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Year 2012

Entries 10 Total

ACTIVISM BEYOND THE INTERFACE: THE SANDBOX PROJECT

Aug 27, ’12 6:14 PM

Friday, September 14, 2012
6-10 PM
Immigrant Movement International

We would like to invite you to participate in ACTIVISM BEYOND THE INTERFACE: THE SANDBOX PROJECT. The Sandbox Project is an experimental production lab bringing together artists, activists and techies to reflect creatively on the in/compatibility and diversity of artivist practices. This is part of a series of labs that took place in Toronto (Digital Event ‘11), Berlin (Transmediale 2012), Montreal (Artivistic, 2012), Troy (RPI), and Sao Paolo (Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics -  Encuentro 2013).

Our initiative seeks to acknowledge and nurture the work of individuals and communities operating both locally and internationally in the fields of artivism, hacktivism, media activism, community-building and other political-aesthetic practices. Participants with different backgrounds, perspectives and strategies will meet in a relaxed and fun environment to think about politico-aesthetic practices “ecologically” and to experiment with new modes of co-creation.

The Queens Sandbox is a two-day, two-part playful live collaboration consisting of a preliminary “Lab” (4 hours, day 1) followed by a “Do-It-Together Talk Show” (1 hour, day 2). While the lab will consist of a series of activities and pre-mediated discussions that draw on concepts from peer-to-peer culture, philosophy, popular culture and the arts,  the DIT intervention will be up to all of us to develop. All participants’ knowledge and skills will be valued as we experiment with different media (broadly speaking – bring your favourite one, if you feel like it) and draw on our conversations to reprogram the QMA as a space that facilitates the crossover of different collaborative and sharing practices.

Together with the other labs, the Queens Sandbox will contribute towards the development of an open collaboration platform meant to incorporate, visually and architecturally, the narratives emerging from, and the connections existing among each of these events and their participants.

We would be thrilled to have you as part of our Queens event.
The sandbox lab will take place on Friday, September 14, from 6-10 PM, at the Immigrant Movement International (108-59 Roosevelt Ave. Queens, NY 11368).

The DIT intervention will take place on September 15, 1:00 PM at QMA (New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368),
Both events are free.

At this stage, we are inquiring about availability and/or commitment to participate in the lab. Due to logistical restrictions, the number of participants for the lab is limited to max. 20 registered guests. The “DIT intervention” is open to the public.

Please, let us know if you will be able to participate by September 7, 2012. Should you accept our invitation, we will send you more details on logistics and the precise schedule of the lab.
Also, if you can’t attend but you know of anybody who should be part of this project, please, let us know.

Alessandra Renzi  & Roberta Buiani

For inquiries, rsvp and registration contact:

http://sandboxproject.wordpress.com

email: fluid@localproject.org

The Queens Sandbox event is part of the DysTorpia Series produced by Fluid New Media Lab and the e-fagia collective in collaboration with the Immigrant Movement International and Queens Museum of Art.

About the Artists:

Roberta Buiani is an scholar working at the intersection between arts, science and technology. She is a member of the Digicult collective and the editorial committee of  Digicult Journal. In Toronto, she is Program Advisor for the Subtle Technology Festival, Toronto. Her creative and academic work investigate the role of the “viral” as concept and creative practice that carries potentials to transform social customs and communication. Her viral interventions (”The Viral-Knitting Project,” “Megaphone Choir,” “YorkisUs”) are always the result of collective collaborations.

Alessandra Renzi uses DIY media to bring together disparate groups and communities, experimenting with collective forms of inquiry and narration. She is a member of the pirate television collective insu^tv in Naples, Italy, and has been involved in various media projects in Toronto, Canada. Alessandra has just joined the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, as a fellow at School of Information Studies, where she will conduct research on the design and use of FOSS platforms for collaborative media-making.

Viernes, el 14 de Septiembre 2012
6-10 PM
Immigrant Movement International

Le invitamos a participar en el proyecto: ACTIVISMO MAS ALLA DE LA INTERFASE: LA CAJA DE ARENA, La Caja de Arena es un laboratorio experimental que agrupa a artistas, activistas y técnicos que trabajan creativamente en las diversas prácticas de “artivism”.  Esto es parte de una serie de laboratorios que se han realizado en Toronto (Digital Event ´11), Berlín (Transmediale 2012), Montreal (Artvistic 2012), Troy (RPI), and Sao Paolo (Hemispheric Institute de Performances y Política ‘ Encuentro 2013).

Nuestra iniciativa busca reconocer y fomentar el trabajo de personas o comunidades que operan tanto a nivel local como a nivel internacional en los campos de activismo en los medios de comunicación, desarrollo comunitario y otras prácticas político-estéticas.  Los participantes de diferentes profesiones, perspectivas y modos de trabajo, nos reuniremos en un espacio relajado y entretenido para pensar en la prácticas ¨ecológicas¨ y experimentaremos con nuevos modos de co-creación.

La Caja de Arena en Queens se realizará durante dos días, en dos partes, consistentes en un laboratorio preliminar (4 horas, 1 día) seguido por un ¨DIT- Talk-Show¨ ¨( Hagámoslo-Juntos por sus siglas en inglés) – (1hora, 1 día).  El laboratorio integra actividades y discusiones pre-meditadas que trabajan con conceptos culturales tipo ¨colega -a- colega”, filosofía, cultura popular y arte. La intervención será un trabajo en conjunto que se desarrollará en el transcurso del laboratorio. Los conocimientos y habilidades de los participantes serán evaluadas y valoradas mientras experimentamos con diferentes medios, para concretar nuestras conversaciones en un performance en el Museo de Arte de Queens.

En conjunto con los otros laboratorios, la Caja de Arena de Queens, contribuirá al desarrollo de una plataforma pensada para incorporar, visual y arquitectónicamente, los puntos narrativos que se generaron, y las conexiones existentes entre los otros eventos y sus participantes.

Nos encantaría sea parte de este evento.  El Laboratorio tendrá lugar el: viernes 14 de septiembre, de 6pm-10pm, en Immigrant Movement International (108-59 Roosevelt Ave. Queens NY 11368)

La intervención ¨Hagamoslo-Juntos¨ tendrá lugar el 15 de septiembre, 1:00pm en el QMA (New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY 11368)

Nos gustaría saber si está disponible para participar antes del 10 de septiembre del 2012.   Al aceptar nuestra invitación, le enviaremos más detalles de la logística y el horario preciso del laboratorio.
Si usted no puede asistir pero conoce alguien que podría ser parte del taller, déjenos saber

Pare preguntas y registración visite:
http://sandboxproject.wordpress.com o mande email a: fluid@localproject.org

La Caja de Arena de Queens es un evneto parte de la seire de DysTorpia producida por la colaboración de Fluid New Media Lab y el colectivo e-fagia collective con el apoyo de Immigrant Movement International y el Queens Museum of Art.

Alessandra Renzi  & Roberta Buiani

Acerca de las artistas:

Roberta Buiani es una académica que trabaja en la intersección de las artes, la ciencia y la tecnología.  Es asesora de programas para el Subtle Technology Festival, Toronto, y miembro de Programming en Interaccess, New Media Arts Centre, Toronto. Su trabajo creativo y académico estudia el rol de lo ¨viral¨ como concepto y práctica creativa que carga un potencial para cambiar prácticas sociales y comunicacionales. Sus intervenciones virales incluyen ”The Viral-Knitting Project”, “Megaphone Choir”, “YorkisUs”; todas resultado de colaboraciones en colectivo.

Alessandra Renzi usa DIY (Hazlo tu mismo por sus siglas en inglés) para atraer a grupos y comunidades disparejas, experimentando con formas colectivas de investigación y narración.  Es miembro de pirate television collective insu^tv en Naples, Italy, y está involucrada en varios proyectos de medios en Toronto, Canadá. Alessandra se ha incorporado recientemente en la University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, como becaria en la Escuela de  Information Studies, donde hará investigación en el diseño y uso de FOSS plataforma para colaborar en hacer proyectos de media.

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OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS: CREATIVE APPROACHES TO TEACHING ENGLISH

Aug 21, ’12 7:08 PM

Fall I Deadline: Sept. 13, 2012

Fall II Deadline: October 30, 2012

Winter Deadline:
 November 30, 2012

Use your creative vision to help teach Corona’s newest community members English.

As a socially engaged art project producing useful art, IM International is committed to offering services to the community that develop both practical and creative skills.  We are now accepting proposals from artists for innovative approaches to teaching English, using visual, performing, writing and new media.  Workshop leaders do not have to have a background in teaching to apply.

Artists must make a commitment of leading a 6-8 week workshop for a minimum 2 hour a week.

To apply please complete the Workshop Proposal Form and send it to united@immigrant-movement.us.

Please contact us if you have any questions, (718) 424 6502.

 

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Coloring Outside the Lines: Lets Talk Migration © Art Community Workshop

Aug 21, ’12 4:24 PM

September 1, 2012
Saturday
2 – 4 pm

Lets have a conversation while we make art.  Coloring Outside the Lines: Lets Talk Migration© is an art community project to discuss how to be an active citizen within your community. This workshop uses both drawing and movement to discuss who we are, where we are from and how we can
make a difference. Open to all ages.

This workshop is free and open to the public.  Please call us at 718 424 6502 to reserve your space.

Hablemos sobre Migración! Taller Comunitario de Arte ©


1 de Septiembre de 2012
Sabado
2 – 4 pm

Tengamos una conversación mientras hacemos arte.Coloreando por fuera de las lineas: Hablemos sobre Migración© es un proyecto comunitario de arte que discute cómo ser un ciudadano activo dentro de la comunidad. Este taller usa tanto el dibujo como el movimiento para lo que somos, dónde nos encontramos y cómo podemos hacer una diferencia. Abierto a todas las edades.

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IM International in London

Aug 20, ’12 3:05 PM

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Vacaciones de Pelicula

Aug 2, ’12 6:04 PM

 

 

El Ojo Sensible CineClub para Niños
Viernes

7:00 pm Agosto  3  – El Chico
5:30 pm Agosto 10 – El Viaje de Chihiro
5:30 pm Agosto 17 – Kirikou y la Hechicera
5:30 pm Agosto 24 – La Novia Cadáver
7:00 pm Agosto 31 – Arthur y los Minimoys

El Ojo Sensible Cinema Club for Kids
Fridays

7:00 pm August  3  – The Kid
5:30 pm August 10 – Spirited Away
5:30 pm Agosto 17 – Kirikou and the Sorceress
5:30 pm Agosto 24 – Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride
7:00 pm Agosto 31 – Arthur and the Invisibles

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LEGAL CLINIC WITH NYLAG AT IM INTERNATIONAL

Jul 25, ’12 7:27 PM

Wednesday August 1, 2012
11 am – 5pm 
108-59 Roosevelt  Avenue Corona, New York 

The New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) is a non-profit legal aid organization that provides free legal assistance and representation to low-income New Yorkers. NYLAG deals with civil legal issues including: family law, housing, immigration, public benefits, healthcare (e.g. Medicaid/Medicare), wills and estate planning, employment, LGBT issues, mortgage foreclosure, and consumer protection. NYLAG cannot represent everyone who seeks their assistance, but can guarantee that everyone will get legal advice and/or a referral for their issue. The Mobile Legal Help Center (MLHC) is a new project of NYLAG’s and its goal is to bring our free legal services to underserved communities throughout the 5 boroughs. The MLHC is a 41 ft trailer equipped with two private meeting rooms and a waiting area. NYLAG partners with local organizations, such as IM International, to bring their staff attorneys and paralegals to neighborhoods throughout NYC for free consultation and referrals. If you have a legal issue and cannot afford a private attorney, call the NYLAG intake line at 212-613-5000 or check nylag.org/mobile to see when the MLHC will be in your neighborhood.

SIGN UP TODAY FOR YOUR FREE LEGAL CONSULTATION!
(718) 424 6502 
united@immigrant-movement.us 

Miércoles 1 de agosto de 2012
11 am – 5pm 
108-59 Roosevelt  Avenue Corona, New York 

El New York Legal Assitance Group (NYLAG) es una organización sin animo de lucro de ayuda legal que ofrece asistencia legal y representación para neoyorkinos de ingresos bajos. Los temas legales civiles que tratamos incluyen: ley familiar, vivienda, inmigración, beneficios públicos,  seguro de salud, testamentos y repartición de bienes, empleo, temas LGBT, protección del consumidor. No podemos representar todos los casos pero garantizamos que todos obtendrán consejo legal y/o serán referidos. El Centro de Ayuda Legal Móvil es un proyecto de NYLAG y su meta es llevar servicios legales gratis a comunidades de bajos servicios en los 5 municipios. Si tiene un asunto legal y no puede pagar un abogado privado, llame al 2120613-5000 o visite nylag.org/mobile para ver cuando El Centro de Ayuda Móvil Legal estará en su barrio.

INSCRÍBASE HOY PARA SU CONSULTA LEGAL GRATIS!
(718) 424 6502
united@immigrant-movement.us 


 

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Nelson Mandela International Day

Jul 16, ’12 9:42 PM

Wednesday 6 PM
July 18, 2012

We can change the world and make it a better place.  It is in your hands to make a difference.

Join us this Wednesday as we celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela with special guest speakers from the United Nations, followed by a screening and discussion of the film Goodbye Befana.

Día Internacional de Nelson Mandela
Miércoles 6 PM
18 de Julio de 2012 

Podemos cambiar el mundo y hacer que sea un mundo mejor.  Está en tu mano hacerlo realidad.

Acompañenos éste Miércoles en la celebración  de la vida de Nelson Mandela con charlas de invitados de las Naciones Unidas seguido de una muestra y discusión de la película Adiós Befana.

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Make A Movement: Community Actions and Political Organizing Meeting

Jul 9, ’12 5:00 PM

JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT MEETING THURSDAY JULY 12TH AT 7 PM

On Friday June 29th, 2012 Immigrant Movement International held its second community organizing meeting or re-initiation of “Make a Movement” alongside the collective Ghana Think Tank, to continue discussing actions which would further uphold the  principles of the migrant manifesto and promote immigrant respect.

As Part of Make a Movement, IM International presented the first artistic action envisioned by the community at our last meeting: a stamp that credits the substantial fiscal contribution made by undocumented immigration. The design is modeled after the official government stamp that is used by customs for admitting individuals into the country.  The stamp includes information from a May 2011 report titled, “Building A 21st Century Immigration System”. To read the entire report click here

Alternative possibilities for the text on the stamp:

•          “Immigrants are entrepreneurial and create jobs in the United States. Immigrants started 25percent of the highest – growth companies between 1990 and 2005, and these companies directly employ an estimated 220,000 people inside the U.S.”

•          “ Immigrant business owners generate $67 billion of the $577 billion in U.S business income”

•         “Immigrants help address other fiscal challenges by paying their fair share of taxes, contributing more in tax revenue then they use in services. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates that undocumented immigrants paid almost $50 billion in federal taxes between 1996 2003″

The meeting began with an interactive activity that made community members reflect on their own personal experiences with migration and share them in small groups.

Following the activity, a presentation was given on how art has been used as a tool for political activism and social change, citing examples from the Yes Men, Pedro Reyes, Judi Werthein, Constanza Camelo and Mel Chin, among others. One of the most powerful examples, having the most impact in the group was a performance by Regina Jose Galindo, a Guatemalan artist, who in the 2003 walked from congress to the National Palace with her feet dipped in blood protesting the presidential candidacy of Rios Montt, responsible for the genocide that occurred in the 1980’s against the countries indigenous population.

The evening concluded with a presentation from Ghana Think Tank. Ghana Think Tank is a global network of think tanks working towards solving the problems of the developed world with wisdom from “developing” countries.  Ghana Think Tank discussed political actions that they have participated in in the past as well as their current initiative involving the collection of “illegal laws”, or laws that are enforced by the police that are actually questionably legal or unconstitutional such as anti-loitering laws. They asked that everyone email their ideas on illegal laws and their experiences, whether in the form of harassment of something that seemed “just not quite right”, to ghanathinktank@gmail.com.

 

 

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Why ‘illegal immigrant’ is a slur

Jul 5, ’12 6:30 PM

Check out CNN’s explanation and opinion piece by Charles Garcia on why he believes that “illegal immigrant’ is a slur.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/05/opinion/garcia-illegal-immigrants/index.html

 

Why ‘illegal immigrant’ is a slur

By Charles Garcia, Special to CNN
updated 1:34 PM EDT, Thu July 5, 2012
A supporter of Arizona's immigration policy pickets outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington in April.A supporter of Arizona’s immigration policy pickets outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington in April.

Editor’s note: Charles Garcia, who has served in the administrations of four presidents, of both parties, is the CEO of Garcia Trujillo, a business focused on the Hispanic market. He was named in the book “Hispanics in the USA: Making History” as one of 14 Hispanic role models for the nation. Follow him on Twitter: @charlespgarcia. Lea este artículo en español/Read this article in Spanish

(CNN) — Last month’s Supreme Court decision in the landmark Arizona immigration case was groundbreaking for what it omitted: the words “illegal immigrants” and “illegal aliens,” except when quoting other sources. The court’s nonjudgmental language established a humanistic approach to our current restructuring of immigration policy.

When you label someone an “illegal alien” or “illegal immigrant” or just plain “illegal,” you are effectively saying the individual, as opposed to the actions the person has taken, is unlawful. The terms imply the very existence of an unauthorized migrant in America is criminal.

In this country, there is still a presumption of innocence that requires a jury to convict someone of a crime. If you don’t pay your taxes, are you an illegal? What if you get a speeding ticket? A murder conviction? No. You’re still not an illegal. Even alleged terrorists and child molesters aren’t labeled illegals.

By becoming judge, jury and executioner, you dehumanize the individual and generate animosity toward them. New York Times editorial writer Lawrence Downes says “illegal” is often “a code word for racial and ethnic hatred.”

Charles Garcia

Charles Garcia

The term “illegal immigrant” was first used in 1939 as a slur by the British toward Jews who were fleeing the Nazis and entering Palestine without authorization. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel aptly said that “no human being is illegal.”

Migrant workers residing unlawfully in the U.S. are not — and never have been — criminals. They are subject to deportation, through a civil administrative procedure that differs from criminal prosecution, and where judges have wide discretion to allow certain foreign nationals to remain here.

Another misconception is that the vast majority of migrant workers currently out of status sneak across our southern border in the middle of the night. Actually, almost half enter the U.S. with a valid tourist or work visa and overstay their allotted time. Many go to school, find a job, get married and start a family. And some even join the Marine Corps, like Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, who was the first combat veteran to die in the Iraq War. While he was granted American citizenship posthumously, there are another 38,000 undocumented soldiers defending our country.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the majority, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and three other justices, stated: “As a general rule, it is not a crime for a removable alien to remain present in the United States.” The court also ruled that it was not a crime to seek or engage in unauthorized employment.

As Kennedy explained, removal of an unauthorized migrant is a civil matter where even if the person is out of status, federal officials have wide discretion to determine whether deportation makes sense. For example, if an unauthorized person is trying to support his family by working or has “children born in the United States, long ties to the community, or a record of distinguished military service,” officials may let him stay. Also, if individuals or their families might be politically persecuted or harmed upon return to their country of origin, they may also remain in the United States.

While the Supreme Court has chosen language less likely to promote hatred and divisiveness, journalists continue using racially offensive language.

University of Memphis journalism professor Thomas Hrach conducted a study of 122,000 news stories published between 2000 and 2010, to determine which terms are being used to describe foreign nationals in the U.S. who are out of status. He found that 89% of the time during this period, journalists used the biased terms “illegal immigrant” and “illegal alien.”

Hrach discovered that there was a substantial increase in the use of the term “illegal immigrant,” which he correlated back to the Associated Press Stylebook’s decision in 2004 to recommend “illegal immigrant” to its members. (It’s the preferred term at CNN and The New York Times as well.) The AP Stylebook is the decisive authority on word use at virtually all mainstream daily newspapers, and it’s used by editors at television, radio and electronic news media. According to the AP, this term is “accurate and neutral.”

For the AP to claim that “illegal immigrant” is “accurate and neutral” is like Moody’s giving Bernie Madoff’s hedge fund a triple-A rating for safety and creditworthiness.

It’s almost as if the AP were following the script of pollster and Fox News contributor Frank Luntz, considered the foremost GOP expert on crafting the perfect conservative political message. In 2005, he produced a 25-page secret memorandum that would radically alter the immigration debate to distort public perception of the issue.

The secret memorandum almost perfectly captures Mitt Romney’s position on immigration — along with that of every anti-immigrant politician and conservative pundit. For maximum impact, Luntz urges Republicans to offer fearful rhetoric: “This is about overcrowding of YOUR schools, emergency room chaos in YOUR hospitals, the increase in YOUR taxes, and the crime in YOUR communities.” He also encourages them to talk about “border security,” because after 9/11, this “argument does well among all voters — even hardcore Democrats,” as it conjures up the specter of terrorism.

George Orwell’s classic “Nineteen Eighty-Four” shows how even a free society is susceptible to manipulation by overdosing on worn-out prefabricated phrases that convert people into lifeless dummies, who become easy prey for the political class.

In “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” Orwell creates a character named Syme who I find eerily similar to Luntz. Syme is a fast-talking word genius in the research department of the Ministry of Truth. He invents doublespeak for Big Brother and edits the Newspeak Dictionary by destroying words that might lead to “thoughtcrimes.” Section B contains the doublespeak words with political implications that will spread in speakers’ minds like a poison.

In Luntz’s book “Words That Work,” Appendix B lists “The 21 Political Words and Phrases You Should Never Say Again.” For example, destroy “undocumented worker” and instead say “illegal immigrant,” because “the label” you use “determines the attitudes people have toward them.”

And the poison is effective. Surely it’s no coincidence that in 2010, hate crimes against Latinos made up 66% of the violence based on ethnicity, up from 45% in 2009, according to the FBI.

In his essay “Politics and the English Language,” Orwell warned that one must be constantly on guard against a ready-made phrase that “anaesthetizes a portion of one’s brain.” But Orwell also wrote that “from time to time one can even, if one jeers loudly enough, send some worn-out and useless phrase … into the dustbin, where it belongs” — just like the U.S. Supreme Court did.

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Taller de Danza Ecuatoriana en el Festival Andino/ Ecuadorian Dance Workshop at Andean Festival

Jun 27, ’12 10:05 PM

Ecuador Sumagllacta crée en la importancia de enseñar a nuestros niños sobre las riquezas de nuestra cultura milenaria, es por eso que decidimos compartir el arte de la danza para nuestros niños de la comunidad.  Los pequeños ya tienen ese don, lo traen en la sangre. Al escuchar la música Andina sienten esa alegría y lo manifiestan por medio de la danza.  Representando la comunidad de Otavalo, ésta foto fue su primera presentación en el festival Andino en Junio 24, 2012. El mejor regalo fueron los miles de aplausos que recibieron del público.

 

Ecuador Sumagllacta believes in the importance of teaching our kids the richness of our ancient culture. This is why we decided to share the art of dance with the children of our community. Small ones already have that gift; they have it in their blood. When they listen to Andean music they feel the joy and manifest it through dance. Representing the community of Otavalo, this photo shows their first presentation in the Andean festival of June 24, 2012. The best gift they received were the thousands of applauses from the public.

-Monica Aviles

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