Solo Exhibitions:
Barbecue My Heart Gallery Exhibit and Art Party, Santa Ana, 2011
Planet Tnez, Anaheim, 2011
Artists United for Human Rights Gallery Exhibit, Santa Ana, 2010
Looking Up Gallery Exhibit and Art Party, Santa Ana, 2010
Collectives and Group Exhibitions:
MOCA Gala with Marina Abramovic, Los Angeles, 2011
Dia De Los Muertos Collective Exhibit, Santa Ana, 2011
String It Up, Los Angeles, 2011
Graphite Forever, Fullerton, 2011
Dia De Los Muertos Collective Exhibit, Santa Ana, 2010
Red Show, Santa Ana, 2010
Printers and Lettermakers, Portland, 2009
Transportation Agents, Tel Aviv, 2008
Some Present Dangers, Cairo, 2008
Barbecue My Heart Gallery Exhibit and Art Party, Santa Ana, 2011
Planet Tnez, Anaheim, 2011
Artists United for Human Rights Gallery Exhibit, Santa Ana, 2010
Looking Up Gallery Exhibit and Art Party, Santa Ana, 2010
Collectives and Group Exhibitions:
MOCA Gala with Marina Abramovic, Los Angeles, 2011
Dia De Los Muertos Collective Exhibit, Santa Ana, 2011
String It Up, Los Angeles, 2011
Graphite Forever, Fullerton, 2011
Dia De Los Muertos Collective Exhibit, Santa Ana, 2010
Red Show, Santa Ana, 2010
Printers and Lettermakers, Portland, 2009
Transportation Agents, Tel Aviv, 2008
Some Present Dangers, Cairo, 2008
People We Stepped On to Get to The One
$150
The whole “they complete me” idea we have of relationships totally disregards the fact that for some people, long-term monogamous partnerships are just not fulfilling. Some people don’t need romantic love in their life whereas others might want more than one romantic partner, yet all of us get sold the exact same idea: there’s one special person out there who we should be waiting, looking, and striving for. And this is a message given to EVERYBODY — regardless of gender or sexuality.
But what about people who don't stick to the norms? People who might have great friendships but don’t prioritize romance for whatever reason? People who don’t want to do cohabitation and would prefer to live alone for the rest of their lives? Not choosing love or sex or The One is perhaps the biggest societal taboo, even more scandalous than sleeping around or marrying and divorcing indiscriminately. (At least those things indicate that one is pursuing companionship, be it sexual or romantic.)
If one opts out of all love/sex or doesn’t aspire to be one part of a unit, one automatically becomes known as a crazy person. And while this stereotype is more true for straight women (e.g. unwanted spinsters) than men of any orientation (e.g. swinging bachelors), I definitely think that the both groups are subject to pressure to couple up.
P.S. is it any surprise that so many marriages end in divorce when the expectations that we have for our spouses are incredibly high and often unrealistic?
But what about people who don't stick to the norms? People who might have great friendships but don’t prioritize romance for whatever reason? People who don’t want to do cohabitation and would prefer to live alone for the rest of their lives? Not choosing love or sex or The One is perhaps the biggest societal taboo, even more scandalous than sleeping around or marrying and divorcing indiscriminately. (At least those things indicate that one is pursuing companionship, be it sexual or romantic.)
If one opts out of all love/sex or doesn’t aspire to be one part of a unit, one automatically becomes known as a crazy person. And while this stereotype is more true for straight women (e.g. unwanted spinsters) than men of any orientation (e.g. swinging bachelors), I definitely think that the both groups are subject to pressure to couple up.
P.S. is it any surprise that so many marriages end in divorce when the expectations that we have for our spouses are incredibly high and often unrealistic?
Gobble, Gobble, Gamble
$100
Native Americans and casino gambling have become indelibly linked in modern culture, a stereotype that will eventually harm the Native American community rather than help them. The children of today will grow up thinking that gambling is somehow a Native American tradition, and that this once-proud ethnic group has contributed nothing more to society than blackjack tables and slot machines.
It is quite unfortunate that Native Americans have made the decision to stereotype themselves in exchange for money. While some argue that casinos generate much-needed revenue for Native American families, I would argue that it is not worth the price of abandoning their heritage. As an Italian-American, I have seen the same type of stereotyping; it is surprising how many people think that we all have Mafia connections and run pizza parlors. Unfortunately, once we are branded with this stigma, it is virtually impossible to reverse it. For generations to come, every movie Hollywood produces about mobsters will paint Italian-Americans as the bad guys. Consequently, for generations to come, one will not be able to think about casinos and gambling without thinking about Native Americans.
The culture of our Native Americans is something far too sacred to sully with an activity as unsavory as gambling. The same people who held sacred our land and forests and streams have now decided to plow them under, pave them with asphalt, and build a shrine not to the Great Spirit, but to the Almighty Dollar. In some ways, I suppose nothing can be more American than abandoning our heritage in order to make a fast buck; however, it is a shame that future generations will associate Native Americans with gambling rather than stewards of nature and true forefathers of our nation.
Gambling, profitable though it may be, has historically attracted unsavory elements. Living in an area where there is no dearth of Native American casinos, it is not uncommon to pick up the newspaper and read about the criminal acts that often take place in these establishments. Murder, assault, and theft are not uncommon occurrences to an industry like gambling. Since law enforcement is often in short supply on Native American reservations, this makes for a potentially dangerous combination. This is surely not the kind of publicity that Native Americans want or need.
In 1831, during one of the most shameful chapters of American history, President Jackson ordered the relocation of thousands of Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminoles who were living peacefully in the Southeastern United States. Nearly four thousand Native Americans died on this forced evacuation, which continues to be known to this day as the "Trail of Tears".
It's a shame that the Trail of Tears ended in a vast asphalt parking lot, a gateway not to a promised land, but to cheap buffets, nickel slots, and roulette wheels.
It is quite unfortunate that Native Americans have made the decision to stereotype themselves in exchange for money. While some argue that casinos generate much-needed revenue for Native American families, I would argue that it is not worth the price of abandoning their heritage. As an Italian-American, I have seen the same type of stereotyping; it is surprising how many people think that we all have Mafia connections and run pizza parlors. Unfortunately, once we are branded with this stigma, it is virtually impossible to reverse it. For generations to come, every movie Hollywood produces about mobsters will paint Italian-Americans as the bad guys. Consequently, for generations to come, one will not be able to think about casinos and gambling without thinking about Native Americans.
The culture of our Native Americans is something far too sacred to sully with an activity as unsavory as gambling. The same people who held sacred our land and forests and streams have now decided to plow them under, pave them with asphalt, and build a shrine not to the Great Spirit, but to the Almighty Dollar. In some ways, I suppose nothing can be more American than abandoning our heritage in order to make a fast buck; however, it is a shame that future generations will associate Native Americans with gambling rather than stewards of nature and true forefathers of our nation.
Gambling, profitable though it may be, has historically attracted unsavory elements. Living in an area where there is no dearth of Native American casinos, it is not uncommon to pick up the newspaper and read about the criminal acts that often take place in these establishments. Murder, assault, and theft are not uncommon occurrences to an industry like gambling. Since law enforcement is often in short supply on Native American reservations, this makes for a potentially dangerous combination. This is surely not the kind of publicity that Native Americans want or need.
In 1831, during one of the most shameful chapters of American history, President Jackson ordered the relocation of thousands of Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminoles who were living peacefully in the Southeastern United States. Nearly four thousand Native Americans died on this forced evacuation, which continues to be known to this day as the "Trail of Tears".
It's a shame that the Trail of Tears ended in a vast asphalt parking lot, a gateway not to a promised land, but to cheap buffets, nickel slots, and roulette wheels.
Why Did You Sleep With Him?
$100
Did you hear about Maci and Ryan? Whatever is going to happen to Brooke? Mansfield is so close! Farrah really shouldn't be going out all the time.
These are just some of the characters on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" and its spin-off "Teen Mom." Gone are the stars' carefree teenage years. Instead of graduating high school, these teens are getting enrolled in Parenthood 101. But never fear, MTV is here and ready to offer them all the glamour of a being a reality TV star.
We instinctively find ourselves drawn to the ridiculous dynamics of the relationships and the predictable arguments people always seem to have with one another on reality shows like "Teen Mom." But the reality TV boom has fueled a creation of new attention seekers.
Rather than just affecting the participants' lives, they're leaving behind a generation more susceptible to repeating a cycle that is more than just unplanned pregnancy. It affects entire families as they handle the financial burdens of new babies. It's a controversial social issue that causes us to question acceptable ways to deal with the situation. Do we congratulate the mother for her lack of safe sex practices? Do we show no empathy and turn a blind eye to the situation? Do we throw her a baby shower?
Even though these shows portray the hardships of being teenage parents, these difficulties haven't deterred teens from getting pregnant. Teenagers are getting pregnant at an alarming rate--according to a 2006 report by the Guttmacher Institute, teen pregnancies are on the rise again. Texas ranks No. 5 in states with the highest teenage pregnancy rates following New Mexico, Mississippi, Arizona and Nevada.
We've essentially said it's OK to bring someone else into the world before we even know how to survive on our own. These people say they want someone to need them, they want to dress up the baby and they want the cute and cuddly package. What they don't realize is that this isn't like a bad grade that you can bounce back from.
We've belittled the consequences of having a baby. We point to the past and say, "Look, they got married and had kids by the time they were our age, why can't we?"
Why can't we? Because gone are the days of the stereotypical breadwinners and the rarity of higher education. We should demand more of ourselves than mediocrity and scraping by.
These shows may be a dramatized version of the lives of teenage parents, but they still incorrectly project the idea that you can have it all. After having a kid, your life doesn't go back to the state of normalcy you had before. Even those that choose to go with adoption still struggle with consequences of giving up their child. It doesn't just go away. It is a part of your life forever. MTV, please grow up before these babies do.
To complete this painting, I interviewed 100 ladies with this question: "Why did you sleep with him?"
These are just some of the characters on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" and its spin-off "Teen Mom." Gone are the stars' carefree teenage years. Instead of graduating high school, these teens are getting enrolled in Parenthood 101. But never fear, MTV is here and ready to offer them all the glamour of a being a reality TV star.
We instinctively find ourselves drawn to the ridiculous dynamics of the relationships and the predictable arguments people always seem to have with one another on reality shows like "Teen Mom." But the reality TV boom has fueled a creation of new attention seekers.
Rather than just affecting the participants' lives, they're leaving behind a generation more susceptible to repeating a cycle that is more than just unplanned pregnancy. It affects entire families as they handle the financial burdens of new babies. It's a controversial social issue that causes us to question acceptable ways to deal with the situation. Do we congratulate the mother for her lack of safe sex practices? Do we show no empathy and turn a blind eye to the situation? Do we throw her a baby shower?
Even though these shows portray the hardships of being teenage parents, these difficulties haven't deterred teens from getting pregnant. Teenagers are getting pregnant at an alarming rate--according to a 2006 report by the Guttmacher Institute, teen pregnancies are on the rise again. Texas ranks No. 5 in states with the highest teenage pregnancy rates following New Mexico, Mississippi, Arizona and Nevada.
We've essentially said it's OK to bring someone else into the world before we even know how to survive on our own. These people say they want someone to need them, they want to dress up the baby and they want the cute and cuddly package. What they don't realize is that this isn't like a bad grade that you can bounce back from.
We've belittled the consequences of having a baby. We point to the past and say, "Look, they got married and had kids by the time they were our age, why can't we?"
Why can't we? Because gone are the days of the stereotypical breadwinners and the rarity of higher education. We should demand more of ourselves than mediocrity and scraping by.
These shows may be a dramatized version of the lives of teenage parents, but they still incorrectly project the idea that you can have it all. After having a kid, your life doesn't go back to the state of normalcy you had before. Even those that choose to go with adoption still struggle with consequences of giving up their child. It doesn't just go away. It is a part of your life forever. MTV, please grow up before these babies do.
To complete this painting, I interviewed 100 ladies with this question: "Why did you sleep with him?"
Joni is mentored by award-winning fine artist Moises Camacho.
Moises was a star at the National School of Paint and Sculpture in Mexico. He was also a prestigious leader at the Art Department of National University of Mexico, also known as UNAM. In recent years, Moises has won apprenticeships to art colleges worldwide, including the Vermont Studio Center. He also holds a masters in philosophy.
Moises' art is a legacy of pain and love. His landscapes create anachronistic images. His skies are storms with perfect combinations of light and shades. Many of his works feature philisophical principles and symbols.
Moises' art is a legacy of pain and love. His landscapes create anachronistic images. His skies are storms with perfect combinations of light and shades. Many of his works feature philisophical principles and symbols.