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Recent social mobilization against systemic racism and violence have reshaped the contours of everyday life in cities across the United States and World. These forms of protest are accompanied by acts of solidarity by artists and other cultural workers who extend the calls for justice by creating new methods of dialogue between distinctly different communities. Using mural making and performance art, these artists are building on longer historical markers of solidarity and reigniting conversations about liberation and justice. Yet, they are not permanent and are subject to erasure from urban landscapes. Join Dr. Pablo Gonzalez as he presents on a year long collaborative project to document the recent plywood murals in Downtown Oakland asks: What does it mean to produce public art in an era of permanent protest? What role do these art collectives and artivists see their murals playing in the broader struggles they aim to dialogue with? What techniques and approaches to public art do they take? How can we respond creatively to the whitewashing of protest street art?

Pablo Gonzalez is a Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. His current research is on the effects of the post 2008 Housing crisis on Latino and Black families.