Hidden in Plain Site: Creative Referendums to Human Trafficking

Student Artist Exhibit, Community Gallery, Angels Gate Cultural Center
April 26 – June 25, 2015

Student artists and assistant teacher are: Christopher Alvarez, Andrew Alcaraz, Deandra Blade, Jonathon Carrillo, Jacque Culpepper, Edgar Estrella, Yasmin Garcia, Samuel Jones, Miranda Juarez, Sam Lopez, Roland Smith, Rayleen Thompson, Emily Varela, Elizabeth White, Angel Zavala and Assistant Teaching Artist, Rosanna Scimeca.

“We enslave ourselves…by what we do…or by a self image of ourselves. We’re slaves to the image we think people want us to be.”

-Edgar Estrella, AGHS student

It is estimated that on a yearly basis 700,000 people are smuggled into the United States from around the world. Many of those “trafficked” are young people. This project is inspired by the United Nations and addresses the phenomenon of human trafficking in general, and how it affects San Pedro specifically.

For this exhibit fifteen student artists from Angels Gate High School participated in an eighteen-week arts course facilitated by artist educator Jerri Allyn. They were asked to explore their personal relationships to issues corresponding with human trafficking, such as freedom and confinement, dominance and submission, or power over and power within.

What is your relationship to freedom and confinement,
dominance and submission, or power over and power within?

Click to view full size images.