Wanda's Picks Radio: International Women's Day

Jennifer Phang, director

Today we speak to Jennifer Phang about her futuristic thriller, Advantageous, which is screening with Mekong Hotel as a part of CAAM Festival Sat., March 16, 4 p.m. at PFA and Sun., Mar. 17, at 2:10 p.m. at New People. See http://futurestates.tv/episodes/advantageous

In the film, Gwen is the spokesperson for a radical technology allowing people to overcome their natural disadvantages and begin life anew. But when her job and family are in crisis, will she undergo the procedure herself? Phang's presents an interesting premise. What will a mother sacrifice for her daughter’s future?

Advantageous is an amazing playing out of the patriarchal system—and the look, a woman's look, "more universal" which means ethnic erasure. A true melting pot with benefits for the most visually assimilated. Gwen, a single mom, with school fees to pay, is suddenly too old to advance in her company and too Asian looking for that universal face. Visit caamedia.org

Stephen Vittoria, director of Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu Jamal, opens at the New Parkway today (3/8-14/2013) with screenings at 4 and 7:30 p.m. Visit thenewparkway.com

Mumia Abu Jamal and Stephen Vittoria

At the end of the interview we play a commentary from Prison Radio. Recorded March 5, 2013, Mumia Abu Jamal salutes and remembers deceased President Hugo Chavez. Visit http://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/mumia/hugo-chavez-presente-211-mumia-abu-jamal

We have a chance interview with Rachel West from "Global Women Strike" who tells about "The RISE out of Poverty Act" reintroduced last month by Congresswoman Gwen Moore (Wisconsin). There is an International Women's Day event planned in LA to stop the construction of a new women's prison. For other activities worldwide. Visit http://www.globalwomenstrike.net/
 
Emory Douglas, Revolutionary Artist and former Min. of Culture for the Black Panther Party speaks about his travels and work, women and civil action. He is giving an artist talk at the Harvey Milk Photo Center, 50 Dubose Street, in San Francisco, Sat., March 9, 2013, 1-4 p.m. (415) 554-9522. Visit http://harveymilkphotocenter.org/ (upcoming lecture) and http://www.emorydouglasart.com/ (for skateboards), and http://www.moca.org/emorydouglas/ (posters and art) and http://www.aiga.org/design-journeys-emory-douglas/ (article)

http://www.aiga.org/design-journeys-emory-douglas/

Music: Judith Sephuma; Meklit Hadero; Archie Shepp; Chinakara's Tanzania.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks/2013/03/08/wandas-picks-radio-show

Bios:

Stephen Vittoria
Writer, director, and producer of the acclaimed new documentary "Mumia: Long Distance Revolutionary" Stephen Vittoria has been producing films for more than 30 years. His Los Angeles-based production company, Street Legal Cinema focuses on social and political documentaries that offer an alternative to usual mainstream fare. Stephen's last film was "One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern" and he's co-produced documentaries with Academy Award winner Alex Gibney, including "Gonzo: The Life & Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson."

 
Emory Douglas
Emory Douglas was born May 24th, 1943 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has been a resident of the San Francisco, California, Bay Area since 1951. Douglas attended City College of San Francisco where he majored in commercial art. He was politically involved as Revolutionary Artist and then Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, from February 1967 until the early 1980’s.

Douglas’s art and design concepts were always seen on the front and back pages of the Black Panther Newspaper, reflecting the politics of the Black Panther Party and the concerns of the community.

Offering a retrospective look at artwork created in the Black Panther Party, Douglas’s work has been displayed at the 2008 Biennale of Sydney, in Sydney, Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, California, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the African American Art & Cultural Complex, both in San Francisco, California, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, California, Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas.

His work has also appeared in the 2008 June/July volume of Art in America, PRINT Magazine, American Legacy Magazine and the American Institute of Public Arts.

Published In 2007, Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas provides a comprehensive collection of Douglas’s work.

Douglas’s exhibits include the Arts & Culture Conference of the Black Panther Party, October 17-18, 2008, in Atlanta, GA, and a major retrospective exhibit of past and present work at Urbis in Manchester, England, which ran from October 30, 2008 – April 19, 2009. Douglas had another major retrospective exhibit open in New York, July 21, 2009 at the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Thereafter Douglas did a forty day art in residence at the Elam International School of fine Arts, in Auckland New Zealand (Aotearoa), with a retrospective exhibitions of his artwork at the Gus Fisher Gallery. The exhibit traveled to Brisbane Australia for eight days for an art lecture and exhibit at Milani Art Gallery.

In 2010 Douglas invited to Beirut Lebanon Art Center, to give an artist presentation and a 3 day artist
workshop
.
In September 2010ouglas exhibited and led master classes at MAMA (Showroom MAMA), in Rotterdam, The
Netherlands.

In 2011, January/February, Douglas collaborated with Aboriginal artist Richard Bell in Australia at Campbelltown Arts Centre in Campbelltown and Brisbane, Australia.

In March 2011, Douglas was invited to ZDB Gallery (associao ze dos bois), in Lisbon Portugal participated in program “All Power To The People,” which highlighted Douglas’s past works.

Douglas is highlighted on the March 2011 cover of JUSTAPOZ, Art & Culture magazine with a 19 page art spread inside.

In August, 2011, Douglas had a solo exhibit at Lazarides, The Outsiders Gallery, in London.

In September 28, 2011, Douglas spoke at the Institute of International Visual Arts or Iniva, "Significant Voices" series in London.

In September - October, 2011, Douglas exhibited at Nottingham Contemporary in the UK and presented his work at the Jean Genet symposium at Nottingham Contemporary, where he also led an artist workshop with youth from the community.

Douglas has prints of his artwork in the National Museum of American History, Civil Rights Division exhibition in Washington DC, titled: For All The World To See, which will be a traveling exhibition 2012 through 2013.

Also in the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, in Denver Colorado is an exhibition titled: West of Center: Art and the Countercultural Experiment in America, 1965-1967

In 2012 Douglas was invited to Mar del Plata, Argentina, to participate in TriMarchi a three day graphic designers conference giving a presentation while there.

In 2012 December, Douglas invited to EDELO art space in San Christóbal de la Casa Chiapas, Mexico, for an art in residency and exhibition titled, The Encounter: Black Panthers-Zapatistas. Seven different images ofDouglas’s art were embroidered by several Mayan women collectives emphasizing Zapatista symbols and Myan decorative patterns in the embroideries.

Douglas will be going New Zealand early May 2013 to collaborate on a mural project with Rigo 23 and Maori artist Wayne Youle at the 5th Auckland Triennial Art Festival.