July 1, 2020

 

Hello, Culture Clubbers! 
 
This week we are going to dig into the concept of abolition. An abolitionist is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a person who favors the abolition of a practice or institution, especially capital punishment or (formerly) slavery. We have been hearing calls to abolish the police lately, what does that mean? 
 
Lorenzo Triburgo’s work, Policing Gender, was a part of the Gravity of Perception exhibition at CVA in Winter of 2019. The work is about mass incarceration from the perspective of LGBTQ prisoners and the connections Triburgo built with them through correspondence. Triburgo came to CVA during the exhibition to present a talk about Policing Gender and the pen pal relationships that started the project.
 
This week's session will take a hard look at the justice system and might challenge your ideas about how it should function.

Meet me this Wednesday, July at 5:00 pm on Zoom.

Katie

P.S. Share your work with us! Tag CVA in your social media posts about your artwork and include the hashtags #cvacultureclub #cvabolition

Featured Artist - Lorenzo Triburgo

 

 

Images from the Policing Gender series, 2015
Top row: left, Hot Air 03; right, Hot Air 01. Bottom row: left, For Vikki; right, For Rye.
 

 

Lorenzo Triburgo addresses the invisibility of incarcerated members of the queer community, particularly those who are transgendered, through his series, Policing Gender. Lorenzo uses audio of interviews with LGBTQ prisoners and ambient sounds of prison layered over photographs to "challenge viewers to consider their privilege of looking and objectifying individuals on society’s margins."

The series grew out of Triburgo's correspondence with over 35 LGBTQ individuals that were incarcerated in Pacific Northwestern prisons. The hardships prisoners face are amplified for those that are LGBTQ, who are often bullied and assaulted for being "other". Receiving mail from outside the prison indicates that someone on the outside is paying attention to what happens to them while in prison, thus reducing their risk of harassment.

 

Learn more about Lorenzo Triburgo
 

 

Artist Lorenzo Triburgo at an artist talk at CVA in 2019.

 

More Artists for Inspiration

 

Paul Rucker, The Birth of a Nation Project, 2015

 

 

Images, left to right, top row: Julie Green, The Last Supper, 2015; Nicholas Konrad, Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police, 2020
Bottom row: Tea Project Collective, Tea Project, 2013; For the People Artists Collective, #NoCopAcademy occupies City Hall, 2018

Abolitionist Links We Love

 

Begun by artist Maria Gaspar, 96 Acres addresses the impact of the Cook County Jail on Chicago's west side communities of color through a series of community-led, site-specific art projects.

 

Nation Inside is a grassroots campaign hub founded by artists and formerly incarcerated individuals as a place to build collective power for challenging mass incarceration. 

 

INCITE! is a network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and has resources for how to organize for change. 
 

 

 

Host Your Own Socially Distant Culture Club

 

Looking for a way to connect with your staff or loved ones? Host your own Socially Distant Culture Club! Our education program staff will work with you to create and lead a unique and custom experience for your group's cultural enrichment. We’ll develop an artistic activity for all skill levels that will have your group engaging in meaningful ways. Contact us today to learn more!