Event Description

How has art has been used to mobilize communities and disseminate messages of social justice? Is art just a commodity that is only accessible to the elite? How has the idea of “art for the people” shifted the way we look at art?

In this talk, Chicano artist Jake Prendez traces the history of social justice art, from the rise of Mexican muralism to its influence on American artwork from the civil rights era and the modern era. Explore how the means of production and new technologies made art accessible worldwide, and join Prendez as he deconstructs his own artwork to show how it relates to this greater narrative.

Jake Prendez (he/him) is a renowned Chicano artist, and the owner and co-director of the Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in Seattle. His work is an amalgamation of his life experiences—a representation of his Chicano background and a reflection of his time living in both Seattle and Los Angeles.