Barrio Logan:
By Elena Victoria Marques

This week I’ll be starting with a somber but imperative event announcement, coming Wednesday August 26, marking 11 months since the mass kidnapping of the 43 students of the Escuela Rural Normal of Ayotzinapa.

As I’m sure most people who know me already, know I am heavily involved in the lucha for justice surrounding the 43 (+2300) missing students of Ayotzinapa and all of Mexico. It is with honor I announce that we will be bringing the much awaited full length documentary surrounding the events of Ayotzinapa to the Digital Gym, August 26 at 6:00pm.

This documentary is laced with interviews and first hand accounts, takes a deep insightful look into an event that seemed to be the tipping point of the current political climate in Mexico. This is the first full length documentary, fully endorsed by the parents and students involved. San Diego is one of the first and few cities in the country to be showing the documentary. 35% of all ticket sales go to the improvement of the Escuela Normal of Ayotzinapa to improve the education and quality of life for the normalistas, and since seating is limited, I recommend buying tickets in advance at digitalgym.org/buy-tickets/.

But back to local news: The well loved space, ‘The Nest Barrio Logan’, is officially opening its doors as a coffee bar, open studio, community space and gallery on August 29th, with music, coffee, food, and a collection of art by many well known names in the neighborhood.

Jorge Mendoza, creator and owner of The Nest is looking to do many things with this multi-purpose community space, and bring primarily solo shows, to connect artists to the buyer and to show an artist’s full range of capability.

A lot of the beauty of The Nest comes from the fact that a percentage of the money made there goes back into the community with projects such as alley clean ups, murals, and beautification of the community.

Jorge Mendoza is a very multi faceted artist himself, and works in acrylic, oil, ceramic, screen printing and hand painted signs, including many that are already familiar, such as Border X, The Chain, and OG barber shop all on Logan Avenue, as well as various ice cream trucks around the neighborhood.

I’m excited to see a place like this open, a place for community to thrive and convene with music, art and conscious. In fact, I am proud to say I am working in collaboration with The Nest and Schools for Chiapas to bring in a documentary about Zapatista education and muralism this Mexican independence day, September 16, with an exhibit of art from Chiapas by Zapatistas brought by well-known organization Schools for Chiapas themselves.

And in final news for the week, I’m happy to announce I’ll be having my first solo show September 12 at Chicano Gallery. My show, entitled “Aqui Se Respira Lucha” is a collection of my new work, mostly paintings, inspired by my work in the current movement in Mexico surrounding the missing 43 students, touching many issues, with a reoccurring theme of defending indigenous land… from here in Barrio Logan San Diego and beyond.

I felt that if I was honoring revolutionaries across history and the Americas, it was only right to honor our own local revolutionary heroes and stories, most famous of all, the story of Chicano Park. In celebration and the spirit of resistance, I will also have music at the show played by Barrio household name DJ Ana Brown of Roots Factory and Radio Pulso de Barrio, a main player in the GENTE-fication of Barrio Logan since day 1. Thrilled to share my work with all of you and hope to see you there!