East Oakland Latina artist Favianna Rodríguez brings hope through her art
OAKLAND -- Issues facing Bay Area Latinos are front and center for artist Favianna Rodríguez, who hopes her art can bring about change for her community and other underrepresented communities.
Rodriguez saw the disparity while growing up in East Oakland.
"I grew up during the era of the war on drugs, so I saw a lot of inequality. I witnessed a lot of violence," Rodríguez said. "And I just recognized that my community was being neglected."
So she escaped through art. And she began to create. Rodríguez's art today reflects her lived experiences, including growing up in a polluted neighborhood.
"I just noticed that people in my community were sicker than in other communities," she said. "There were a lot of kids with asthma due to the pollution from the 880 freeway. There were a lot of factories in East Oakland around that time."
She creates what she wants to see. There's a lot of color, a lot of green.
"I love including trees in my work," she said.
Recently, she collaborated with the Golden State Warriors and Markham Elementary School. Trees were planted, and she created a mural based on what the students wanted to see.
"It's really a testament how we can bring together the ideas of nature and art in order to address climate justice because the most impacted by climate change are black and brown people," she said.
Another issue she highlights in her art is immigration. One of her most popular pieces is her monarch butterfly -- a symbol that signifies support for DACA recipients.
"What if we were to celebrate the beauty of immigration, that migration is a very natural thing," she said.
In the butterfly, you'll find two faces looking at each other.
"Because they love each other, and often migrants migrate because of love, whether it's love toward themselves and a desire to have a better life, or it's love toward their family members who they want to be reunited with," Rodríguez said. "Art and culture more broadly informs how we see the world, it informs how we relate to each other because the way we run our political systems are informed by the stories we tell each other as a society."
You can also find Rodríguez's art in the Presidio Tunnel Tops. As you walk, you'll find animals, symbols and color.
"My goal was to honor all the creatures who were on these lands before colonization," she said. "In this piece, I collaborated with local leaders from the Ramaytush Ohlone Tribe to imagine what a bold statement could look like, and I really like that we included what this land used to be called, which is Yelamu."
Rodríguez's art was also inspired by what Latinos hold onto and value deeply -- familia. She grew up in a Peruvian household and her father was the one who would buy Rodríguez her art supplies and her books.
"He was someone who worked really hard because he didn't have a college education," she said.
Now Rodríguez says she wants to inspire the next generation.
"We need your art. We need to hear from your experiences," she said. "And so often, stories change the world."
