COME TO YOUR CENSUS, ARTISTS
September 15 - September 15,2020
A CONVERSATION ABOUT ART, DISABILITY ADVOCACY + PARTICIPATING IN THE 2020 CENSUS Online Tuesday, September 15, 1pm From Art+Action: "Join us online this Tuesday, September 15 at 1pm with Art+Action Coalition Partner Creativity Explored for Come To Your Census Artists, a conversation about art, disability advocacy, and participating in the Census—the most democratic process our country offers. The event is part of a series of civic actions inspired by the artwork included in The Good American, an exhibition featuring USA-themed art by over 20 artists with developmental disabilities. Moderated by exhibition curator Cléa Massiani, panelists include artist and CE collaborator Ana Teresa Fernández, Art+Action Founder + Artistic Director of Social Impact Amy Kisch and Executive Producer + Project Director Brittany Ficken, Executive Director of San Francisco's Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs Adrienne Pon, and Director of the San Francisco Mayor's Office on Disability Nicole Bohn. People with disabilities make up 22% of the American public, yet they traditionally have been among the most under-counted populations. Disability is not only its own category, it is also a subset found within every social, economic, and racial demographic in the United States. Census data helps direct more than $1.5 trillion a year in federal funding—including for key programs that support and protect the rights of people with disabilities. The exhibition is a celebration of the American spirit, bookended by the anniversary of 9/11 and Election Day, November 3, and reflects on the people who made our country what it is today while providing uplifting, and sometimes satirical, commentary on the 2020 election cycle. Asking "What does it mean to be a good citizen?" "Who is the we in 'We the People?'," CE is offering a series of programs and guerrilla activities with CE artists and the public spark interest in civic participation, with art as a medium to mutual understanding and inclusion. Program topics include disability rights, accessibility, the 2020 Census, voter registration, and SOMOS—an activist art-making project with Ana Teresa Fernández about immigration, identity, and self-representation. Artwork included in the exhibition will be available for sale on the CE Artsy page from September 11 to November 3, with 50% of proceeds benefiting artists directly. Artwork by Creativity Explored artists Andrew Li and Antonio Benjamin are prominent parts of Art+Action's COME TO YOUR CENSUS campaign, and can be seen on billboards, transit shelters, street-pole banners throughout the Bay Area and downloaded from Art+Action's open-sourced FREE Census Toolkit."
