Monkey Trail
Paint can lids, wire, acrylic, enamel pen, spray enamel, ink
2019
2019
The Monkey Trail is a project that began in Sacramento, California and ended in the Town of Jean LaFitte, Jefferson Parish in Louisiana in March 2019.
One thing I wanted to do while I was in residence at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans was to research the history of Filipino sailors who had escaped from the Spanish near New Orleans and established settlements at St. Malo in the 1700's and Manila Village in Bayou Barataria in the late 1800's. While both settlements were completely destroyed by hurricanes, a marker near Jean Lafitte Town Hall is dedicated to Manila Village.
On my trip I placed paint can lids, with an image of a monkey at various locations along my route. The monkey is a character I created that references a racial slur directed towards Filipino immigrants in the 1920's and 30's. Over the years this character has acquired new meaning and become an icon imbued with layers of cultural and personal history, while navigating the various spaces it occupies.
I'm interested in this journey as a metaphor; making a connection to migration (MYgration) as it relates to immigration, and the paint can lids as individuals isolated and lost in their surroundings seeking refuge or a home.
One thing I wanted to do while I was in residence at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans was to research the history of Filipino sailors who had escaped from the Spanish near New Orleans and established settlements at St. Malo in the 1700's and Manila Village in Bayou Barataria in the late 1800's. While both settlements were completely destroyed by hurricanes, a marker near Jean Lafitte Town Hall is dedicated to Manila Village.
On my trip I placed paint can lids, with an image of a monkey at various locations along my route. The monkey is a character I created that references a racial slur directed towards Filipino immigrants in the 1920's and 30's. Over the years this character has acquired new meaning and become an icon imbued with layers of cultural and personal history, while navigating the various spaces it occupies.
I'm interested in this journey as a metaphor; making a connection to migration (MYgration) as it relates to immigration, and the paint can lids as individuals isolated and lost in their surroundings seeking refuge or a home.
Locations
- Starbucks, Sacramento, CA
- Powerhouse, Kingsman, AZ
- Corner in Winslow, AZ
- Twin Arrows Trading Post, Flagstaff, AZ
- Two Guns, AZ
- Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX
- Canseco's Market, First Whole Foods outside of Texas on Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA
- Jean Lafitte Blacksmith Shop Bar, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
- Cafe du Monde, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
- Jackson Square, French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
- Joan Mitchell Center, Studio 3, New Orleans, LA
- Manila Village Marker, Jefferson Parish, Town of Jean Lafitte, LA
