Grand Central Art Center and X Artists’ Books presents Cog•nate Collective: Regionalia

Grand Central Art Center and X Artists’ Books presents
Cog•nate Collective: Regionalia

Reception: Grand Central Art Center will hold an event to celebrate the publication of Regionalia, co-hosted by X Artists’ Books on February 1, 2020, from 6-7 pm.
Regionalia is a bilingual catalogue that showcases the research projects, public interventions, and community conversations created by the Cog•nate Collective’s artist residency at GCAC. This book is the product of a multi-faceted collaboration done by students, researchers, and members in the community of Santa Ana. It explores issues of immigration, identity, and agency. Designed by Stephen Serrato of ELLA, the publication contains texts by Cog•nate Collective, Christian Zúñiga, and a dialogue between the artists and Karen Stocker. Exploring the community at ordinary sites, Cog•nate Collective was able to develop relationships with individuals and organizations to understand the issues, struggles, and achievements of the community. Regionalia offers an in-depth perspective of not only larger, institutional social issues, but also insight from individuals, giving them a voice and creating a wider, cultural dialogue.

The Social Neighborhood Art Project (SNA) was designed as an extensive approach to engage social art projects, workshops, and installations as a collaborative research project. Led by Karen Stocker, an anthropology professor at California State University, Fullerton, students in her Culture and Education course participated in the SNA project to develop an artistic intervention in a public space. One of the goals of this project was to show that community sites, such as a market or a swap meet, offers educational and cultural value that cannot be typically found in a classroom. The SNA project was an opportunity to expand and develop understandings of art in the context of social justice and politics within Santa Ana. This book is an extraordinary showcase of the culture of Santa Ana, bringing the experiences, social disparities, achievements, cultural values, and social struggles to the forefront of discussion.

X Artists’ Books, founded by Keanu Reeves, Addy Rabinovitch, and Alexandra Grant, is a small publisher of artist-centered books that highlights the values found in community, dialogue, and creativity.

Artists: Cog•nate Collective (Amy Sanchez Arteaga and Misael Diaz)
Authors: Cog•nate Collective, Christian Zúñiga, Karen Stocker, and John D. Spiak
Designer: Stephen Serrato / ELLA
Grand Central Art Center: 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92701

Article by Breanna Policar
Photo from: https://www.xartistsbooks.com/ ​