We are so happy to publish this report out from Gata’s Quarantine Residency. Listen to their reflections and watch a few videos and images Claudia captured during their adventures. This residency is focused on the health and creative wellness of the guest artists but always produces positive outcomes for the entire practice!
Gata’s Report Out
“Hey y’all, what’s up? I just got back from calling up Justice’s quarantine residency where I created this zine and I got to check out some cool places in the Bay Area. If you’re an artist who takes COVID precautions and you’re looking for a safe and supportive space to create art and rest, this quarantine residency might be a fit for you. Claudia, who hosts the residency, is a badass OG disabled non-binary femme who advocates for disability justice and mutual aid. I was sold when Claudia posted her TikTok promoting the residency, especially for folks impacted by the LA fires and of course the multiple bubble baths. I stayed in Claudia’s guest room for a week and got to do fun activities like watching The Importance of Being Earnest, visited the Muir (0:48) Woods, and the Oakland Museum. We watched movies and played a bunch of games, including Caribbean (0:54) style dominoes, spades, and a horror RPG game called Slay the Princess. Being able to catch up on rest and do fun things inspired me to create an illustrated zine of photos based off of James Baldwin’s quotes about how love has never been a popular movement. I ended my residency by going to Piedmont Springs. If you love going to the Korean spa like I do but you don’t go anymore because of your precautions, check out this way less risky spa where their hot tubs are outdoors and completely private. I highly recommend it, especially for couples and close friends. All in all, I absolutely loved my time at the quarantine residency and I can’t wait to come back again.”
Thank you to Gata for the gifts of a free tax workshop and replacing all the lightbulbs in the Bay Area Studios! Videogames played were Slay the Princess, The Evolution of Trust, and Can you Survive a Racism. We watched Miyazaki’s Kiki’s Delivery Service, Boots Riley’s Sorry to Bother You and I’m a Virgo, Agatha All Along, Ghosts, Claudia’s videos and Gata’s videos. Our conversations during and after were rich! We did some free painting with acrylics, played games, shared informational about strategic planning and fundraising, and did a lot of relaxing.
Gata (she/they) is a queer angry Afro Caribbean femme, neurodivergent baddie, intersectional feminista who still takes pandemic precautions, organizes free community events, leads in community crowdfunding efforts and advocates for disability justice.
Gata is trauma-informed, and leads with curiosity and kindness. They created the “Bureaucratic Baddie series” which was inspired from sharing best practices in navigating different bureaucratic systems to help each other meet needs instead of hoping needs get met from unsustainable systems that do not serve us.
In addition to tax workshops, she also offers workshops about:
- helping tenants learn how to sue their landlord in small claims court for security deposits (California only).
- helping self-employed folks learn the process of obtaining business licenses and DBAs for bureaucratic situations (Los Angeles only).