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Keep on Crossin is a collaboration between conceptual artist Victor Payan and visual artist Perry Vasquez.
The first project was the creation of the Keep on Crossin
patch. The original inspiration was to imagine border crossing
as a cosmic journey and to come up with a neat little artifact that
supported that. While the patch parodies the classic NASA space
mission patches, it also an evokes cosmic force. The presence of
the sun and the moon are meant to communicate this universal aspect.
The Keep on Crossin Manifesto
argues the primacy of crossing as a unique phenomenal and existential
activity. It acknowledges a long history of artisitic and
political manifestos and declarations that value freedom, love,
compassion and humor in dealing with people.
In 2003, The Keep on Crossin Awards were established
to recognize outstanding contributions to the field of crossing.
Recipients include Guillermo Gomez-Pena, the de la Torre Brothers,
Mario Torrero, Dolores Huerta, Tommie Camarillo.
The Keep on Crossin Monito (statue) is a limited
edition sculpture created in collaboration with artisans from Tijuana.
It's a three dimensional version of the patch design. In making
this piece, we also engaged in a little bit of free trade NAFTA
style. The statue was created using plaster of paris. It's directly
inspired by the statues of American pop icons sold along the border.
The Bi-Regional Trade Organization (BRTO) BRTO
proposed the relocation of the US/Mexico border twenty-five miles
north as an overnight fix for the problem of millions of illegal
immigrants residing in the US. This project also includes a psychogeographic
map of the Tijuana/San Diego border region.
A Keep on Crossin installation is part of TRANSactions:
Contemporary Latin American and Latino Art, a traveling
exhibition assembled by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
This exhibit will tour the United States in 2007 and 2008.
Republicans in the Know Say Yes. A fullpage advertisement
was placed in Roll Call Newspaper
encouraging Republicans to heed the words of another proud Republican, Abraham Lincoln. |