Quarantine Residency: Sun at Calling Up Justice
The Calling Up Justice Quarantine Residency is a unique program that offers artists free housing, a garden, a private bathroom, and guided COVID-safe activities in the Bay Area, alongside opportunities for independent exploration. Designed during the pandemic, this residency continues to provide a safe, generative environment for artists to rest, create, and connect.
Sun’s Vision
In their application, Sun expressed a desire to create art that engages with remembrance, memory-keeping, and Black madness, drawing inspiration from the diverse plant life of the Bay Area. Their proposal combined soundscape/music creation, kink exploration, and Black spirituality, using art to reclaim embodied practices and deepen connection with the land. Sun envisioned slow, free-flowing body movements, writing prompts, multisensory storytelling, and generative conversations about Black autonomy and reclaiming Black Indigeneity.
Residency Journey
Sun arrived on Saturday, May 31, 2025, eager to begin their transformative stay.
Week 1: Exploration and Connection
- June 1: Rest, unpacking, and personal reflection.
- June 2: Neighborhood tour, attending El Cerrito Pride, and sharing Indian food.
- June 3: A COVID-safe studio session where Sun learned new music programs and equipment with a local covid-safe teacher.
- June 4: Local walks, a stop at Safeway, visiting Rockin’ Robbie’s Music Store to purchase equipment for the CUJ Studio, and attending Ecokink: Plants, Pleasure, and Pain with LT Hawk.
- June 5: A day of community connection — visiting the library (buying books and CDs to support it), walking the Ohlone Greenway, enjoying the local bakery, and watching the first episodes of I Am a Virgo.
- June 6: A powerful day in Oakland — experiencing BAM House, Next Round Hub, Awakin Cafe, the Black Panther Museum, the Black Terminus AR exhibit, and Queen Hippie Gypsy, followed by restorative time at the Oakland Library and the Oakland Museum’s Free First Friday.
June 7: Independent adventures in downtown San Francisco, witnessing sea lions and walking through Chinatown.
Week 2: Artistic Deepening
- June 8: Sun purchased new microphones, attended QCC’s Black Queer Performance, while Claudia joined the Filipino Festival.
- June 9: The West Oakland Mural Project and pupusas with De La.
- June 10: Another immersive music studio session (4–10 PM) and more episodes of I Am a Virgo.
- June 11: Healing and community care with acupuncture at the Academy of Chinese Culture, the Open Development Meeting (fundraising support), car rental for upcoming excursions, and attending a Freedom Community Clinic session.
Week 3: Nature, Film, and Protest
https://www.tiktok.com/@claudiaalicklove/video/7539693883102448909
- June 12: Rest and integration.
- June 13: A day of awe at Muir Beach and the Redwoods, followed by the Queer Women of Color Film Festival at the Presidio Theater.
- June 14: Participation in the Accessible No Kings protest, music-making in the studio, and a masked trans event.
- June 15: Closing sessions in the music studio, connection with Bay Area friends, and final reflections.
Closing & Reflections
On Monday, June 16, Sun departed filled with gratitude, sharing that this was “the best time they have ever had in the Bay Area.” Throughout the residency, they created music rooted in memory, spirituality, and Black queer embodiment, while forging meaningful relationships with land, community, and self.
This residency nurtured Sun’s artistic practice and also supported their exploration of healing, connection, and creative freedom.