Hello! It's been a while since I last sent out a Nonstndrd Process newsletter but things have been moving very rapidly both professionally and in this country. In other words, it's been hard to focus on getting a newsletter out. But to make it up to y'all, this entry is supersized because I have a LOT to cover. Let's get to it!

Los Angeles Design Festival 2025

This past Sunday (6/29/2025) I had the privilege of presenting my work at the Los Angeles Design Festival with Nommo Cultural Strategies. The subject matter was "Afrospatialism", a term coined by Tyree Boyd-Pates that describes the act of documenting Black neighborhoods in Los Angeles and aligns with my own photographic/design practice. It was also a chance to collaborate with my nephew (you thought that last name looked familiar didn't you?) and it's a blessing to work with family when the opportunity arises.

I created two illustrated collages specifically for this presentation using photography from my archive.

Published Illustration for Hyperallergic

On June 9th, I went to the Federal Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles with camera in hand to document the organic protest that was taking place. This was the week when the ICE raids began throughout the city and I knew my city would respond. This demonstration ended up being the beginning of a week of clashes with police and ICE but it's important to note that it was not like that in the beginning. I wrote about the experience for my Archival Recordings newsletter and created the "Defend Los Angeles" collage using the images I took while there.

Later in the month Hyperallergic reached out about pairing the illustration with an essay by Erika Hirugami about the art world's response to the raids and undocumented issues in general.