Kristin Gamez (is the bomb):

My girl Kristin is the bomb. This is the mockumentary she made for our show. HILARIOUS!!

The best art book ever!

There are days when I reeeally miss working at the book store, only because of the books. I was surrounded by, overloaded with, reading, viewing, and listening material. It was a definite luxury. It was like paradise, but at the same time you had a monster watching your every move, I'll leave it at that.

Anywho, WACK: Art And The Feminist Revolution, is one of my most prized possessions. I waited patiently for it, thinking about it everyday, and when it finally arrived, I lunged forward for it, pressing it against my chest, protecting it from those grubby little customer hands. It has provided endless inspiration, and the coolest thing about it is the inscription inside. Around the time I got the book (and devoured the inside) artist, Lorraine O'Grady was in town (07'), who was one of the artists talked about in the book. And as much as I would like to recount our conversations and meeting, I'm not the type of person who falls over artists and fakes the funk, so we had very normal and cool contact. I'd like to catch up with her someday and tell her how whenever I am feeling stuck, or bound, I read what she wrote and it elates me....as well as makes me wonder:

"For Mari,

My roller-derby feminista friend, with appreciation for updating the work in this book with a new image--The tough, feminine professional with freak tattoos! Keep up the good work--

All best wishes,

Lorraine O'Grady"

Lorraine,

I adore your hair, and thank you for making a dress out of 180 white dinner gloves and whipping yourself with them, as part of a performance piece against black oppression. Your the bomb.

p.s. Next time you come to San Anto you might be interested in seeing a different side of it, a more colorful side.

In solidarity,

Mari

CHECK OUT LORRAINE O'GRADY HERE

My friend Sarah Castilllo.

Mi amiga, Sarah Castillo, puede coser como un sweat shop worker. All I had to do was pay her nuthing, and she did it out of the kindness of her heart. I threw her cosas tontos y ella coser un vestido better than Jesus, if he were a seamstress instead of a carpenter, would make.

Y Sarah es la amiga you wanna have. Because if shortness runs en tu familia she can hem your pants. And even better, she's naturally sweet y tiene un corazon gigante(no como tu!), and I hope a little of that will rub off on me.

Sarah making the skirt for my foto, check it:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIN!

Kristin,

Happy Birthday to you, amiga. Salut to a new year with great, HUGE, GARGANTUAN,awesome things to come. Your the dopest, and I dig your friendship like a phat kid loves cake (mmm, cake).

amor por vida,

Chumina Castleridge

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS, KRISTIN!

Estas son las mañanitas, que cantaba el Rey David,
Hoy por ser día de tu santo, te las cantamos a ti,
Despierta, mi bien*, despierta, mira que ya amaneció,
Ya los pajarillos cantan, la luna ya se metió.

Que linda está la mañana en que vengo a saludarte,
Venimos todos con gusto y placer a felicitarte,
Ya viene amaneciendo, ya la luz del día nos dio,
Levántate de mañana, mira que ya amaneció...

Kristin's Kantina Karaoke Birthday celebration!

We rocked that shiz.

Birthday Girl!

Quinceanera outtakes!

OUTTAKES!!

I read once that in order to become a good photographer, you MUST take LOTS of photos. For every 40 photos I take, I LOVE...ONE of them (maybe).

You think your all bad, or what!?

...as a matter of fact, yes, we do. That's why we don't smile. AHHHHHH.

Mira, mira, look at us, in The Current.

Look it, MOM!

(foto by Eric Gustafson for the San Antonio Current)

CLICK HERE TO READ ARE WRITE UP IN THE SAN ANTONIO CURRENT.

Hijole su!!

This is for you.

OUR DEBUT

Our Debut was a huge success, and we couldn't have wished for more. We would like to extend the biggest abrazos y besos for all the support and love from our family and friends. Your understanding, support, and encouragement is our success. We would like to acknowledge those that have helped us, inspired us, mentored us, those whom we have learned from, people and organizations, there's no way we would be here without you.

This is for you, my friends and family: I could sit here and articulate, draw out, and cite all the reasons why we are doing this. I could stand on my soap box and pound out the importance of strong community, of creative outlets, of breaking cycles of oppression, of loving your neighbor, of continuing positive communal traditions. I could say that we have a big job, that we must preserve the good of our culture, and we must acknowledge and get rid of the bad. I could explain how success should humble you. But I don't think I need to this time, because all of this is reverberating within us. Because we know this, and because we have the tools and power to handle and rise. What are we waiting for? What are we waiting to be acknowledged, or approved by? Let's not wait for a false beginning.

So, instead of reiterating what we all already know, I hope that the reverb of that night, the reverb created by all of us, from all of you, in attendance or not, will be a step to achieving your goals.

La Chicana Collective is not here to be exclusive, we are inclusive. We are not here to be the beginning or the end. We are a small part, creating our history, following in the foot steps of our mentors. This isn't about what we are doing, this is about what WE, as a community, are capable of. Let's do this.

Here are a few fotos of a night that will never be forgotten, this was our Debut:

With a very badass performance by punk/crunk/funk duo PUSSYFOOT:





y

p.s. I love you all like my sisters. Thank you for being such an amazing group of women. -mari

p.s.s Stay tuned for more images of our individual work and artist statements. As well as a peek into the process of making that BADASS petticoat in my self-portrait--made by Sarah Castillo :)

(said petticoat, aka: amazing)