In honor of being 5 months pregnant, I thought I'd share this gem of my little baby Adán, taken at our last ultrasound.
See, he already has a flair for the dramatics...
Escobar-Morales at the Bruno David Gallery
ESCOBAR-MORALES: Resurrection of Hun-Nal-Ye at the Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis, MO. Opening on Friday, February 1, 2013, from 5 to 9 pm. Show runs until February 23rd, 2013.
In the New Media Room, the Bruno David Gallery presents a single-channel video work titled “Resurrection of Hun-Nal-Ye” by Escobar-Morales. The 21-minutes video originated from a performance at the closing for RICH-OO-UH'L, RICH-OO-UH'L at Jolie Laide Gallery in Philadelphia, with sound by Armando Morales.In the Resurrection of Hun-Nal-Ye (2011), Escobar-Morales perform a funerary ritual, referencing the mythical Mayan tale of the Hero Twins reviving their dead father, the Maize God. In their contemporary interpretation of this ancient story, Escobar-Morales simultaneously represent the body and the soul; the God/ Goddess and twin offspring, in both physical and technological forms using live performance and web based video projection.ESCOBAR-MORALES is a team comprised of Maya Escobar and Andria Morales. The two artists, based in Chicago and New York respectively, have been working together over the Internet since 2010. They produce digital media and performance art that explores the role of self-representation in visual culture and its ability to deconstruct ingrained ideological conventions. By locating their performances online where they are free from restrictions of time and place, Escobar-Morales is able to concurrently enact multiple personas while simultaneously creating a unified hybrid self.Maya Escobar was born in Chicago, IL in 1984. Andria Morales was born in 1982 in New York, NY. Escobar received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2007) and an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis (2009); Morales received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania (2004) and an MFA from Tyler School of Art, Temple University (2008).Photo by Armando Morales
Tanya Cabrera talks about undocumented students rights
I had the privilege of interviewing DREAM activist and community leader Tanya Cabrera for New Futuro. Check out this video with Cabrera detailing the educational rights of undocumented students, and share the full article with any interested students.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHkUJ8ZVZG8&w=480&h=270]
New Futuro featured in The Atlantic's series on economic progress
[brightcove vid=1939423568001&exp3=1054655355001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=29913724001&pk=AQ~~,AAAABvb_NGE~,DMkZt2E6wO3_sfth6vHgTpNZZSEwcydt&w=480&h=270]
New Futuro, founded in 2008, works with community organizations and schools in urban Latino neighborhoods to provide students and their families with access to the college materials they'll need, all of which are available in both English and Spanish translations. The company's web platform offers America's largest Hispanic scholarship database and hundreds of articles featuring useful advice on college planning, as well as profiles of successful minorities who've reached high levels in their careers. New Futuro also publishes a bilingual print magazine, which is distributed for free in high schools and through nonprofit and community partners.
read the full article in The Atlantic: New Futuro Narrows the Education Gap for Latino Students
Don't worry. Our girls are legal.
Escobar-Morales as AMerican MEdia Output at the Painted Bride Art Center in Philly. Join us for 1st Friday on 10/5.
Acting as designers, distributors and promo models, Escobar-Morales established an online marketing and brand design agency called AMerican MEdia Output. The ad campaigns for Public Airways and Welcome to Arizona are inspired by recent news related to proposed immigration legislation in the US. Blurring the line between performance and reality, AMerican MEdia Output asks viewers and participants to imagine the economic and social consequences of laws like SB1070 through the framework of advertising. AMO is based online at AMericanMEdiaOutput.com and has disseminated their advertising over the internet using various social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Most recently, the AZ Welcome Girls hit the streets in San Antonio, TX to promote Arizona tourism by offering participants a cold drink of "Welcome Water."
Nueva Exhibición en el Painted Bride Art Center Destaca la Importancia de la Documentación en la Sociedad Contemporánea
COMUNICADO DE PRENSA: Agosto 24, 2012Contactar a: Phil Sumpter, Director de Mercadeo y Comunicaciones [email protected] 215-925-9914 x15
Nueva Exhibición en el Painted Bride Art Center Destaca la Importancia de la Documentación en la Sociedad Contemporánea
Filadelfia, PA. Agosto 10, 2012— En colaboración con la organización cívica, cultural Acción Colombia, el Painted Bride Art Center será este otoño la sede de una exhibición que invita al cuestionamiento crítico con una docena de experimentos socio-visuales que incluyen dibujo, pintura, instalación, actuación, fotografía y otros medios de comunicación. Papeles: Are we what we sign? expone aspectos culturales, legales, y económicos que se encuentran detrás de las transacciones que procuran la participación y cohesión en la sociedad Americana. La exhibición estará en muestra desde el 7 de septiembre hasta octubre 21, 2012, este proyecto es organizado paralelamente a la Conferencia de la Asociación Nacional de Artes y Cultura Latina (NALAC) que tendrá lugar en Filadelfia.Papeles incluye un extraordinario e influyente grupo de artistas en Filadelfia—algunos ya conocidos y otros surgiendo. La postura de los artistas parte de sus posiciones como inmigrantes y/o descendientes de inmigrantes de naciones Latinoamericanas. Cada uno de ellos interpreta esta identidad como una cualidad abstracta que puede ser fácilmente dada, tomada, impuesta o distorsionada en una variedad de contextos. Del comentario crítico, la añoranza, la sátira, y la resistencia los artistas exponentes han encontrado fuentes de inspiración. Los exponentes incluyen: Andrea Rincón, Andria Morales, Carlos Nuñez, Doris Nogueira-Rogers, el duo Escobar-Morales, Erika Ristovski, Jonas dos Santos, Jorge Figueroa, Lina Cedeño y Pedro Ospina, Michelle Angela Ortiz, Paula Meninato, and Susana Amundaraín.Papeles: Are we what we sign? es una exhibición bajo la curaduría de Andreina Castillo, Consultora Independiente en Gestoría de Arte y Programas. “Este proyecto se convirtió en un lugar de encuentro para cada uno de nosotros al organizarlo, desde artistas y directores a líderes comunitarios” así lo expreso Castillo. “Cada uno de nosotros (y/o a través de nuestras familias) hemos estado expuestos a las satisfacciones y altibajos en el proceso de migrar. Nosotros invitamos al público general para que busque sus propias dicotomías cuando presencien las cualidades visuales y conceptuales de esta exhibición.”PAPELES: Are we what we sign? busca servir como un instrumento visual de exanimación al vinculo social con los documentos como símbolos legales de identidad que modelan nuestra ideología individual, aceptación cultural, igualdad de los sexos, acceso económico, oportunidades laborales y logros académicos. Al final, esta exhibición expone nuestra cultura ciudadana dentro de la sociedad Americana. Los conceptos entretejidos en esta exhibición se enlazan con las corrientes en los Estados Unidos, y el proceso global en busca del consenso en reformas, leyes, votos, resoluciones y otras formas contractuales que afectan la formación social como individuo y nuestra vida en comunidad.La recepción de apertura será durante “El Primer Viernes”, septiembre 7 de 5pm - 7:30pm en el Painted Bride Art Center en el 230 Vine Street, Filadelfia, PA. En este evento, tendra la oportunidad de compartir con los artistas participantes, disfrutar de obras extraordinarias y de música Hispanoamericana en vivo. Ademas de deleitar de unos aperitivos especiales, amablemente ofrecidos por Positano Restaurant, Crudo & Wine Bar. Para mayor información por favor comuniquese con el Painted Bride Art Center al 215.925.9914.Acción Colombia es una organización sin ánimo de lucro establecida para desarrollar el liderazgo en la comunidad Colombiana y Latinoamericana a través de las artes, cultura y participación ciudadana en el área tri-estatal de Pensilvania, Delaware y Nueva Jersey. Esta exhibición refuerza el compromiso con las artes y las iniciativas ciudadanas relacionadas con la inmigración, temas con los que la organización ha estado trabajando desde su inicio en el 2004.Painted Bride Art Center es uno de los centros culturales más importantes en Filadelfia, y en el país. Su misión es atraer artistas, audiencias y comunidades rompiendo las barreras de como creamos y experimentamos el arte. Esta institutición cultiva un ambiente de dialogo critico y un intercambio perseverante para transformar vidas y comunidades.Nosotros le damos la bienvenida a la Asociación Nacional de Arte y Cultura Latina (National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) a Filadelfia que tendrá lugar de octubre 17 al 21. La conferencia nacional es una oportunidad para presentar la infraestructura artística de Filadelfia a una audiencia nacional de artistas, trabajadores culturales, curadores, y administradores del arte que de todos los rincones del país estarán participando en la conferencia.Univision 65 apoya esta exhibición como el medio de comunicación oficial. Por favor visite www.accioncolombia.org/papeles o www.paintedbride.org para conocer mas sobre este proyecto.
Escobar-Morales at The Painted Bride in Papeles: Are we what we sign?
PAPELES: Are we what we sign? aims to serve as a visual examination of our social bond with papers as legal signifiers of identity that shape individual mobility, cultural acceptance, gender and sexual-orientation equality, economic access, labor opportunities, and educational attainment. Visual artists, community leaders, and arts administrators use this project to reflect upon the socio-cultural impact of documentation processes present in American society.This exhibition gathers twelve influential—established and emerging—artists working in drawing, painting, installation, printmaking, photography, and mixed media. Participating artists include Andrea Rincon, Andria Morales, Carlos Nuñez, Doris Nogueira-Rogers, Erika Ristovski, the duo Escobar-Morales, Jonas Dos Santos, Jorge Figueroa, Lina Cedeño, Michelle Ortiz, Paula Meninato, and Susana Amundaraín. They propose social-visual experiments from their positions as immigrants and/or descendants of immigrants from Latin American nations. New and existing works in this exhibition illuminate the concept of documentation into powerful narratives of critique, ambiguity, longing, and resilience. 
The Painted Bride230 Vine Street | Philadelphia, PA 19106 | 215.925.9914September 7 – October 21, 2012Gallery hours: 12pm – 6pm, Tues – SatFirst Friday receptions: September 7, October 5 | 5-7:30pmGuest Curator Andreina Castillo | Co-Presented with Acción Colombia
Escobar-Morales: Excerpts from the Ressurection of Hun-Nal-Ye
Performance artists Escobar-Morales perform a funerary ritual, referencing the mythical Mayan tale of the Hero Twins reviving their dead father, the Maize God. In their contemporary interpretation of this ancient story, Escobar-Morales simultaneously represent the body and the soul; the God/ Goddess and twin offspring, in both physical and technological forms using live performance and web based video projection. Performed at Jolie-Laide gallery in Philadelphia.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIIr9MXHLBc]
Cristina para Obama
[youtube=http://youtu.be/N_Xh4gzcjD4]
Undocumented Students: private institutions may be more affordable
UPDATE: Due to tech difficulties, we will be re-airing last week's Spanish interview with Doña Catalina, Guatemalan community activist and leader. Our interview with Tanya, Maria, and Taylor will be airing next week 7/22.Learn about college opportunities for undocumented students on today's Poco a Poco radio show. We interviewed Tanya Cabrera, the Associate Director of Minority Outreach and Undocumented Student Liaison at IIT and IIT student leaders Maria Gonzalez and Taylor Hayes.
Maria Gonzalez, a brilliant sociology major and undocumented student leader, shares her experiences transferring from a Harold Washington, a Chicago City College, to the Illinois Institute of Technology, where she received an almost a full ride to college. Maria discovered that while private institutions may not blatantly say "this funding is for undocumented students" they are not dependent on state funding, so their requirements are often such that you do not need to fill out a FAFSA to be considered. She encourages students to seek out these resources.
This interview covers every thing from: talking to your family, talking to your counselor, finding funding sources for college, supporting your child, the Dream Act, and being and ally to the movement. Tune into today 7/15 to Poco a Poco at 1:30 CST on http://wluw.org or for those folks in Chicago, you can listen on the radio on WLUW 88.7 FM.
AMerican MEdia Output in Philly
Are you Target Audience? Find out in Philly. Stay tuned for details on the next official AMerican MEdia Output appearance.
Excerpts from my thesis: My Shtreimel
My Shtreimel is a video blog that features my fiancée Loren, who is a reoccurring character in my work. Sitting in a dimly lit room, Loren shares a personal Sabbath ritual. Behind him is the large painting of the Rebbe that appears in Obsessed with Frida Kahlo video. Although Loren is alone, he addresses the camera as if he were speaking directly with his eventual audience.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNAxEUEE43Y] My Shtreimel, YouTube Video, 2006.
"I think it is very important for each of us to have an enjoyable Shabbos experience. And to be able to in some ways personally define what that Shabbos experience entails. There's a lot of different minhags that I think a lot different people have that not every one has. And there are certain things that we develop not necessarily because they are passed down from our father, or our mother, or your mother's father, just because it is something that makes your Shabbos experience a little bit more enjoyable a lot these personal minhags that we all have..."
Casually citing the Chofetz Hayim and the Talmud Yerushalmi, he acknowledges both his relationship to, and awareness of traditional Jewish texts; thereby, indirectly aligning himself with a more observant Jewish community. Using humor, he offsets the implied exclusivity of those ties, by adding that he is actually wearing a woman’s hat that was purchased at a thrift store.eruv stl is “posted as a response” to My Shtreimel. eruv stl is intended to link Berlin’s Eruv to St. Louis. In this low quality thus “authentic video blog” Loren and I drive around the Washington University in St. Louis area, with a map in hand, trying to locate St. Louis’s eruv. In the background you can hear Guns and Roses famous song Welcome to the Jungle. Loren assumes a role similar to the one of Matisyahu, a halakically informed Jew, who does not the traditional model for the other and is thereby able to communicate with the secular world.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv8YTCXv8xY]eruv stl, YouTube Video, 2009.I ask Loren why he thinks the eruv extends as far as it does and if he thinks that there area lot of Orthodox Jewish families living in the area. Loren tell me that the eruv has extended this far because of the Hillel on campus, and that while there are not many Orthodox families living on the streets that we are driving, that the presence of the Hillel on campus is enough to create an eruv-worthy Jewish community.Not only does it become clear that Loren familiar with Orthodox Jewish practices and the neighboring streets, but also he is still not sure exactly where the eruv is located. Meaning that even though the eruv is present, Loren is either a) so religious that he doesn’t abide by it, OR b) he doesn’t lead a Jewish life that would involve abiding by an eruv. As the conversation continues Loren continues to distance himself from vocabulary that you would expect to come from a more observant Jew, as he casually engages in humorous banter with me surrounding the eruv.I ask him how it felt to finally “find” the eruv, he responds that he “feels pretty good” but he didn’t feel like “it was an actual wall” - which it isn’t, so this statement is made in jest. He continues, “its like finding Waldo, Waldo had curly hair and glasses, he might have been a frum Jew [...] maybe it is a statement about jews begin such a small percentage of the population...
The Rebbe, Acrylic on Canvas, 2004.more thesis excerpts coming soon...
Pochos and Pixels: The Art of Rio Yañez
Rio Yañez never ceases to amaze me... This time it's through his (FIRST!!!) solo exhibition, Pochos and Pixels: The Art of Rio Yañez. Just look at this dual punk rock meets hip hop (ghetto) Frida... Clearly, Rio is an artistic mastermind.
WHAT: Pochos and Pixels: The Art of Rio Yañez.WHEN: Wednesday, April 11 – Friday, June 15 2012Monday-Friday: 8:00AM – 10:00PM,WHERE: UCSB Multicultural CenterUniversity Center room 1504Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6050
Acciones Plásticas プリクラ collaboration with Rio Yañez (2009)
Fractured Jewishness
Is being half-Jewish, like being half-pregnant? Yes.Intrigued? Want to hear more?I have the honor of being the keynote speaker at the Half Jewish?" The Heirs of Intermarriage conference at Northwestern University, which runs from 4/20-4/22. My Friday night talk will center around the construction and the perpetuation of fractured cultural identities. On Saturday my dear friend Yoni Sarason, aka The St. Lou Jew, aka Midwest Director of Birthright Next, will be speaking on a panel with Dan Libenson, moderated by Denise Handlarski. Come check out the conference. Meet some lefty Jews. Learn and mingle.Register here.
Digital. Creative. Conceptual. Think Tank Team.
Ladies and Gents, life is good. I am the Creative Director for New Futuro.New Futuro provides Latino families with fully bilingual resources and tools to get students into college and beyond! We are committed to making you an education rockstar! We will teach you how to get into the college of your dreams with money to pay for it. It's all about making the right classes at the right time, knowing the right people, and getting involved with the right groups. College is your future, so why should it be a challenge to get there? New Futuro will help you achieve your dreams through education! Read more about my #awesome creative team here.
Schachter's Pocket Tzedek
ATTN: transient digital native Jews, the ever so talented Ben Schachter has come up with another brilliant Jewish pop culture piece, Pocket Tzedek. 
Ben Schachter has entered a competition that asks, “Where do you give?” Sponsored by the American Jewish World Service whose mission is “to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world.” Support his design by voting for him here: www.wheredoyougive.orgCharity and Philanthopy are major parts of many religions. Judaism gives it a unique character. As the contest describes, “The word tzedakah (Hebrew: צדקה) comes from the Hebrew word tzedek, meaning righteousness or justice. It refers to the Jewish practice of giving money in order to help those less fortunate—using our financial resources to create a more just and righteous world.”Schachter’s design, “Pocket Tzedek,” combines wireless technology – a debit card reader – and a traditional “pushke,” or piggy bank. Instead of dropping in coins, the donor dips his card.Find Schachter’s design under the web interactive category on the third page at www.wheredoyougive.org/voting and vote for him every day until April 1.
Love is never too late.
I know it's almost April, but I would be remiss if I didn't share Rio Yañez's 2012 crop of valentines amazingness.Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my friends and lovers! El Rio’s Valentine’s Day Cards are back in the ring to take another swing! This is the 6th year of my cards and it’s turned into my longest running project. Enjoy!
As always, please post these cards on the pages of your online friends, real life enemies, booty calls, baby daddies, friends with benefits, people you're stalking on facebook, and people you would be stalking on Google + but don't want to go through the hassle of signing up with a new social network.
Chicanas of 18th Street on Poco a Poco Radio
Tune into Poco a Poco Radio this Sunday at 1:30PM CST to hear the excellent BILINGUAL interview my father and I did with Leonard Ramírez and Magda Ramírez-Castañeda, about the much anticipated release of: Chicanas of 18th Street: Narratives of a Movement from Latino Chicago.(photos by Claudio Gaete-Tapia)
Calavera Elotera at SOMArts Gallery
ESCOBAR-MORALES PRESENTS:
Your favorite fame whore Elotita aka The Fat Free Elotera is back... and this time she has taken it to a new level... she has faked her own death... and has returned as CALAVERA ELOTERA.Calavera Elotera in Illuminations: Día de los Muertos 2011Curated by Rene and Rio Yañez SOMArts Bay Gallery, 934 Brannan St. (between 8th & 9th)San Francisco, CA 94103Tues–Fri, 12–7PM, Sat 11–5PM, Sun 11–3PM.Opening ReceptionFriday, October 7, 2011, 6–9PMOpening will feature music, interactive performance and the unveiling of over 30 altars and installations. The evening includes a special performance by Herbert Siguenza, of Culture Clash fame. Siguenza will perform and live paint as renowned artist, Pablo Picasso.The exhibition continues to examine the ways technology shapes the celebration of Day of the Dead. Once again, a Flickr group enables the exhibition’s curators to accept digital photos as offerings to those who people want to honor. The public can upload their digital contributions here. Selected images will be printed and displayed as part of the exhibit.
Poco a Poco Radio!
My papi and I have a brand new BILINGUAL radio show on WLUW 88.7 FM, Poco a Poco Radio. The show airs every Sunday from 1:30-2:00PM CST and can be listened to live on the radio or online at http://wluw.org.If you missed last week's show (the first episode) you can listen here:[audio http://pocoapocoradio.com/podcasts/Poco%20A%20Poco%20Uno%20-7-10-2011.mp3]And today tune in, to hear our LIVE interview with the incredibly talented, hilarious, and inspiring Elma Placeres Dieppa (@mzelma), Director of Latism Chicago. For those of you who aren't familiar with Latism... you should be... #LATISM stands for Latinos in Social Media.For more updates follow Poco a Poco Radio on Facebook & Twitter