Raasin in the Sun, poder, & mural arts Philadelphia
This is one of our biggest collaborations yet — working with Raasin in the Sun, PODER, and Mural Arts Philidelphia, we made a giant glass tile stepping stone mosaic, laying 33,800 tiles across 100 stepping stones.
The mosaic depicts Susana Almanza, a living legend when it comes to environmental activism. As an Austin-based community organizer, activist, and co-founder and executive director of PODER, she has protected her east Austin neighborhood from hazardous industrial developments and has encouraged her neighbors to speak out about environmental justice.
She has also worked to fix the city’s segregationist zoning, which allows those chemical-polluting plants like the Holly Power Plant and Tank Farms to be located in her residential neighborhood. Almanza and PODER have also sought to protect east Austin from the negative and disproportionate effects of gentrification on communities of color.
Photo and video by Tony Moreno @darkmode.photo
About Raasin in the Sun Founded by Raasin Mcintosh, Raisin in the Sun’s mission is to inspire, unite, and restore communities through a vide variety of cultural arts & environmental initiatives.
About PODER PODER (People Organized in Defense of Earth and Her Resources) is a women led, people of color grassroots social justice organization formed in 1991 to increase the participation of residents of East Austin in decisions related to the economic development and environmental protection of our communities.
About Mural Arts Philidephia For over 35 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative process rooted in mural-making to create art that transforms public spaces and individual lives. They create 50–100 public art projects each year, yielding unique, project-based learning opportunities for thousands of youth and adults.
Process
Photos by Leta K @letakphotography
