OCJF

Artist: Alicia Rojas IG @alicitarojas

Artist: Joyce Lee Description: "Hope to Fly" depicts the difficulty and hope immigrants face when attempting to cross the border. The center portrait of the mother and daughter clutching each other with distraught expressions represents the bond within immigrant families under harsh circumstances. And the dreamy background containing a flurry of butterflies symbolizes their hopes and dreams to "fly" and escape an unsustainable environment. Immigrant detention and US policies make these dreams unrealistic and often cause these families to be separated and criminally prosecuted. It's a cruel process and there needs to be further actions to help reunite these families and ensure the freedom of detainees.

Artist: Adriana Martinez IG @sketchbookjunkie

Artist: Alexis Gonzalez I painted this picture as a reminder of an individual that helped me during my tough times. It is significant because there isn’t always a fighter in everyone’s corner when you are facing deportation, but I was lucky enough to have not just one fighter but a team of people. The picture on the left of the boy and his father, honors the forgotten faces of all the many families that have been torn apart by our unjust immigration courts. The picture on the right of the two lovers represents unconditional love. This love is what keeps those who have faced deportation from falling apart.

Artist: Yenny Bernal It represents the migration of the monarch butterfly in North America as they go out in search of warmth and life; much like we humans do when we leave our countries dreaming of a better life when coming into the United States. The subject is a half monarch half broken heart composed of simple shapes and the colors of monarchs in nature. The broken heart is the expression of my personal experience as an immigrant living away from my immediate family in Colombia for over 20 years now and still dealing with the emotional struggles that this bring.

Alicia Rojas

Artist: Christopher Moon Kim- @cmoonk13 Poem titled, DON'T Culture. It is typed on dawn pink, 98lb paper. The typewriter used was a 1960's Smith Corona Cougar Deluxe. People sharing their stories during this pandemic, struggle for human rights, and economic crisis was the main motivation for this poem. Behind the Poem- "DON'T" Culture is inspired by John Robinson, a black bird watcher, and his theory of Don't Loop. "African Americans don't bird because people don't engage in activities in which they don't see people like themselves." - Article from Yes! Magazine, March 20, 2019. Birding is Booming. So Where are the Black Birders?