In an effort to practice social distancing, ASK has made their galleries accessible to the public online, 24/7!
This exhibition is available for viewing at our galleries at 97 Broadway in Kingston, NY from January 2-30 2021. Our galleries are open Tuesday-Saturday 1-6pm. Click on an image below to begin the slideshow.
Read about Signs for BLM in The Washington Post.
MORE THAN JUST SIGNS:
The Signs Exhibition
x Signs for BLM
“Some of the most captivating and urgent art being made in the United States right now isn’t hanging on the walls of a museum. It’s on the streets, being carried by protesters who have been marching in the name of Black Lives Matter” -Nadia Neophytou
Signs for BLM is an organization dedicated to encouraging the community to use their creative voices against 400+ years of racism and systemic oppression. The organization was founded by Eddie Navarrete and Jessica Garcilazo in the summer of 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the unjust killing of George Floyd at the hands of the police. Protests broke out all over the world. Navarrete’s vision stroke as demonstrations took place — wishing the unheard had the ability to speak through their art. Laura Navarrete and Brianna Barrett were the first to create a few signs to be distributed. The response led to what Signs for BLM is Today.
While abiding by COVID-19 safety regulations, they all began conducting weekly contactless/curbside pick up collections of hundreds of signs made by the community, through the help of social media. The signs are made by those who are unable to attend protests for a number of reasons, ie: immunocompromised, disabled, pregnant, immigration status, anxiety, etc. and are then distributed by the team to folks on the ground at protests.
This exhibition highlights activism through creativity. The Signs for BLM team has distributed an unimaginable number of signs to folks at demonstrations all over New York City. Aside from the hundreds of signs that are collected and distributed weekly, the organization gathered approximately 2,000 signs made by their growing community for distribution at the Commitment March in Washington, D.C. this past August, which marked the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” Speech.
While this experience has been a rather emotional one, it has also been incredibly empowering and necessary. The goal is for a sign to be more than a sign, but a conversation starter, a piece of artwork, a momento of the time, an accessory for change. This is not yet history. We’re still in this fight. Grab a sign, and keep on!
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