ARTS + DESIGN THURSDAYS @ BAMPFA

This series explores connections among creative works, the experiences of migration, and the possibilities of personal and social transformation. Curated by UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Alex Saragoza, the series engages with pertinent questions such as: How do we understand the movement of people and change metaphorically and literally? What are the forces that motivate migration, and what transformations result from the movement of people from one place to another? How do artists represent and enact the vocabulary of migration? The approach of the series is relational and comparative, taking into account the diverse experiences of migrants and immigrants—Latinos and others, past and present.

Schedule

* Thursday, August 30, 12 PM
Creativity, Migration, Transformation: Series Introduction by Alex Saragoza
https://bampfa.org/event/creativity-migration-transformation-series-introduction-alex-saragoza

The organizer of this lecture series discusses the connections among creative works, the experiences of migration, and the possibilities of personal and social transformation.


* Thursday, September 6, 12 PM
Photography: A Climate for Conflict with Nichole Sobecki
https://bampfa.org/event/photography-climate-conflict-nichole-sobecki

Sobecki, winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award for her photographs documenting Europe’s response to the African migration crisis, discusses some of the reasons for migration and the power and limitations of photography as an art form.


* Thursday, September 13, 12 PM
My Journey: From Venezuela to Principal Dancer of Diablo Ballet with Rosselyn Ramirez
https://bampfa.org/event/my-journey-venezuela-principal-dancer-diablo-ballet-rosselyn-ramirez

Ramirez, born and trained in Venezuela and now a dancer with Diablo Ballet, discusses her personal journey and professional career.


* Thursday, September 20, 12 PM
Borderwall as Architecture: A Manifesto for the US–Mexico Boundary with Ronald Rael
https://bampfa.org/event/borderwall-architecture-manifesto-us–mexico-boundary-ronald-rael

Rael, a UC Berkeley professor of architecture and art practice and author of Borderwall as Architecture, offers counterpropositions to the militarization of the border between the US and Mexico.


* Thursday, September 27, 12 PM
Deportations: When Immigrants Are Sent Back with Rafael Alarcon
https://bampfa.org/event/deportations-when-immigrants-are-sent-back-rafael-alarcon

Tijuana-based scholar and author Alarcon discusses his research on deported immigrants and their families.


* Thursday, October 4, 12 PM
Making the Movie Coco: Culture and Representation with Marcela Davison Aviles
https://bampfa.org/event/making-movie-coco-culture-and-representation-marcela-davison-aviles

The lead consultant for the Pixar animated feature Coco talks about how her work as a cultural translator of Mexican heritage impacted every aspect of the film.


* Thursday, October 11, 12 PM
Rita Moreno: From Puerto Rico to Stardom with Fernanda Fisher
https://bampfa.org/event/rita-moreno-puerto-rico-stardom-fernanda-fisher

The daughter of celebrated actress Rita Moreno, herself an actress and dancer, talks about Puerto Rico, her mother’s rise to stardom, and her own creative career.


* Thursday, October 18, 12 PM
Dance, Heritage, and the Island: A Cuban in Oakland with Royland Lobato
https://bampfa.org/event/dance-heritage-and-island-cuban-oakland-royland-lobato

A Cuban-born, Bay Area–based teacher of Cuba’s music and dance traditions talks about his experiences as an immigrant and the enduring influence of Afro-Cuban cultural heritage.


* Thursday, October 25, 12 PM
Bodies and Boundaries: Arts, Migrations, and Identities with Allan deSouza

https://bampfa.org/event/bodies-and-boundaries-arts-migrations-and-identities-allan-desouza
Artist Allan deSouza and series organizer Alex Saragoza hold a lively discussion on the relationships between art and migrations—both literal and metaphorical.


* Thursday, November 1, 12 PM
On Routes of Slavery: The African Cultural Diaspora with Ahmad Sikainga
https://bampfa.org/event/routes-slavery-african-cultural-diaspora-ahmad-sikainga

Historian Sikainga discusses the African diaspora in relation to The Routes of Slavery (1444–1888), a musical event at Cal Performances.


* Thursday, November 8, 12 PM
Picturing Frank Lloyd Wright: Pedro Guerrero, Photographer with Ray Telles
https://bampfa.org/event/picturing-frank-lloyd-wright-pedro-guerrero-photographer-ray-telles

The maker of numerous documentary films and television productions, Telles gives a talk related to his American Masters program on Mexican American photographer Pedro E. Guerrero.


* Thursday, November 15, 12 PM
Crossings: Facing the Boundaries of Gender, Culture, and Family with Carla Lucero
https://bampfa.org/event/crossings-facing-boundaries-gender-culture-and-family-carla-lucero

Opera composer Lucero discusses her work in a lecture accompanied by recorded musical highlights.