A Breath of Life to Our Seeds of Resistance is a survey of the work of master muralist and multi-disciplinary artist - Xochitl Nevel Guerrero. Marking over 50 years of work and dedication to the community, Xochitl Nevel Guerrero presents a collection of works that uplift the spiritual power of the people to nurture strength and fortitude as we walk hand in hand in our shared struggles. 

At the center of the exhibition is a new commission taking the shape of a 14ft monumental painting, anchored by a grounding floor mural in the form of a labyrinth. Additional works on display include paintings, masks, screenprints, scratchboard and watercolors that together represent work that spans over five decades. 

Xochitl Nevel Guerrero is a Chicana Artist for the people. Xochitl grew up during the revolutionary era of the 1970s Chicano Movement, influenced by the spirit of Chicanisma her work both in the community and as an artist has been rooted in decolonization, anti-imperialism, anti-war, self-determination and love for the people. As a muralist, Xochitl has painted countless murals throughout the Bay Area, creating powerful imagery that captures the strength and collective healing of the community. Many of Xochitl’s murals dot the streets of Oakland, most notably in Fruitvale at La Clinica de la Raza.  

Home is a place both familiar and magical to us. From the scent of a family meal being prepared on the stove to the laughter and songs at gatherings, the traces of our everyday lives and important life milestones echo throughout these spaces and become keepers of memories. Harnessing the powerful presence of generational stories that have been unfolding in the family home of Elena Serrano, co-founder of EastSide Arts Alliance (ESAA), Seven, Seven, Seven is a residency project by interdisciplinary artist Heesoo Kwon, organized in collaboration with Elena and her daughter Ariana Serrano on the occasion of ESAA’s 25th anniversary. 

While in residence at “Camp Magi’que”, the Serrano family’s home in Oakland, Heesoo takes on the role of a guest archivist and documentarian as she delves into their familial archives and history. The artist participates in everyday activities with Elena, Ariana, and Ola (Elena’s mother) for her research into the seven generations of family members and the legacy of ESAA, and records special moments of homelife and happenings at the cultural center with new photographs and videos. Drawing inspiration from family photos, food recipes, cookware, personal objects, and oral histories, Heesoo recounts familial histories, ancestral wisdom, and spiritual beliefs passed down to generations of women in the Serrano family. The artist also examines cross-cultural connections that link the Serrano family’s matriarchs to seven generations of her own woman ancestors from South Korea through seven thematic focuses — home, caregiving, migration, food, motherhood, community, and family. 

From Mississippi to California and from North to South Korea, parallel stories about migration and women’s roles in domestic life and community draw a throughline between the two continents. By bringing photographs, videos, and objects from both Heesoo’s family and “Camp Magi’que” into the gallery, this exhibition will bridge the respective homes in Oakland and Seoul to ESAA. Creating a gathering space for the community of East Oakland and visitors to reflect on past ancestors and to imagine ourselves as prospective ancestors for speculative futures and generations to come.

If Every Poster Was a Stone is an exhibit of Palestine posters that examine the use, responsibility, and inherent political nature of the poster. It will include pieces which challenge the false and divisive narratives of the US/western empire, posters that promote action, connection, inter-solidarity, learning over avoidance and despair, and posters which ground us in the decades of steadfast struggle of the Palestinians. There will be posters gathered from in-person protests and actions in America, online printed posters generated internationally since Oct 7th 2023, and historical posters from archives such as the Palestine Poster Project. Our title and theme is in reference to the first Intifada, and a tie-in to art and printmaking. Just as every Palestinian could pick up a stone to throw, so can every artist, designer, principled human raise their voice for Palestine and all colonized peoples.

This exhibition is a journey through time, space, and the legacies of Third World lesbian movements. It invites us to step into the continuum of history where love, struggle, and liberation coexist. Here, Third World lesbians are future-bearers, creating new paths through the visionary act of future-building and space-keeping.

Anchored in the archival treasures of the Bay Area Lesbian Archives, Sister Hold On is not a retrospective but a remix of past, present, and future. It asks: How do we locate ourselves in the ongoing fight for freedom, and what does it mean to collectively create spaces that preserve our stories, joy, and survival as lesbians of color, while remaining conscious of the ongoing dynamics of structural oppression? 

This exhibition collapses time, using historical ephemera to guide our reimagining of a world where the legacies of colonialism and dispossession no longer define our embodied existence. It is a call to action—not only to honor those who came before us, but to recognize our own roles as architects of a liberated future

Artists Malaya Tuyay and Shreya Shankar worked with the archive to create transformative works that connect the past and future of Third World lesbian movements, reigniting their energy in the present.

As you move through the space, you are encouraged to engage with these layered histories. The works are portals—collaged, painted, and constructed—to the future world lesbians have always imagined. They are speculative and grounded, rooted in place but stretching far beyond. Each element is an invitation to connect with the labor of love and liberation that shapes the present and demands our participation in building the future where we are all  free to be ourselves. This exhibit is meant to inspire a renewed commitment to the lifelong struggle against the idea that those who seek freedom from boundaries and labels are considered "other."

Here, the we—the collective—is everything. It is about the labor of creating Third Spaces where we can thrive, spaces where legacies are honored, where new narratives can be written, and where the resilience of our communities breathes life into every wall, every image, every story.

Sister Hold On is more than an exhibition; it is a practice of remembrance, a gathering place for visionaries, and a portal into the futures we are collectively creating for the total liberation of oppressed masses, grounded in a Third World lesbian approach to social complete transformation

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Rigo 23’s Intergalactic Boulevard - an Oakland Portal is a project rooted in radical solidarity among people and communities in the anti-capitalist and anti-colonial struggles. Inspired by the Zapatista concept of Intergalacticism and the Black Panther Party’s concept of Intercommunalism, this project opens an intergalactic portal at Eastside Arts Alliance that aims to connect people and movements within E14th Street, Oakland and around the world to each other -  through art, poetry and shared strategies.  


InterGalactic Boulevard - an Oakland Portal incorporates sculpture, embroidery, drawing, painting, time based movement and spoken word to create an immersive installation at East Side Arts Alliance - 2285 Gallery and in collaborating venues across a vast geographical reach. 

We are a group of Maya Mam women who are members of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), an organization that supports the personal and political transformation of immigrant women from Latin America. Starting at the beginning of 2023, we began to gather at MUA offices in Oakland to share our knowledge of weaving and undertake new weaving projects: skirts, huipiles, scarves and bags. Weaving together in this space, we shared the distinct weaving styles from the different regions where we are from. There are 33 municipalities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and the Mam language is spoken in 14 of those. There are many different variations of the Mam language, just as there are different styles of weaving. 

Three municipalities are represented in this exhibition: Chimb’al (Santiago Chimaltenango), Torasant (Todos Santos Cuchumatan) and Xjan Xwan (San Juan Atitan). We witnessed our personal accomplishments and the great power of leadership development in our community. Through this project, we continue to take charge of our own personal and community transformation to create strength and unity while living in a country that is different from our places of origin, interweaving and sharing our personal histories.