We eat food, but what do the women and girls who pick it have to endure? This Saturday, a large mixed media installation opens illustrating struggles of campesinas/female farmworkers. Centered around a colorful family banquet table with place settings featuring quotes from campesinas, the intricately researched and visually captivating “Because We Eat - How Growing Our Food Affects Farmworkers,” is shown in conjunction with the Centro Cultural de la Raza’s, “Connecting en la Cocina: Empowerment, Resistance & Wisdom-Keeping.” Artist / activist (Artivist) Antonia Davis says of her installation, “Farmworkers most often work under dangerous, unjust and oppressive conditions. Every stitch sewn in this installation reflects our respect for the hours farmworkers spend, the distances they travel, the heartaches they endure and the strengths they embody.” Other Connecting en la Cocina exhibits include “Ancestral Roots” by Mariana Raquel and “Sacred Altars of MMIW - 7 Peaks for 7 Sisters” by Way of the Sacred Mountain, Artist Teyana Viscarra, and works from other local artists. Opening celebration/fundraiser: This Saturday, from 6 to 10 p.m., Centro Cultural de la Raza celebrates the International Day of Women at the opening of Connecting en la Cocina, curated by Jenn Frost Moreno and Norell Martinez, with mixed media artists plus music and performances. It is fundraiser with two related purposes. First, it focuses on the kitchen as more than a space for cooking but a powerful site of empowerment, resistance, and wisdom-keeping. Second, to raise funds to remodel Centro’s kitchen, which for decades has been a hub for community creation and organization and increasingly links with food trucks. Opening/fundraiser music by Bunny the Selector, Niomie Soulfly, DJ Ana Brown. Performances by Claudia Ramirez en colaboracion con Inés de la Crass y Panqui Blue in Cuerpa y Canto, and Mujeres en Resistencia. Vendors, sponsors include Mujeres Mujeres Brew House. Suggested donation $10 to $15. RSVPs through Eventbrite requested but not required. Connecting en la Cocina: Empowerment, Resistance & Wisdom-Keeping Opening Tickets, Sat, Mar 2, 2024 at 6 p.m. | Eventbrite All exhibits on display from Saturday March 2, 2024 through Sunday April 7, 2024, Noon to 5p.m., closed Mondays, suggested donation $5 at the door. Visit: https://centrodelaraza.com/ View this event on Facebook
