Decolonial Initiative Task Force
The Decolonial Initiative Task Force proposes a civic intervention that centers Indigenous-based forms of dialogue and decision-making to address colonial landscapes. The task force was imagined by Joel Garcia (Huichol), who founded Metztli Projects in the wake of a community-powered movement to remove and deaccess the Columbus statue in Grant Park. The task force addresses the erasure of Indigenous voices in conversations around public memory across Los Angeles City/County.
With the toppling of racist and colonial statues, Garcia collaborated with the LA County Department of Arts and Culture to launch Memory and Futurity in Yaanga, a series of programs led by Tongva artists Cindi Alvitre and Mercedes Dorame to commemorate the history of Yaanga (Downtown Los Angeles).
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Joel Garcia
© Joel Garcia
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TOP LEFT: Reclaiming Yaanga Park, Los Angeles, 2020;
BOTTOM LEFT: Unmonumenting and cleansing space with the removal of the statue to Junipero Serra, Los Angeles, 2020;
RIGHT: Reclaiming Yaanga Park, Los Angeles, 2020
TOP LEFT: Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Gilbert Godoy; BOTTOM LEFT: Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Kenneth Lopez; RIGHT: Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Erick Iñiguez.
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Reclaiming Yaanga Park, Los Angeles, 2020
Courtesy of the artist
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Unmonumenting and cleansing space with the removal of the statue to Junipero Serra, Los Angeles, 2020
Courtesy of the artist. Photo by Erick Iñiguez
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