Omar Pimienta's Crowd Funding Campaign Spotlights Tijuana Neighborhood
September 08, 2011 (PRLEAP.COM) Entertainment News
'Welcome to Colonia Libertad' Artist Fundraising Campaign on UnitedStatesArtists.orgThe Tijuana/San Diego artist and writer Omar Pimienta has launched his fundraising campaign with the support of the United States Artist program to organize a series of 10 events that will take place in different public spaces of Colonia Libertad Tijuana. Pimienta's project utilizes Mexican and American iconography by appropriating the statue of liberty and a pre-Columbian pyramid to create the neighborhood's monument: Lady Libertad.
Welcome to Colonia Libertad is a series of public art pieces intended to foster a dialog between art, history, writing and community conceptualization at a time in which the migration flow of this Tijuana neighborhood has shifted. Previously known as a place from which to enter the United States, it has also become a place of refuge not only for some of the hundreds of thousands of deportees of the last 3 years, but also for U.S. citizens who prefer to move into Tijuana due to the high cost of living in San Diego.
"The Project is an attempt to recuperate the public space in a neighborhood constantly affected by the migratory flows and its cyclical shifting, dating back to the neighborhood's foundation and initial population by the hurled masses of 'repatriated' Mexicans during the great depression," said Omar Pimienta.
Colonia Libertad might be Tijuana's oldest neighborhood; it is directly across the fence which delimits it, and has grown accustomed to being constantly surveyed. The migratory patterns are shifting and it is growing as port of entry and refuge. Due to the recent economic recession, not only have hundreds of thousands of Mexican citizens been deported into México, but American citizens have also immigrated into many of Tijuana's communities for its low cost of living and practical commute. Topics relating to this specific border neighborhood, such its geopolitical importance, its complex demographics and many others that arise from the strategic location will be discussed collectively as a community inside the public art piece Lady Libertad and in ten different events coordinated by local and international "specialists" who have domain over a specific practice or knowledge, and to which the community can have free access, e.g., narco culture, public services, urbanism, border literature.
United States Artists' non-profit mission is to invest in America's finest artists and illuminate their value to society. Since its launch in December, 2010, USA Projects has generated over $1.5 million to support artist projects with great momentum. Artists who participate have a better than 70% chance of success in funding. The program's non-profit structure makes sure that all user donations to projects are tax deductible, and that any proceeds are re-invested right back into artist programs. Matching funds makes the work easier, with a growing pool of major donors from which artists and supporters benefit.
Crowd Funding Art Project
For Welcome to Colonia Libertad to take place, $10,000 needs to be raised in an all-or-nothing funding format. The Money will be used for 10 public installations and presentations of Lady Libertad. Each presentation/workshop/reading/performance will be conducted by a different specialist from either side of the border. The topics of the events will range from literary readings to art workshops, academic presentations on narco culture, Immigration law, public services, etc… The money will be used to install the 28ft tall public art piece that accommodates seating for more than 40 participants, to facilitate the specialists' needs, to buy the materials, to print and distribute programs, and to orchestrate the workshops. Any additional funds will be used to orchestrate additional presentations, prolonging the program from once a month for 10 months to maybe a year.
With a range of rewards offered to supporters, there are many options for people to help make this project possible. Supporters can pledge as little as $1, or get exclusive perks for their support:
About Omar Pimienta
Omar Pimienta (Tijuana-San Diego) is an interdisciplinary artist who uses the lens of personal-geography in order to explore social landscapes, collective and individual histories. He received his B.A in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University in 2006, and his MFA in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego. His work as a visual artist has been shown at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles; Oceanside Museum of art; Centro Cultural Tijuana; Centro Cultural de España in Buenos Aires, Argentina to name a few. His most recent poetry book won the Tenth International Poetry Prize Emilio Prados, awarded by the Centro Cultural Generación del 27 Málaga Spain.