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If other please state below:: <br />Artist assistant / website development (domain) <br />Artist Statement: <br />Being the eldest of four, the son of immigrants, raised in a lower- working class <br />household, and struggling to articulate ideas through language, has empowered me, As <br />the first in my family to attend college, I dealt with what it meant to have to be an <br />"example ", leading me to always desire more art practice. Art has always been a means <br />of communication, allowing me to express and delve further into conceptual realms that <br />I was never able to discuss with my elders. Santa Ana created my identity because of <br />the diversity that exists and I have discovered the beauty and poignancy in my harsh <br />realities. Santa Ana has been my inspiration. I create work that has social relevance <br />and tries to continue the dialogue about how we coexist with one another. At the same <br />time, I deal with my own challenges of desire to make artwork that is current and <br />relevant. This can be seen in much of my work, such as Half -Ass Donkey, a part of <br />Cheech Marin's Chicano Art Collection. <br />Now, as a father of four hungry-for -life daughters, and as a professional in a <br />non - profit, I find myself at a crossroads because of my financial obligations as a father, <br />and husband. Economically, my family has never lacked, but I believe that this is an <br />opportunity to create art without the monetary sacrifices that usually come with <br />exercising one's right for expression. <br />Society, academia, and institutions have steered me to create a type of art that <br />has felt inorganic or conforming, often asking me to drop the paintbrush and create <br />sculpture, installations or performance -based work. While I have ventured in a variety of <br />artistic media, painting has always given me an outlet that I have felt most sincere and <br />true to who I am as an artist. This project, while it would mean much for the exploration <br />of ideas, would represent my journey as an artist, continuing to grow, explore, and <br />share my knowledge. <br />Narrative for proposed use of funds:: <br />In a Popsicle's Space will be a series of paintings in various sizes spanning 4'x6'- 6'x8' <br />oil on canvas that will deconstruct a variety of popsicles by viewing them in unfamiliar <br />places. Popsicles are iconic in many communities and they create dialogue with their <br />need to please others through what they have to offer or what they lack. <br />The funds acquired through this grant will be used to purchase the supplies and <br />materials necessary to create these paintings from construction of canvas <br />infrastructures, to hand - stretching of canvases, and the art that goes onto them. This is <br />the method I am accustomed to as it enables me to be immersed in the creative <br />process from concept to final result in addition to maintaining these larger scale <br />paintings within budget. In addition, I would like an art assistant as support on this <br />project and professional website development to support my art practice and promote <br />this grant project. No additional City of Santa Ana resources are needed in the creation <br />of this project. <br />In a Popsicle's Space is a brand new project, stemming from my years of work <br />that touches on the in- betweens of cultures that exists in bi- cultural, bi- national, and <br />