Monday, June 8, 2009

Jonesville works for you!



A little bit of history behind this design…In 2006 I spent two weeks in Nicaragua, just prior to the fall elections in which Daniel Ortega was re-elected president (having previously served from 1985 to 1990). I went down to oversee construction on our hotel, and to negotiate real estate tie-ins for our travel agency. One of my partners had a direct familial affiliation with President Arnoldo Alemán, one of the world’s 10 most corrupt leaders according to Transparency International.

Unlike most people who visit the area as tourists or relief workers, I stayed as a guest with some of the most influential people in the country. I had the surreal experience of spending my time with the men whose classist perspectives and racist tendencies shaped the economic and political landscape I found myself operating in. The events of that trip haunt me to this day, and prompted the immediate shift into social and community services; a self-imposed penance for my naivety as much as a desire to do good work.

The figure depicted is that of El Guerrillero sin Nombre (The Nameless Guerrilla Soldier), a monument in the capital city of Managua. It is the vessel through which I process the events of my adventure in Nicaragua. The rest of the imagery is pretty self-explanatory. Questions and comments are always welcome.

Thanks again to Shawn Patrick Rice for helping me visually articulate this process.

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