Juana Simona is a space dedicated to creativity and the stewardship of the land. Through the act of regenerating the land, Guzman Velasquez grows and harvests the native ecology of South Texas to continue her artistic practice.
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I seek to regenerate the land I steward in South Texas as an act of reimagination. I seek to grow and harvest native plants and trees. As I seek to re-establish the native ecology of this land, the soil needs care. In March of 2021, I welcomed home five baby chicks to help me shape our ecology.
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As my baby chicks grow, they pour nutrients into the ground and extra seeds and grain they do not eat are self-planted. Across the field, my mobile chicken tractor moves and my baby chicks, now hens, continue to plant new seeds along the way.
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In October, my five hens gave their first eggs. We anticipated the moment with stories my parents told us of growing up with hens in my grandparents' homes. Even though my parents had grown up with hens and roosters, for my generation, it was our first time taking care of chickens and eating organic eggs.
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Each part of the egg my hens have given are transformed into a resource. We gather eggs from my hens as a source of food and their egg shells are made into pigment for watercolor or paint. My paintings and drawings are forthcoming summer 2022.
At the end of 2021, my task at Juana Simona is to finish building a chicken coop for my five beautiful hens to stretch, eat and bathe in the South Texas sun.
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As I take walks among some plants and trees that have survived, I gather materials like mesquite branches and leaves to carbonize them into charcoal. My mother's garden with roses, sage and apricot flowers are gathered as well for safe keeping. In this gathering, I seek to be a responsible cultural producer using materials I ethically harvested to create pigments for artworks.
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January 15, 2022
For this conference, I am presenting ideation and practice on food sovereignty and artistic autonomy taking place at Juana Simona. As stated by the conference's mission the event is "to address food insecurity and climate change. The conference's goal is to raise awareness of those goals and demonstrate simple solutions that can be implemented right now to ensure that future generations are able to lead happy and healthy lives."
For this conference, I am presenting ideation and practice on food sovereignty and artistic autonomy taking place at Juana Simona. As stated by the conference's mission the event is "to address food insecurity and climate change. The conference's goal is to raise awareness of those goals and demonstrate simple solutions that can be implemented right now to ensure that future generations are able to lead happy and healthy lives."
