By Anna Daniels
San Diego Free Press contributors are a diverse and talented group of individuals. It will be a busy weekend for three of them with the unveiling of Jim Bliesner‘s sculpture Cultural Fusion, Casa Familiar’s Abrazo Award for Barbara Zaragoza and An Evening of Provocative Poetry with Jeeni Criscenzo. These events follow upon last week’s screening of SDFP video- journalist Horacio Jones‘ short film “Wingin’ It” at the 48 Hour Film Project in San Diego.
Jim Bliesner
Cultural Fusion by Jim Bliesner. (Photo: R. Kacmar)
What: Unveiling of Sculpture Cultural Fusion
Where: La Maestra Health Center, 4060 Fairmount Avenue, City Heights
When: Friday, August 21, 11:30 am
RSVP: Avital Aboody 619-961-1080; aaboody@cityheightscdc.org
Click for larger image
Jim Bliesner is the Director of the Center for Urban Economics and Design at UCSD, a lecturer in Urban Studies at UCSD, resident of City Heights and long time activist there and an urban artist in sculpture and painting. Jim’s contributions to SDFP, not surprisingly to those of us who know him, draw upon all of those endeavors.
Jim provides an intellectual framing for the impacts of urban policies and economic inequity on poor, demographically diverse communities–City Heights in particular. He also provides insight into the way these same communities can mitigate those effects, as in one of his most popular articles I-15 in City Heights: How a Freeway that Divided the Community Became an Urban Monument to Citizen Activism or assert a more pro-active and alternative vision as in Urban Design for Climate Change- The Third Way.
Art has consistently been the manner in which Jim synthesizes the intellectual and the ceaseless pursuit of justice with the truth, beauty and meaning that he finds in the streets, among the people. He has visited the streets and countrysides of China, Greece, Kenya and Mexico; talked to people, listened, looked–and painted, drawn or executed works in block prints.
Protests Athens Greece, 2012 from Crowds of Summer- 2012
His artwork has appeared unexpectedly and sometimes surreptitiously in public spaces, aka Free Art Gallery. They are adhered to overlooked, neglected walls and presented to an audience of people passing by on foot. Ephemeral works, they are subject to the vagaries of weather, municipal cleansings and street critics. Jim has documented his public art installations in his two books “Clouds of Summer-2011” and “Crowds of Summer- 2012”.
From Clouds of Summer-2011
Jim’s City Heights neighborhood has been a source of inspiration and a canvas for his artistic expression. In the 90s, he wrapped the entire fence of the City Heights Community Garden with a red, white and blue plywood ribbon and bow. Jim has provided sculptural pieces for the Azalea Park Water Conservation/Sculpture Garden.
It is fitting that the unveiling of Cultural Fusion is co-sponsored by the City Heights Community Development Corporation. Jim was one of its founding members in the late 80s. La Maestra, the other co-sponsor as well as the site of the sculpture, will provide entertainment and refreshments. District 9 Councilmember Emerald will be one of the speakers.
Barbara Zaragoza
What: Award Recipient, Casa Familiar Abrazo Award Gala
Where: Hilton San Diego Bayfront
When: Friday August 21, 5-10 pm
Ticket information
Last year, SDFP singled out Barbara Zaragoza as one of the people who made San Diego a better place in 2014. We described her web site Southbay Compass as an antidote to bland booster-ism and applauded her for the well researched, in-depth and nuanced articles found there. Barbara provides superb writing about under-reported areas in South Bay. Her recently published book San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley captures what it has meant to live in that small border community back to the 1800’s.
Her articles are popular with SDFP readers. They cover subjects as diverse as Andrea Skorpea of Casa Familiar, border markers, the Chinese in Mexicali and lowriders in National City. Barbara consistently conveys a mixture of good will, curiosity and intelligence in her clear beautiful prose.
Jeeni Criscenzo
What: When the Purple Arrives-again! An Evening of Provocative Poetry
Where: The Grass Roots Oasis, 3130 Moore St., San Diego 92110
When: Saturday, August 22 7:30 pm
RSVP jeenicdr@gmail.com
Jeeni’s poetry reading, SDFP Birthday Bash. Photo: Horacio Jones
Jeeni Criscenzo founded Amikas, a non-profit that works to house homeless women and children, particularly veteran women. She was one of the founders of Women Occupy San Diego and remains active in supporting many liberal causes, locally and nationally. In 2006 she was the Democratic candidate for the 49th Congressional District, running against Darrell Issa. She is an avid gardener, relentless feminist, performance poet and proud grandmother.
Jeeni is one of SDFP‘s newest contributors. She writes the weekly column My Niche. Her columns cover a broad range of topics that include the frustrations of signing up for Medi-Cal, unexpected termite swarms and politics. Jeeni effortlessly moves back and forth between prose and poetry in her columns.
During a recent conversation she noted how gratifying it is to read and perform poetry before an audience. I asked her about the all too common perception that while there are poets and poetry, poets who are women are still too often treated as a sub-class, not quite the real deal. Jeeni’s response was quick. “Women are angry.” She emphasized that women write about economic and racial and environmental justice and they often do so from the unique perspective of mothers and grandmothers who have a deeply personal stake in the future. That is as real deal as it gets.
The evening of poetry will include guest performances by local women poets.
Anna Daniels
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Thanks, Anna! I feel so honored to be among such great writers! Love going out to Freeps. :)
Congratulations to all. I am looking forward to City Heights’ Father Bliesner’s sculpture installation this Friday, on Fairmount, just North of University Avenue.
Thank you, Anna! Great coverage of local heroes!
Here’s a “City Beat” article, “A colorful kickoff of the Fairmount Corridor Arts Concept: City Heights sculpture is the start of something big,”
While City Beat generally covered “a” piece of Jim Bliesner kicking-off new/continuing beginnings for City Heights, your coverage historically ties Jim’s contributions, not only to City Heights but to his commitment and conviction to keep our local and international voices alive.
Jim’s most recent sculpture, Cultural Fusion, well-represents the people of City Heights. Just, notice the multi-cultural designs on the art piece, not to mention colors!
Anna, your keen insight and John Stump’s comments most fittingly pay tribute to Jim Bliesner, the person: eternal visionary advocate of local and international social/economic justice.
I can hardly wait to see more art within our inner city streets. Thank you, Jim Bliesner. Keep the vision alive!
Anna, your piece hit home. It took me back to the late’70’s & early ’80’s when I lived on Menlo and City Heights was called East San Diego. Back then, Jim Bliesner, Lori Chan, a few others and I were planning for the future of our ESD neighborhoods (at Lori Chan’s home). By keeping history alive, Anna, you give us a piece of reality and hope for the future.
!Gracias!
Thanks for teh piece Anna and as always John and Remi. This is a fun piece and hopefully leads to others on fairmount. This is one sculpture but the evolution of art on Fairmount Ave is the long term installation. We’ll see how it goes but at least for the time being there is a nice thing for the folks going into the clinic to feel good. Plus, wait till you see the amazing work that Chris Ewald is doing with the children of clients at the clinic. he has transformed 3 or 4 old buildings owned by La Maestra on fairmount into dance, music, art studios that are daily filled with kids doing art. Then there is AJA just across teh street that has been teaching kids how to self actualize through their camera lenses. Then there are the micro entrepreneurs at La Maestra cooking all manner of exotic food, some of which will be available at the opening.
San Diego Free Press is the soapbox progressive writers have needed here in San Diego, especially as our printed media and radio have been commandeered and trampled. I’ve enjoyed watching your stable of amazing journalists grow, both in numbers and caliber and I’m honored as all hell to be a part of it!
Thanks for the plug for our show tomorrow night. I have performing with me Sylvia Cameron Telafaro, Savina Martin and Linda Read. The venue, Grass Roots Oasis in Old Town, is the culmination of a dream Martha Sullivan has had for a long time – a place for progressives and artists to meet and perform. The acoustics are great and the energy is alive. So my goal is to make this a regular event where I can introduce women poets to our community and give them the “air time” they deserve, while sharing my latest work. See you Saturday!