Where do we go from here? | The 2024–2025 CCA@CCA theme asks, "Where do we go from here?" During a time of high conflict in the world around us, how can we come together for discussion, reflection, and growth? How can the CCA Community enact positive change? CCA@CCA maintains an ongoing partnership with For Freedoms, an artist-led organization that centers art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement, discourse, and direct action. Founded in 2016 by CCA alumnus Hank Willis Thomas in collaboration with Eric Gottesman, Michelle Woo, and Wyatt Gallery, For Freedoms works closely with a variety of artists, organizations, and institutions to expand what participation in a democracy looks like and reshape conversations about politics.

This year’s CCA@CCA theme borrows the question Where do we go from here? from For Freedoms' new book. Published in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election, For Freedoms: Where Do We Go From Here? marks one of the largest public creative collaborations in American history: a series of over 550 artist billboards created between 2016 and 2023. These billboards emphasize the For Freedoms mission to model how art can urge communities into greater participation and action and foster nuanced discourse.

• 📸 TAKE ACTION: A CCA@CCA Exhibition | Organized by the Exhibitions & Public Programming Department
• 📸 VOTEVOTEVOTECCA | Organized by Michael Wertz, Chris Treggiari, and Jaime Austin
• 📖 THEORY ACTS | Organized by Irene Cheng and James Graham
• 📸 Prop Talk: Navigating the Key Issues on California's Ballot | Organized by Natalie Pellolio
• 📸 Drag & Democracy | Organized by Pia Zaragoza
• 📸 Where do we go from here? Roundtable Discussion with The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence | Organized by Pia Zaragoza
• 📸 activism, applique, + embroidery workshop | Organized by Elisabeth Cobb Hughes

CCA Election Day Activations

• 📸 CCA Polling Location | Organized by the CCA Voting Coalition
• 📸 Speak UP! Speak OUT! First Year Students and the Art of Change | Organized by Carol Elkovich
• 📸 OH SHIT! | Organized by Jasmine Zhang
• 📸 Election Day Pop Up | Organized by the CCA Voting Coalition
• 📸 Election Watch Party | Organized by Maxwell Leung
• 📸 Get out the vote! | Organized by Isabel Samaras
• 📸 Conversations: 2024 | Organized by Kim Anno

Organized by Jaime Austin, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs

TAKE ACTION was a group exhibition highlighting work by CCA faculty and alumni working as creative citizens in their communities. Timed to coincide with the U.S. Presidential Election, the inaugural exhibition in the new Deborah and Kenneth Novack Gallery celebrated six years of CCA’s Creative Citizens in Action initiative by highlighting artists who are providing a roadmap to creative activism by creating work about the issues they care about most:

Arleene Correa Valencia
Chris Johnson and Hank Willis Thomas
Maia Kobabe
Michele Pred
Michael Wertz
Neeraj Bhatia / THE OPEN WORKSHOP
Sarah Bird
Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik

TAKE ACTION was on view at the Deborah and Kenneth Novack Gallery October 19–November 16, 2024.

View images of TAKE ACTION's opening reception →

View installation images of TAKE ACTION →

View teaching resources designed to accompany the exhibition →

Organized by Michael Wertz, Chair, Illustration; Chris Treggiari, Senior Adjunct, First Year Core Studio; and Jaime Austin, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs

CCA@CCA's National Voter Registration Day and Constitution Day festivities took place on Tuesday, September 17, 2024. Faculty members Michael Wertz and Chris Treggiari guided ~150 students through the process of screen printing voting t-shirts and posters. Daniel Ransom of the CCA Libraries set up a mobile "Art and Politics" library, and the CCA Voting Coalition staffed a bustling voter registration table. A pop-up mayoral desk designed by the Oakland Lowdown invited students to draft their first acts, if elected to office.

View images of VOTEVOTEVOTECCA! →

Organized by Irene Cheng, Chair, Graduate Architecture and James Graham, Assistant Professor, Architecture

Architectural theory has at times been taught as a strictly academic enterprise, one set in opposition to the material demands of architectural practice. This symposium, THEORY ACTS, posits instead that theory is a crucial instrument for developing an activist practice, and that the textual and discursive sides of architectural education are vital to becoming an engaged citizen (of the design disciplines and the world at large). At a moment of political intensity in the United States and globally, what are the possibilities of architectural theory in helping us reckon with our profession’s capacities and complicities? 

This symposium follows many other contemporary thinkers in positing that theory can offer a way to critically interrogate the world and develop frameworks and build coalitions for effective action as it becomes possible under different political situations.

The invited guests all teach architectural theory from an engaged, activist, democratizing perspective at their own institutions. This zoom symposium will fall somewhere between a panel and a working group, taking inspiration in pedagogical experiments here and elsewhere.

Ana María León is associate professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Her work traces how spatial practices and transnational networks of power and resistance shape the modernity and coloniality of the Americas.

Jay Cephas is assistant professor at Princeton University School of Architecture. He is an historian of architecture, landscapes, and cities conducting research that explores the relationships between labor, technology, and identity in the built environment. 

Aaron Cayer is assistant professor at CalPoly Pomona. His teaching, research, and service work focus on the history and theory of architecture firms, the profession, and political economies. He is an active member of the Architecture Lobby.

“In architectural competitions, jury prizes are often awarded based on aesthetics with little to no thought towards material and labor conditions. Theory is considered “optional,” rather than foundational. However, these speakers would all agree that theory is always being practiced, even when we are not directly aware of it. [...] Theory is the lens we use to see the world around us, and when engaged with properly, it can become a praxis for healing and repair.”

Read Dawn Lorence's review of THEORY ACTS in RRR Volume 9 →

Organized by Natalie Pellolio, Visiting Faculty, History of Art and Visual Culture

On Thursday, October 17, students in Natalie Pellolio's Art and the Machine HAAVC course hosted Prop Talk, a launch event for their 2024 Ballot Proposition Voter Guide. Written, illustrated, and designed by the students, this voter guide breaks down each proposition in clear, everyday language, making it easier to grasp the issues at hand and make informed decisions on election day.

Read the ballot guide →

View images from the Ballot Guide's launch event →

Organized by CCA@CCA Faculty Coordinator Pia Zaragoza

Honey Mahogany and special guests Afrika America and Marcel Pardo Ariza kicked off the Fall 2024 Deborah and Kenneth Novack Creative Citizens Series with a drag performance and panel discussion on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 from 7pm to 8:30pm in the Nave Presentation Space. Featuring decor by Kaeli Mcleod and music by DJ Misty.

Honey Mahogany (she/they) is a performer, small business owner, and activist who grew up in San Francisco. Honey received her Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley, and her work as an advocate, culture creator, and change maker has earned her recognition from the City of San Francisco; the State of California; Sainthood from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; and awards from numerous organizations including Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom; The GLIDE Center for Social Justice; and the Women's Foundation of California. Honey is a co-founder and served as the inaugural Executive Director of San Francisco's Transgender District, is a founding queen of Drag Story Hour, a co-owner of the Stud Bar, a singer with nu-metal group Commando. Currently, Honey works as the Director of the Office of Trans Initiatives in San Francisco, is Chair-Emerita of the San Francisco Democratic Party, and serves as a Delegate to the Democratic National Committee.

Afrika America: Host/Singer-Musical Theater Artist/Producer, Artistic/Entertainment Director and Social Justice Warrior are just some of the titles associated with this Drag Out The Vote Ambassador from San Francisco! She has helped get out the vote and raise funds for the DCCC hosting “Politics are a DRAG! in the Northern California Bay Area, Party at the Polls for DOTV, and When We All Vote.

Marcel Pardo Ariza (b. Bogotá, Colombia) (they/them) is a trans visual artist, educator and curator who explores the relationship between queer and trans kinship through constructed photographs, site-specific installations and public programming. Their work is rooted in close dialogue and collaboration with trans, non-binary and queer friends and peers, most of whom are performers, artists, educators, policymakers, and community organizers. Their practice celebrates collective care and intergenerational connection. Ariza is a studio member at Minnesota Street Project, and the co-founder of Art Handlxrs*, an organization supporting queer, BIPOC, women, trans and non-binary folks in professional arts industry support roles. They are currently a lecturer at California College of the Arts and San Francisco State University, and based in Oakland.

Organized by CCA@CCA Faculty Coordinator Pia Zaragoza

Coming Soon

Organized by CCA@CCA Student Fellow Elisabeth Cobb Hughes (Graduate Design 2025)

On Thursday, October 17, 2024, 15 students led by Graduate Design student Elisabeth Cobb Hughes came together to learn basic applique and embroidery techniques, sew "VOTE!" t-shirts, and discuss the upcoming election.

Organized by Noki Seekao, Senior Director, Campus Life, Student Affairs for the CCA Voting Coalition

CCA's Blattner Hall served as a polling location for San Francisco precinct 7002 on November 5, 2024.

Organized by Carol Elkovich, Associate Professor, First Year Core Studio Program

First Year 2D ML studios led by Professor Carol Elkovich, hosted an exhibition in the Hooper Atrium October 29–November 6, 2024. In the exhibition, First Year students visually explored and expressed personal and important issues through collective zines and collages. The exhibition also included collages made by First Year Students through an open and anonymous response. 

Participating artists included Yuelin Cheng, Thomas Song, Morty Fu, May Liu, Louis Mu, Hestia Li, Austin Tang, Vashti Zhang, Sarai Mendez Pons, Megan Wu, Mansour Abdulla Alkaabi, June Sukh-ochir, Andrew Chen , Tim Li, Rita Cheng, Lorena He, Evin Hu, Cathy Lo, Aqil Man, Aiden Zhang, Tony Zhang, Theo Cui, Prarthna Agrawal, Kaitlyn Ning, Dylan Ding, Candy Chevallier, and Andy Gui.

Organized by Jasmine Zhang, Adjunct I, First Year Core Studio

Oh Shit! is an ongoing project that provides a way for non-citizens and citizens alike to participate in American politics. People are invited to draft their own ballot propositions to screen print on toilet paper. Students joined Jasmine in the Hooper Atrium on Election Day for a live Oh Shit! screen printing session and a toilet paper giveaway. 

Organized by Steph Villanova, Assistant Director for Student Engagement, Activities, & Leadership, Student Affairs for the CCA Voting Coalition

The Student Engagement team invited students to stop by a table outside Makers Cafe on Election Day if they needed a refresher about what was on the California ballot, had questions about their voting rights, or needed help locating where the polling place was on campus. The team passed out yummy treats and bi-partisan information and resources and installed fun way-finding signage leading students to the polls. 

Organized by Maxwell Leung, Associate Professor, Critical Studies

On November 5th, CCA students were invited to Makers Cafe to watch the results of the 2024 Presidential Election. Students enrolled in Maxwell Leung's American Politics course presented their final projects, which analyzed and predicted who the seven battleground states would choose for the next President of the United States. The watch party aimed to provide an engaging space for the campus community and offer an opportunity to consider the implications of the election results for the country’s future.

Organized by Isabel Samaras, Adjunct II, Illustration

Students in Isabel Samaras' Studio 2: Concept course designed a vibrant and diverse collection of posters to speak directly to you. Each poster captures a different facet of why voting matters, offers a unique invitation to civic participation, or honors the history of voting rights. They seek to communicate the importance of participating in elections, and the vital role that each of us can play in shaping our collective future. These posters were on view in the Nave on Election day.

Students in the Studio 2: Concept course included Adrian Brawn, Amy Kerswill, August Sidebotham, Cara Juan, David Labowitch, Estelle Babus, James Nichols, Lauren Burrola, Laz Gedes, Peter Mao, Rose Dominguez, Saki Huang, Sio in Lee, Tony Tong, and Yifan Wang.

View the posters on Instagram →

Organized by Kim Anno, Professor, Critical Ethnic Studies

During election week, Kim Anno and her students presented the election issues of traditionally marginalized voices that are often kept out of the national dialogue. They sought women, folks of color, Indigenous, young people, LGBTIQ community, labor, higher education, technology, environmental justice, elected leaders, and others whose voices became a tapestry, a marker in time for the most consequential election in modern history for the United States. They asked them a set of questions, including: “What does this election mean to you in 2024?” and assembled their answers into a larger-than-life newspaper that hung in the Nave for passersby to read.

In the newspaper, Margaret Gordon of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project helps us navigate perception of West Oakland in the face of real environmental challenges for her community, Amelia Wiley of Atlanta speaks about her experience as a generation Z grappling with an intersectional reality, Justin Hall tells us the story of his comics and the LGBTQ perspective, Igor Tregub mentions his responsibility of a newly elected leader, David Howse touches on the crisis of higher education, Marlene Watson speaks about Indigenous perspectives on the election among many others.

Participating students in the Citizens, Artists, Designer, and Journalists course included Lars Bauer, Yujun Chu, Micky Fang, Lucy Harrington, Linda He, Joy Jia, Shuoning Liang Wise Liu, Yangjingy Liu, Yansong Teng, Ruihan Wang, Tristan Zhan, and Ivy Zhang.

Read a digital copy of the newspaper →