating with and for our bodies.

What do a fuller set of lips, smoother cheeks, lighter spots, bigger boobs, or a firmer butt express on your behalf? Might lavender, aloe, lemon, coconut, and natural options to lighten, firm, and exfoliate assist?

Try sowing the seeds of your vision with nature’s gifts.

Where it rains, it pours, I ask for water but my throat is still sore, when I ask for history lore that I adore it becomes a bore The knowledge is not given to me from the schools, so I have to ask others who are not under rule, I ask for a sustainable economy that benefits all Sustainable just like when trees leaves fall, Sustainable like my legs that grow tall, Sustainable just like a man’s drawls, Or even more sustainable than the law Or so just like maybe the floors underneath our feet, Or maybe the ceiling that covers us when we sleep, Or at least build something for the homeless who are on the street, with no bed sheets or pillows where they weep Because how can you make the streets clean if there’s people to be seen, where there’s trails that they bleed…

But I hope that this poem is out for people to be heard, So then in the year 2100 the world won’t be burned from anger that shouldn’t be preferred.

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Michael J. Gaido, III

Kimberly A. Gaido

409.457.4900

713.498.2020

Michael@ michaelgaido.com

KimberlyGaido@ sandnsea.com

Community comes first, Let us help find your island oasis.

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Coolture

23RD STREET 2100

By Jessica Antonelli

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CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)

JESSICAANTONELLI ANTONELLI JESSICA

SolarPunk

Featured Artist Venice of The South SOLARPUNK SCENES OF GALVESTON, YEAR 2100

You may have heard of Steampunk, a retro-futuristic imagined universe where everything is still steam-powered.

Solarpunk envisions a future where we have discarded all use of fossil fuels and the world is powered by solar and regenerative energy.

Solarpunk “is about ingenuity, generativity, independence, and community. At its core, Solarpunk is a vision of a future that embodies the best of what humanity can achieve: a postscarcity, post-capitalistic world where humanity sees itself as part of nature and clean energy replaces fossil fuels.”

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TREMONT 2100

For me, the Solarpunk movement is a synthesis of passions. I’m a permaculturist (permaculture = permanent culture, and develops systems for not suiciding ourselves as a species), lover of the Art Nouveau style, and avid sci-fi fan.

Solarpunk combines the above with a techno-organic approach in imagining an optimistic future.

As a BOI, I’ve struggled with climate anxiety for our island.

Painting a Solarpunk Galveston has been a therapeutic process.

In this show, you see my vision of a utopian island one hundred years from now. Welcome to the “Venice of the South,” in which we islanders dredged our streets to create waterways, rooftop gardens flourish, and we’ve become an eco-tourism destination.

Consider this show an invitation for your own imagination. Scan QR code to view show.

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CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)

Constitutional Amendments, November Voting and the Texas Legislature CURATED BY ROXY HALL WILLIAMSON

Texas voters have to make heads or tails of the issues that will appear on the November 3, 2023 Constitutional Amendments ballots. These are the issues that can get lost in the confusion and vitriol swirling in the fall breezes.

Texas voters, consider these:

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STATE OF TEXAS PROP 3 - “The Constitutional Amendment prohibiting imposition of an individual wealth or net worth tax, including a tax on the difference between assets and liabilities of an individual or family.”

STATE OF TEXAS PROP 4 - “The Constitutional Amendment to authorize the legislature to establish a temporary limit on the maximum appraised value of real property other than a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes; to increase the amount of the exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district applicable to residence homesteads from $40,000 to $100,000; to adjust the amount of the limitation on school district ad valorem taxes imposed on the residence homesteads of the elderly or disabled to reflect increases in certain exemption amounts, to except; certain appropriations; to pay for ad valorem tax relief from the constitutional limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations; and to authorize the legislature to provide for a four-year term of office for a member of the board of directors of certain appraisal districts.”

STATE OF TEXAS PROP 1 - “The Constitutional Amendment protecting the right to engage in farming, ranching, timber production, horticulture, and wildlife management.”

STATE OF TEXAS PROP 5 - “The constitutional amendment relating to the Texas University fund to certain institutions of higher learning education to achieve national prominence as major research universities and drive the star economy.”

STATE OF TEXAS PROP 2 - “The Constitutional Amendment authorizing a local option exemption from ad valorem taxation by a county or municipality of all or part of the appraised value of real property used to operate a child care facility.”

Texans will be directly affected by the outcome of these votes. These amendments are formal versions or additions to the Texas Constitution. There are fourteen (14) items on the ballot — items ranging from ranching and farming and ad valorem taxes for various projects statewide.

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Photo courtesy of Unsplash

AS THE FALL SEASON BRINGS DOWN THE HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURES IN TEXAS, THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE BEGINS ITS THIRD SPECIAL SESSION AND, UNLIKE THE COOLER TEMPERATURES, THE COLLARS ARE ALREADY RUNNING HOT. House Speaker Phelan Dade and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick have devolved to a low point in the long-time feud and allegations of the Senate leader (Patrick) taking money from a political group with ties to a white supremacist group that has allegedly promoted antisemetic views. This is truly problematic as the tensions between Israel and Palestine are boiling over in a destructive, deadly, tumultuous battle in the Middle East. Locally, groups are gearing up to join the fray in the fight over school vouchers and the contentious creation of a state deportation force.

CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)

Tackling Texas Synthetic Marijuana Crisis

BY JOE EDWARDS

Photos courtesy of Creative Market and Unsplash

THERE IS A CONCERNING SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA ISSUE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. The synthetic marijuana epidemic has swept through both the United Kingdom and the United States. I personally encountered an incident where I had to intervene in an assault on a woman and her child in a stroller aboard the Houston Metro. When the police finally arrived, I was informed that the assailant had been in a altered state induced by synthetic drugs.

In 2016, USA Today published the headline, “Synthetic Marijuana to Blame for Mass Overdose at Houston Park”. This revelation came in the wake of sixteen homeless individuals being hospitalized due to a negative reaction to synthetic marijuana at Hermann Park, earning it the unfortunate moniker of “Kush Corner,” as documented by the Houston Police Department.

Recently, I reached out to an individual I had been incarcerated with, a close friend from my time at the Harris County Jail named Ibrahim, or “Iba.” He candidly remarked, “These individuals will continue to harm others regardless. It’s not just K2 or spice (synthetic marijuana); it’s their inherent nature.”

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Iba has spent the past two years rebuilding his life after triumphing over stimulant addiction. He emphasized, “Some individuals simply don’t desire change. They opt to perpetuate harm and live in destitution.”

The question then arises: how can we address the synthetic marijuana epidemic in Texas when it receives limited national attention? Personally, I have encountered the demographic affected by this epidemic daily in downtown Houston and sporadically in Galveston or Brazoria Counties.

Dare I suggest that organic marijuana is a considerably safer choice? Dare I also assert that associating the term “marijuana” with such an inorganic chemical compound poses inherent dangers? I implore individuals to engage in conversations with their children about the ramifications of synthetic marijuana.

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CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)

Nude

BY SARALENE TAPLEY

NOV 24 - DEC 3 10AM - 6PM 323 Tremont

WITHIN THIS SERIES, I PRESENT A COLLECTION OF NINE DISTINCT PORTRAITS, EACH CAPTURING THE ESSENCE OF WOMEN I’VE PAINTED DURING THE YEARS 2022 AND 2023. Unlike my previous exhibitions, which centered on the art of portraiture and the faithful reproduction of likeness, this body of work transcends such conventions. These women are not mere subjects; they are both storytellers of my personal relationships with women in my life and conduits for my prevailing moods, emotions, and intuitions at the moment of creation.

This series explores the intricate web of perceptions that women weave, both about themselves and their peers—a contemplation of the female gaze upon the female form. The selection of these nine women, distinguished by their portrayals of beauty, strength, and vulnerability, delves into profound themes, including body image, disability, power dynamics, despair, and love. As an older LGBT woman grappling with mental health and body image issues, these themes are a constant presence in my daily life.

Through my art, I find an avenue to articulate and navigate these multifaceted concerns. The process of creation and exhibition grants me a sense of selfesteem and a semblance of belonging within a community where I often feel like an outsider.

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CULTURE CLASH (Coolture)

pulse

SEE ART

Nov - Dec 2023 Calendar of Events

“SOLARPUNK WITH WHEAT”

by Jessica Antonelli

November YOGA AT THE BREWERY Sat Nov 4 | 12PM - 1PM Island Salt Air-led, air-conditioned yoga class with brewery tour to follow.

Galveston Island Brewing |8423 Stewart Rd FREE 21+ BACK YARD BASH Every Sunday | 2PM - 6PM Live Music, yard games and Tito’s Food truck.

Lucky Lounge | 904 Avenue M |FREE 21+ CAREGIVERS’ NIGHT OUT Fri Nov 10 | 5PM - 9:30PM Fun night of art making and exploration at Galveston Arts Center’s Caregivers’ Night Out, where your children can enjoy a fun evening while you enjoy a night out!

Hendley Market Lofts - Alleyway Entrance 2010 The Strand | $36+ ages 5-13

CULTURE CLASH EPIC BASH 6 Sat Nov 11 | 8PM - 12AM Join us in celebrating 6 years in print!

Free cover 8-9:30p, Drag Queen performances, dance party, drink specials and food truck.

Island Time Beach Bar | 3102 Seawall Blvd.

FREE 21+

Oil on Canvas

December BREAKFAST WITH SANTA Sat Dec 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, & 22 8:30AM & 10:30AM Indulge in breakfast favorites and a memorable photo before Santa sets off to deliver presents all around the world!

Moody Gardens | One Hope Blvd $30+ all ages (tickets required) LIVE LOCAL MUSIC Every Monday | 6pm Come early and catch the end of Happy Hour to kick off the night.

Island Pier Club | 1702 Avenue O Free 21+

jessicaantonelli.com/ solarpunk-galvestonportfolio/

drink up THE INFAMOUS, CHERYL-ICIOIS Secret Recipie Come in and taste it for yourself!

ALBATROSS | 815 21st St.

SALSA SUNDAYS Every Sunday| 7PM Dance classes, food specials and FUN Vida Agave | 711 25th St. |Free for all NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY Sun Dec 31 | TBD Live music by The Line Up. Dress to impress Grand Galvez Hotel | 2024 Seawall Blvd $$ See Website for details

WANT YOUR EVENT LISTED? Email Us. CultureClashGalveston@gmail.com

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e l p o e p TON

CULTURE CLASH (FEATURE)

S E V L A G of

JUDE RENNART Top contributor As a frequent visitor originally from New York, my answer is to preserve as many of the historical homes and buildings as possible. That is where Galveston gets its charm from.

KEVIN ANTHONY

By: Jessica Safavimehr What can we do now to save the Galveston of the future?

How about making Galveston attractive for businesses to set up shop and create employment opportunities OTHER than being a waiter, working at GISD, American National, or UTMB? Young people who graduate have only those options or they just leave, no reason to stay — startups, tech industry, manufacturing, etc.

At one time there were plenty of other businesses here that employed lots of people who actually lived here.

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LESLIE BURGOYNE With rising sea levels, we should add another 4 feet to the top of the Seawall.

ADRIENNE WADE MENDOZA Create an innovative and caring way to help the homeless population! I saw an article recently that said there are several hundred documented homeless individuals in Galveston. I think that is very understated.

MELISSA BURR LE Galveston is so much better than it was 10 years ago; major, major changes. Keep it going! Redo the beautiful old homes, clean up the nasty parts, and reduce our crime for locals.

ZURISADAY ROBBINS BRIZ Our community needs a more diverse cultural art scene: provide opportunities for more creative spaces, murals, and cultural celebrations that are truly reflective and inclusive of the growing diversity we live today.

I would love to see inspiring murals of Latino leaders and their contributions in Galveston history.

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SAVE THE DATE

CULTURE CLASH EPIC BASH 6

DANCE

THE NIGHT AWAY celebrating 6 years of print

NOV 11, 2023 | 8PM - 12AM @Island Time Beach Bar FREE ENTRY UNTIL 9:30 WHEN YOU MENTION CULTURE CLASH

DRAG SHOWS | DANCE PARTY DRINK SPECIALS | FOOD TRUCK

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