Kira Carrillo Corser projects include: exhibitions, books,
new media, and websites
that educate and bring people together around issues
with impact for policy makers, legislators and the public good. She believes
that the core to success for her art is the board base of collaborating artists
and nonprofit organizations and others working together.
1. Why Violence is Never a Good Idea - Project In Progress - An in-progress collaborative project started by Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Kira Carrillo Corser that includes art from adults, teens, and kids in Monterey County and San Diego County. The work reflects on personal experiences and promotes nonviolent alternatives and leaders who promote problem solving through peaceful solutions. (photos, collaborators, description)
2. Mami Wata Save the Sea and the Plastic Pollution Vortex - life-size puppets, an 18-foot re-cycled plastics vortex, and audience participation, combine to teach about ocean pollution. Song and story includes an African Ocean Queen, a visiting Mexican Princess, fish, octopus, sea turtle, sea bird, plastic pollution monster and more. (sites, photos, description, partnerships)
3. Mi Vida: My Life Project - Residents in Monterey County farming communities
reflect on their life through paintings, photographs, book-making, writing, poetry
and puppetry. Co-sponsored by the James Irvine Foundation Communities Advancing
the Arts Initiative, The Community Foundation for Monterey County, the Arts Council
for Monterey County, First Night Monterey, the Monterey County Office of Education,
Artistas Unidos/Artists United, the Monterey County Free Library System, and others
(sites, photos, description, partnerships).
www.advancethearts.org
4. Marriage and Myth: Matrimonio Y Mito - a multimedia interactive
exhibition with video, installations, music, silk paintings, photographs, and
audience participation. Showings include: the National Steinbeck Center LINK,
John F. Kennedy University and the Pacific Grove Art Center. (sites, photos, description).
Online gallery: Marriage
& Myth
Article:
www.associatedcontent.com
5. A Matriot's Dream: Health Care for All - A 17-piece exhibition containing 48 photographs, stories, statistics, poems, songs, and video, a collaborative photography/poetry project with poet, Frances Payne Adler, on the Health Care Crisis in America. Entire exhibition on CSUMB website and can be accessed at: www.matriot.org
6. Welfare Reform - Book & Class: Co-taught creative writing & photography service learning class, worked collaboratively with students and faculty from California State University Monterey Bay & Monterey Peninsula College, titled "Education as Emancipation: Women on Welfare Speak Out". hcom.csumb.edu/welfare/eae/
7. When the Bough Breaks: Pregnancy and the Legacy of Addiction - Nationally traveled exhibition with twenty-three-piece exhibition (60 photographs) collaborative project on the problem of drug and alcohol use in pregnancy, with the intergenerational cycle of addiction and child abuse. Book published by NewSage Press, l993. www.newsagepress.com.
8. Visual Voices: Threat of the Dam - A 3-year-long collaborative project planned by Kira with community, Esslen Tribe members and other local leaders, artists, and children. Included: a website, large portfolio book, silk paintings, events, animal habitat loss protests, news articles, photographs, music and more. www.kiracorser.com and Women Environmental Artists Directory www.weadartists.org.
9. Pesticides are Poison - A series of Kira's photographs relating to pesticide use in agriculture. Images have been published by the Pesticide Action Network International PAN in brochures and information packages (photos) and discussed in journals and university classes, such as "Activism in Academia: A Social Action Writing Program" www.metroactive.com • www.panna.org (PDF file) • www.questia.com
10. Struggle to be Borne - A twenty-four-piece exhibition and book (published by San Diego State University Press) with poet Fran Adler depicting the crisis of thousands of pregnant poor women shut out from prenatal care. National tour was sponsored by the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation, Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies Coalition, Children?s Defense Fund, legislators and policy makers. On loan to Natividad Medical Center, Salinas, CA.
11. Who Says I Can't: The Spirit of Special Olympics - Fifteen-piece exhibition containing 52 photographs. The exhibition includes black & white and color prints framed with stories of people who are developmentally handicapped. (photos and stories)
12. Home Street Home - A twenty-four-piece exhibition and book on homelessness, with poet Frances Payne Adler, included a nationally traveled exhibition and book published by the Red Cross. Exhibit on permanent loan at the National Coalition for the Homeless, Washington DC.
13. Where is Art? Art Is Here! - ¿Dónde está el Arte? ¡El arte está aquí! - A 3 year countywide project to encourage residents and students to participate and create events and objects that point out the importance of art in everyday life. (Sites, Photos, description, partnerships)
14. Greenfield Art & Culture Center building a future with the Tom Rodger - the Arts Council for Monterey County?s Community Arts Class has been working for four years to form a permanent center in their small town. Partnerships include: Poder Popular a project of the Community Foundation for Monterey County funded by the California Endowment Foundation, the Greenfield Rotary, City leaders, and the Tom Rodgers Community Museum founders. (Sites, Photos, description) Join the Greenfield Arts and Culture Facebook Fan Page! http://www.facebook.com
15. East Salinas Community Art Class - This was one of 3 weekly community arts classes founded by Kira with Poder Popular in underserved Latino communities. It is supported by the Arts Council for Monterey County, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and CHISPA Housing and includes: puppet shows, multimedia arts, traditional arts, and more. (art class photos, plans)
16. South Monterey County Arts and Technology Center at the Center for Employment Training CET ( www.somococat.org) - on Facebook, Kira helped form the Task Force that co-founded the South Monterey County Centro de Arte y Tecnologia (SoMoCoCAT) www.somococat.org Co-founders include: the Arts Council for Monterey County, Megan Health at L3 Communications, the Monterey County Business Council?s Creative Technology Competitive Cluster, the Soledad Center for Employment Training, Poder Popular, Carla Baldassari and other teachers and community leaders.
Guiding with Courage: Personal Heroes - THIS PROJECT IS BEING RE-INVISIONED FOR A 2010 PROJECT. (photos, poems, sites, description) www.montereycountyweekly.com
18. Creative Action Plan for Monterey County - 2006 to 2020. An Action Plan for the Arts. Kira coordinated her photos, arts research content, and advisor meetings at the Community Foundation for Monterey County and worked with Paulette Lynch, the Executive Director for the Arts Council for Monterey County, 100 county arts organizations, combined with research and writing from national arts consultant, www.artsmarket.wordpress.com by Louise Stephens. Layout and design by Paul at xtremepacific.com. View pdf copy at www.cfmco.org