Photo taken by Estacey Villalobos, of Pochas Radicales
My Intro slide during the Latino Art NOW! panel discussion @ PNCA

courtneycoles:

mikey. #pnca #focusweek

Right before I read my speech, as the thesis defense began. I’m really glad that almost everyone who came to see me, went up and saw the artwork up-close!

I’ll be posting documentation of all my thesis artwork very soon, once my paper is all finished and done.

Many thanks to courtneycoles who snapped this image ♥!!

Me reading some poetry from Friday night.
Gonna go read again, somewhere new, later tonight!

and ends with “de mi corazon, al mundo,” (“from my heart, to the world”).

 ♥ Conceptual-art thoughts and thesis breakthroughs  ♥

Some thesis imagery.

This will be printed onto my book, later tonight.

This is true.

taqueriamictlan:

Chingaderas #1
Intaglio Etching. Print.
Michael Martínez 4/16/13
6” x 9”.

This print draws inspiration from barrio placas and graffiti. The poem is called Chingaderas, and reads:

The Inca had store houses
full of goods for the people
by the people.

And I’ve got 18 dollars.

The Maya, Mexica, Chichimeca
Y toda La Raza en México
had food in their bellies,
by the grace of gods.

And I’ve got 18 dollars.

Los Indios en el norte,
nations governed, not by
gold or guns.

And I’ve got 18 dollars.

Ay mi dolor,
Ay mis dolores,

I’ve lost my sight
Truena sobre mojado

And I’ve got 18 dollars

…

My most recent print, based off this sketch
Reblogged documentation from my artblog;
You should follow it here, immediately:
taqueriamictlan

you all should check out my thesis mentor’s site and see his art,
Arvie Smith is AMAZING:
http://www.arviesmith.com/home.html

I Just read him all of my newest poetry! I look forward to each Thursday morning, because every meeting with him makes me feel like I’m not insane. And we exchange stories of pain, struggles, resistance, and the coraje in our veins.

Today’s gonna be full of reading and writing!
I’m on a roll. ¡Sí, es muy chido!

After work, I went and found a seat in the PNCA commons to study for math, my Bolivian friend spotted me and came over to chat.

20 minutes into our conversation, I suddenly realized that she was speaking to me, exclusively in Spanish — and that I could understand! I was responding en Chicano, tu sabes, that liminal zone, mixin’ the two lenguajes — yo soy pocho y que!

There is beauty that I was denied, 3 times, over. The beauty of my Indigenous tongue, the beauty of the Spanish vocabulary that my family made their own, and the beauty of fluidity: to exist within and between all these different worlds. I’m determined to reclaim it all. Yo me extrañar por cosas que no me vivo.  But I can dream, can’t I?

♥C/S♥