Jorge Chavarin
Ultimately, the project I wanted to make would be an homage to the farmworkers of my hometown Oxnard, California. I thought long and hard about why I would want to commend them for all the hard work they have and still continue to do. I have a strong connection to farmworkers as my grandmother was one when she immigrated to the United States and a number of my friends' family members are farm workers as well. To me, they are the most humble, proud, and hard working people I have ever met. Because of all of these reasons, I wanted to make a public art piece that would commemorate and thank the farm workers for everything they have done for the community of Oxnard as well as many other places. These farm workers are the front line of the food supply that help keep food on our tables while many of them struggle to do the same for their own families.
I think this work is important mainly because of the times we live in now. With the election of Trump, there has been a spike in hateful rhetoric throughout the United States to all people of color, but especially Black and Latinx folk. Many have used these people of color as scapegoats for “taking [their] jobs,” so I decided to create an art project that would thank and really display how important the work of farm workers really is. Especially in more recent times with the COVID-19 outbreak, the new scapegoat is blaming the government for allowing people of color to work, as many of their jobs are in all actuality essential for America. It goes to show that these folks are every bit as American and hard working as the rest of us. The art is meant to display how essential and important these farm worker folks are to the fabric of America, as well as how important they are to America as a whole.
I would want the project to be up until it disintegrates or dilapitates to a point where it is no longer able to be used. Ideally, I would want it to last forever. To me, this would get the message across that much of the work that these farm workers do is long lasting and they will forever be essential, no matter how long they are working for. It will also be a valuable resource for the folks of the immediate area.
I want this to be a public installation art project that is able to be interacted with. I want people to be able to touch and see the tools and equipment the farmworkers use to be able to get even the smallest sense of how much hard labor and effort goes into the work. So in short, I want this art project to be interactive. Essentially, the project will be a community farm where those can go and pick their own fruit and vegetables. On one of the art walls, I want a person holding a strawberry, or at least hands holding one strawberry. To Oxnard, strawberries are our main crop and the symbolism of the brown hands holding a fruit that gives Oxnard so much life would be a symbol of the fruit of life being given to our own community.
I would want this project to be installed in the downtown park or next to the downtown park in Oxnard. I want this piece to be closely connected to the history of the park.
The Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard is the site of many historical events regarding the farmworkers movement throughout the 20th century. Cesar Chavez has spoken here as well as many marches have taken place within and around the park as demonstration in the fight for farm worker rights. This piece will connect with the deep history of the farm worker movements that have taken place in Oxnard as well as serves as a reminder that Oxnard itself has a strong history of farm worker movements as something for the residents of the city, as well as workers, and other folks of color to take pride in.
This piece will serve as a reminder that Oxnard itself has a strong history of farm worker movements as something for the residents of the city, as well as workers, and other folks of color to take pride in. The art and the project itself being a part of a community garden will help give those who live in the downtown area, which is a predominantly working-class, lower-income area of Oxnard, a place to grow and collect healthy food in what is otherwise a small and impoverished food desert within Oxnard. I hope this project would promote a healthier lifestyle as well as instill pride for those who live near, the residents of Oxnard, as well as farm workers all over. The work they do does not and should not go unnoticed.
I think this work is important mainly because of the times we live in now. With the election of Trump, there has been a spike in hateful rhetoric throughout the United States to all people of color, but especially Black and Latinx folk. Many have used these people of color as scapegoats for “taking [their] jobs,” so I decided to create an art project that would thank and really display how important the work of farm workers really is. Especially in more recent times with the COVID-19 outbreak, the new scapegoat is blaming the government for allowing people of color to work, as many of their jobs are in all actuality essential for America. It goes to show that these folks are every bit as American and hard working as the rest of us. The art is meant to display how essential and important these farm worker folks are to the fabric of America, as well as how important they are to America as a whole.
I would want the project to be up until it disintegrates or dilapitates to a point where it is no longer able to be used. Ideally, I would want it to last forever. To me, this would get the message across that much of the work that these farm workers do is long lasting and they will forever be essential, no matter how long they are working for. It will also be a valuable resource for the folks of the immediate area.
I want this to be a public installation art project that is able to be interacted with. I want people to be able to touch and see the tools and equipment the farmworkers use to be able to get even the smallest sense of how much hard labor and effort goes into the work. So in short, I want this art project to be interactive. Essentially, the project will be a community farm where those can go and pick their own fruit and vegetables. On one of the art walls, I want a person holding a strawberry, or at least hands holding one strawberry. To Oxnard, strawberries are our main crop and the symbolism of the brown hands holding a fruit that gives Oxnard so much life would be a symbol of the fruit of life being given to our own community.
I would want this project to be installed in the downtown park or next to the downtown park in Oxnard. I want this piece to be closely connected to the history of the park.
The Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard is the site of many historical events regarding the farmworkers movement throughout the 20th century. Cesar Chavez has spoken here as well as many marches have taken place within and around the park as demonstration in the fight for farm worker rights. This piece will connect with the deep history of the farm worker movements that have taken place in Oxnard as well as serves as a reminder that Oxnard itself has a strong history of farm worker movements as something for the residents of the city, as well as workers, and other folks of color to take pride in.
This piece will serve as a reminder that Oxnard itself has a strong history of farm worker movements as something for the residents of the city, as well as workers, and other folks of color to take pride in. The art and the project itself being a part of a community garden will help give those who live in the downtown area, which is a predominantly working-class, lower-income area of Oxnard, a place to grow and collect healthy food in what is otherwise a small and impoverished food desert within Oxnard. I hope this project would promote a healthier lifestyle as well as instill pride for those who live near, the residents of Oxnard, as well as farm workers all over. The work they do does not and should not go unnoticed.
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