WORK 2025–now
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Library (under construction)
- IIREP (under construction)
ARCHIVE
2021–2024
- Kind Project
- Counter/Ex/Un/Edit
- Snap, Snap, Sizzle
- Hello Departures Awards
- I Exist in the Future
- Talk Series
- In Good Company
WORK 2025–now
ARCHIVE
2021–2024
4. Hello Departures Awards
As a commitment to a more diverse and equitable future of design, Hello Departures distributed $6000 grants to undergraduate and graduate design students from minoritized communities who are pursuing initiatives that build an equitable design practice.
Proposals were reviewed by Shreyas R. Krishnan (Washington University), Alan Caballero LaZare (George Mason University), Lisa Maione (Kansas City Art Institute) and Jude Agboada (Weber State University). The recipients of the Hello Departures Awards were Zee Leonard (Portland State University) and Michel Flores Tavizón (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley).
Technology and design-related fields lack the representation and consideration of BIPOC artists’ experiences in education, onboarding, and professional development. There are few opportunities for BIPOC creatives and the opportunities that do exist are often capitalistic, focusing more on increasing earning potential and exploiting oppressed peoples’ trauma for consumption than supporting creative experimentation. Existing resources for 3D modeling programs, like Blender, can be confusing and hard to grasp for beginners. Programs so often have so many features and such a dense interface that it can feel very overwhelming for someone without prior exposure and experience. The lack of BIPOC representation and joy-centered affinity spaces results in the perpetuation of white power dynamics in design and technology. Black and brown artists do not have the safety to freely express themselves and invest in their creative and professional development within these fields.
Other barriers Black and brown folks face are rooted in systemic inequity that contributes to the digital divide that makes it even more difficult to obtain the necessary equipment for 3D modeling programs and work through the learning curve of application navigation. Systemic oppression stifles BIPOC folks’ ability to build the wealth and assets to afford the costly equipment necessary for design programs without accumulating debt. Without access to equipment such as laptops with the storage, speed, and ability to use specific design software, BIPOC artists are limited to other mediums in graphic design. The financial and emotional weight of working as BIPOC creatives and professionals understandably prevents community members from learning, leading, and building within design and technology.
Learning Blender, I experienced many of the same barriers as other BIPOC creatives. In my experience learning 3D modeling, I had difficulties finding beginner-friendly resources that didn’t require prior technical knowledge such as terminology, shortcuts, and interface navigation. Often the tutorials overlook teaching basic, entry-level information for a more inclusive audience. Blender tutorials were dense, dull, and complicated. I wanted to provide a space exclusively for BIPOC creatives that would teach them the basics of Blender in a straightforward and fun way with room for exploration. These classes combine technical skills with play to focus on creative experimentation. This community-focused approach to design education centers on the needs of BIPOC creatives while fostering connections with one another. It empowers BIPOC creatives in the workshop to follow their curiosity and imagination and provides space for learning new skills in a supportive environment with a focus on play, something that many BIPOC don’t have the same access or privilege to engage with in the way white creatives are able.
In response to these issues, I wanted to create a workshop for BIPOC artists to share my passion for Blender and 3D art– a skill set that has helped me tremendously in my artistic expression. When I saw the call for proposals for the Hello Departures grant, it felt like a great opportunity to find support in making this desire a reality and allowing me the space to follow my curiosity and step into mentorship. I wanted to use the funds to create an in-person workshop experience that included a community-building component, up-to-date equipment available for use, and an opportunity to develop new skills in 3D design.
It was important to me that workshops be in-person. One of the downfalls of learning strictly from online tutorials is the high variance in quality and level of detail given about what's happening on the screen. Many assume a baseline level of familiarity with the program that causes extra confusion to newcomers. When learning in person, it becomes easier to turn moments of frustration into opportunities for connection and understanding among participants while also making it possible to receive immediate help in real-time. I also decided to keep the size of each workshop limited to six people to provide extra support to participants when they were stuck on something and also to feel more comfortable troubleshooting as a group.
I planned all workshops to begin with a shared meal for all attendees. For both the beginner and intermediate workshops, I wanted to make attendees feel comfortable, safe, and empowered to connect as BIPOC individuals and designers. The first hour of each workshop would be spent sharing a meal to integrate an organic icebreaker, making sure some physical needs were met before the workshop, and creating a shared sense of connection within the group. Fostering fun,
trust, and understanding amongst the group would hopefully contribute to more interactive learning once we got to the technical component of the workshop.
I created lesson plans for two different blender workshops. One of these workshops was designed for beginners new to the program, and the second workshop was designed as an intermediate-level follow-up for both those who took the beginner workshop and those already somewhat familiar with Blender. For the beginner workshop, the goal was to strike a balance between keeping the density of information light while still giving participants enough tools for meaningful experimentation within the program. I also wanted to incorporate something physical into the workshop as a more familiar way to transition into learning new software. Based on the program’s functionality and use of shapes, I decided to use Play-Doh to conceptualize modeling in Blender tangibly. I intended to create a moment of fun and a shared limitation, and it seemed like a great way to spur some creative problem-solving.
Once I had the curriculum for each workshop planned, I created an Instagram post to spread the word about how interested BIPOC creatives could sign up on a first-come-first-served basis for the workshop. I was anxious that not many people would sign up and worried about having a small turnout. To my surprise the spots for all three workshops filled up on the same day I posted. I was relieved, and I could see how my experiences shaped this anxiety. I was reminded that my community is made up of BIPOC artists that I consider comrades, inspiration, and friends. Because of the overwhelming interest in the workshop that poured in over the two weeks after making the Instagram post, I decided to create a waitlist of interested people to reach out to when more opportunities to take the workshop open in the future. I added 15 individuals to the workshop waitlist after the 18 initial spots across the three workshop offerings filled up, which indicates more demand for BIPOC-centered workshops.
Transitioning into the hands-on learning portion of the workshop, I wanted to make sure folks had basic information accessible throughout the process. To help participants remember the hotkeys they’d be learning in the workshops, I created a small cheat sheet to reference as a helpful aid. This is something I can save, refine, and distribute at future workshops and events. I also purchased an Apple Macbook Air as a loaner computer for workshop participants and
computer mice to make it easier for everyone to interact with the design software and tasks the same way.
As planned, the workshop started with a shared meal from a nearby restaurant. The playful and casual tone created by socializing during mealtime established a base level of comfort among participants and carried throughout the workshop’s duration. This allowed students to express themselves in a way that isn’t possible when learning from online tutorials alone, and many participants mentioned feeling less stressed about the learning that would come after. After that, I gave a brief overview of navigating inside Blender before moving into the Play-Doh exercise. During this part of the workshop, each student was asked to create a character out of Play-Doh that they would then try to model in Blender after previewing the basic tools as a group.
From here, participants worked on their models and helped each other out as I moved around the room offering individual assistance and answering questions specific to recreating each participant's Play-Doh creations. At the end of the workshop, everybody shared their models and we reflected on what each participant liked most about the workshop and the ways they could envision incorporating 3D art into their creative practice.
Looking back on the first workshop, the newness of the experience combined with the pressure of trying to make it feel “worth it” to participants led to an overreliance on the curriculum outline. I got the sense that there was too much information packed into the workshop and noticed that there were certain sections that participants seemed to be more excited about than others. As this first workshop continued, it became easier and easier to identify and make note of the areas I wanted to improve.
Reflecting on this experience, I realized investing more time in and further developing the social aspect of the workshops would do more good trying to check off all the boxes on the curriculum I had made. I rethought my underlying reasons, which provided a stronger answer to why creating the workshops was so important. While anyone can follow along with a curriculum or
tutorial, the experience of building community through learning and play that an in-person workshop provides is something unique to my mode of teaching Blender.
I offered the beginner workshop a second time to invite more folks into 3D design and to apply what I learned from the first workshop. This time, I felt more at ease leading the group—I gave more breathing room for the group to guide what and how we learned while still considering key takeaways within the curriculum I had built.
Progressing into the intermediate workshop, I decided to have the group focus on making one complex Blender model rather than a simple form. In the interest of keeping things light, playful, and pretty, I provided the group with a prompt to create a vase with a flower in it. It incorporated the basic skills absorbed in the first workshop but integrated more complicated tools and advanced features of Blender.
During this workshop, there was a more prominent, felt experience of co-mentoring and group problem-solving. There were more opportunities to address a more complex cause-effect process within Blender, get confused or make an error, and rely on one another to problem-solve and learn. The group had a faster learning curve than I anticipated, but it felt like a more natural pace since the group was attuned to one another. Setting the tone in a community-focused way made everyone more attuned to each others’ styles, skills, and needs. This group ended up forming a Discord independent from the space I curated and the workshop I facilitated as a way to stay in touch and share resources. It was rewarding to have beginners sign up for the second workshop and see the continuation of their growth and exploration. When considering what I would like to integrate in the future, I am excited about how I can support folks in navigating design and technology, connecting beyond the workshops, and accessing more community-minded learning spaces in person and virtually.
While it was exciting to have interest in the workshops exceed the number of workshop spaces available, I also recognized the barrier of capacity and location. I decided to create a zine that synthesized the curriculum of the beginner workshop into a more digestible and distributable format.
To print the zine, I utilized risograph printing and chose Orchid ink for the color. The zine breaks up the most crucial Blender basics into categories, and the different spreads all work together to make the learning process less intimidating. For example, the language of the zine is much more casual than a lot of Blender tutorials– less emphasis is placed on the technical underpinnings of each part of the process and instead, the focus is on the conceptual frameworks that make the process of learning Blender make more sense from a designer’s/artist’s point of view. The challenge of condensing the most important parts of a four-hour workshop into a multiple-page zine further enhanced my understanding of how to make things as direct as possible, and as I think about the future of this project I feel better equipped to keep honing in my teaching ability over time.
The challenges I have faced as a Black artist and graphic designer have informed how I want to create space for other BIPOC artists and designers. I found that the lasting effects of being othered in technology and design spaces still crept up during this experience - bringing up some anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and self-criticism. Nevertheless, offering these workshops helped improve my confidence as a designer. Thanks to the wonderful workshop attendees, we created a space that centered our well-being, wants, and needs. It resulted in an accelerated absorption of material and it was rewarding to see how much community play complemented learning otherwise boring, dense material. It was rewarding to see how centering connection, play, and joy not only disrupted what we know technology spaces as but bolstered our skills and creativity. The Hello Departures grant equipped me with the necessary platform and resources to practice my leadership skills while inviting more BIPOC artists into the world of 3D design and technology. In the future, I look forward to further refining my workshop curriculums for new and returning attendees, increasing access to necessary equipment, and building a network of BIPOC mentors in design.
Zee Leonard is a Black, non-binary, and autistic artist/designer whose practice focuses on archival research, 3D modeling, world-building, and inclusive play. Growing up in a rural, low income, and predominantely White town led to an early interest in using play and technology as a platform for self-expression. Their work often takes the form of collections of like subjects (whether they be images or words), fantasy spaces, and documentary-style practices used in consideration of multiple viewpoints around a common topic. Their practice is based in the interplay of different mediums such as printmaking, web, art, character design, and game design.
In recent years, the US has witnessed an influx of asylum seekers arriving at the Southern border in search of safety. The Gateway International Bridge, located at the intersection of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico and Brownsville, Texas, is a critical Port of Entry (POE) that serves as a pivotal milestone for asylum seekers immigrating to the US via Texas. Despite the existence of multiple POEs, the Gateway International Bridge has consistently proven to be a particularly busy crossing point for migrant individuals and families seeking legal status on humanitarian grounds. In October 2020, the US Government attempted to streamline the application process by launching CBP One, a smart phone app that would theoretically allow migrants to apply for humanitarian parole prior to arriving at a POE. The reality is that CBP One, to this day, has served as an additional barrier for migrants attempting to request asylum in the US. Migrants who are able to secure an appointment, considered the “lucky ones,” present themselves for processing at a predetermined POE, and upon passing a national security and public safety check, migrants are released to the US with only legal paperwork and luggage in hand, and sometimes, that is nothing more than the clothes on their backs.
Contrary to popular narratives, most incoming migrants are driven by violence and persecution to flee their home countries. As arduous as the journey to the US-Mexico border is, legally crossing onto US soil is only the first step for those seeking to settle within its borders. In addition to the legal challenges ahead of them, migrants must navigate yet another foreign land the moment they set foot in the US. Those crossing via the Gateway International Bridge end up in Downtown Brownsville, an area that’s home to a mixture of humble shops, dilapidated buildings, and gentrified businesses. This experience of suddenly arriving to an unknown environment with little-to-no knowledge about available local resources, coupled with the fact that most of the legal documents received are in English only, often leaves migrants with many questions and a sense of anxiety.
In response, a resource booklet was created, printed, and distributed to asylum seekers in Downtown Brownsville with generous support and funding from the University of Arkansas’s Hello Departure grant. This guide aims to welcome and assist incoming migrants as they get acquainted with the country and continue traveling to their final destinations. Currently, the booklet is available in Spanish, the primary language of most arriving migrants. Most material compiled in this booklet can be found online; however, much of it is in English, and not all migrants have reliable access to electronic devices, social media, and/or internet. While local organizations do their best to provide group orientations in Spanish, it is common for arriving migrants to experience information overload, a mental state that makes it hard to process additional information particularly due to shock and the residual effects of trauma. It was therefore vital to create a tangible object migrants can keep and refer to when they need to. The intention of this booklet is to make pivotal information accessible and easy to digest.
This project was done in collaboration with Licensed Master Social Worker Martha Lucía Mercado, former Program Director at Good Neighbor Settlement House (“Good Neighbor”). Good Neighbor is a local non-profit that has provided essential services, supplies, and street outreach to low-income and unhoused community members since 1953. Good Neighbor expanded its services to include migrant services in 2018, and eventually, the Migrant Welcome Center was opened with support from the City of Brownsville. The Welcome Center is located within walking distance from the Gateway International Bridge where hundreds of migrants cross on a daily basis. The Welcome Center welcomes incoming migrants with dignity and offers humanitarian aid in the form of food, hygiene supplies, and other basic needs.
During her time at Good Neighbor, Martha was also the facilitator of the Rio Grande Valley Welcoming Committee, a coalition of migrant-serving organizations across the Rio Grande Valley and the corresponding Mexican border cities of Matamoros and Reynosa. Given her knowledge of local resources and history working with migrants, Martha’s assistance in curating the booklet’s content was paramount.
Martha and I had been following each other on social media but have spoken in person once or twice. At the end of 2022, I received a direct message from her, asking to meet along with other artist and designer friends. She invited us to visit her workplace, the Welcome Center, after closing hours to discuss a potential project. That’s when I got educated on the situation with incoming migrants, the numbers the center received on a daily basis and the struggles they face. Martha wanted to liven up the space with art and design, whether it was painting a mural, making banners, or designing posters. She talked about lack of information accessibility and mentioned her idea of designing brochures that included a map of the downtown area. This meeting happened during a busy time for everyone involved and eventually led to nothing. A month or so went by and I saw the call for proposals for the Hello Departure grant. I immediately reached out to Martha and told her I wanted to design a booklet tailored for incoming migrants. We worked on the proposal that led to the creation of this project.
This thirteen-spread guide includes descriptions of local resources, maps, and tips to navigate the city. The cover welcomes the reader to Brownsville, Texas (Figure 1). It was originally titled “Bienvenido a los Estados Unidos” (Welcome to the United States) but it was changed as the information inside is specific to Brownsville. Additionally, it helps recently arrived migrants get familiarized with the name of the town since some of them barely know or remember the name of the city. These booklets were designed and printed in black and white, for cost efficiency, on ivory colored paper to resemble the Yellow Pages. They are meant to be passed around between migrants and, therefore, long-lasting. The back cover includes a message encouraging the reader to pass the booklet along to someone else who might need it rather than discarding it (Figure 2). These guides attempt to balance illustration and typography in order to not overwhelm the reader with pages full of text. The visuals complement the written content with selected sans serif fonts for easier readability.
Figure 1 & 2. Cover and backcover.
When you open the booklet, the first spread contains a table of contents, a short description of the project, background information on Brownsville, and a small section highlighting the creators (Figure 3). On the second spread, a map of the US can be found along with a table that alphabetically lists all fifty states with their respective capital and abbreviation (Figure 4). There’s a disclaimer for Hawaii and Alaska that informs the reader that flying is required to reach these territories. This map is convenient for migrants that plan to travel as many migrants have family members, friends, or pre-arranged accommodations waiting for them in different parts of the country. The map allows them to visualize distances between states and helps make better-informed decisions when choosing to travel via airplane or bus.
Figure 3 & 4. Spread #1 & #2.
Following the US map, the guide also includes a full spread map of Brownsville’s downtown area (Figure 5), where a sizable number of asylum seekers can be found roaming after being released from US custody. A couple of the local resources are located in this zone and marked with a numbered pin. The next spread lists these resources, as well as affordable restaurant recommendations, including brief descriptions, hours of operation, and contact information (Figure 6). Some of the relevant places highlighted are the Welcome Center, Good Neighbor’s main campus, La Plaza bus station, and a plaza with multiple casas de cambio, where people can exchange currencies such as Mexican pesos to American dollars and vice versa.
Figure 5 & 6. Spread #3 & #4.
When coming in possession of American cash, migrants regularly get overwhelmed by the change of currency. Although bills are straightforward with the value’s number printed on the corners, coins are trickier to understand. The US has one, five, ten, and twenty-five cent coins, each with a respective name: penny, nickel, dime, and quarter. In some countries cents are uncommon or obsolete, therefore migrants are often confused when coming across them. A spread with labeled illustrations of American bills and coins was added to further assist the reader identify the value of the cash they encounter (Figure 7).
As mentioned earlier, a large portion of asylum seekers already have pre-arranged accommodations waiting for them, making Brownsville just a temporary stop. The guide shares handy traveling tips and information that can assist them as they plan the journey to their final destinations. For travel by air, three airports are listed, all located within the four counties making up the South Texas region also known as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). These counties include Cameron, Starr, Hidalgo, and Willacy. Website links where migrants can seek and purchase tickets are also provided, followed by a list of pros and cons to educate them on the advantages and disadvantages of flying. This spread also contains an explanation of the 3-1-1 Rule, which indicates the liquid restrictions when traveling on an airplane (Figure 8).
Figure 7 & 8. Spread #5 & #6.
For those who prefer taking a bus, the names and websites of the companies found in Brownsville’s La Plaza Terminal are listed followed by a breakdown of pros and cons (Figure 9). Critical travel recommendations and reminders are provided, such as insight on checkpoints and the necessary documentation they must carry at all times to validate their legal status. While some asylum seekers are ready to travel to their final destinations, many stay behind while they sort out their plans. Information on local resources such as the Good Neighbor, Team Brownsville, the Welcome Center, Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville, and more are included along with pictures for easier recognition (Figures 10 & 11). Most of these places are in the downtown area and pointed out on the map. Good Neighbor’s main campus offers access to hot meals and showers at certain times of the day. A breakdown of the available services and respective schedules are listed. Team Brownsville, another non-profit organization, operates the Welcome Center on weekends. Similar to Good Neighbor’s weekday services, Team Brownsville volunteers welcome asylum seekers with food, water, clothes, personal hygiene items, and basic legal information. Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville, a congregation led by Pastor Carlos Navarro, works alongside Good Neighbor and Team Brownsville to serve migrants. While their capacity at the Welcome Center is limited, the church is open for anyone that needs help with supplies or a place to stay. This practical list allows migrants to be informed of the local resources available and the organizations that provide basic services at no cost.
Figure 9 & 10. Spread #7 & #8.
Figure 11. Spread #9.
The guide also has a section on local options for ground transportation, highlighting three main ways to navigate the RGV: bus, taxi, and app-based services like Uber and Lyft. Available public transportation includes two bus lines, both of which depart from La Plaza Terminal. B-Metro has limited stops within the city of Brownsville, while Valley Metro extends to the larger RGV region. Information about fares, days of operation, and pros and cons are included followed by suggested routes that might be useful. Website links to both B-Metro and Valley Metro are provided to check out the rest of the routes, as well as QR codes for those who own a smartphone and wish to download the Ride Systems app that provides live bus tracking (Figure 12). The next spread contains information on reliable taxi services, a pros and cons list, and a general description of the dynamics for this mode of transportation as migrants are often targeted for scams. This section aims to make them knowledgeable of the process of requesting and paying for a cab. It’s important for migrants to know that payment is required per trip not per person in the car, and it is highly recommended to ask for a fare estimate first. Another option available to those with a smartphone is utilizing an rideshare app such as Uber and Lyft. QR codes for both iPhone and Android are included along with an explanation on how these apps work (Figure 13).
Figure 12 & 13. Spread #10 & #11.
On the second to last spread, miscellaneous information is provided, such as how to send money through companies like Western Union and MoneyGram and how to acquire a prepaid card for online purchases (Figure 14). It also includes a brief description of Counselors Without Borders, a local organization that offers emotional support to migrants. This guide wouldn’t be complete without incorporating a “Know Your Rights” section. Although this type of information is more widely available, this booklet emphasizes three main resources migrants should be familiar with. Lastly, a blank, lined spread was added to give asylum seekers a space to write down any notes on new and beneficial information they discover on their journey (Figure 15).
Figure 14 & 15. Spread #12 & #13.
Content for this guide was originally compiled and curated in English as the majority of information available was written in this language. Once the copy was finalized, it was translated to Spanish and laid out on Adobe InDesign. A mix of softwares was used for the illustrations; some were done on Procreate and later vectorized on Adobe Illustrator using the Image Trace tool. For the illustrations on the spread discussing American currency, Adobe Photoshop’s threshold tool was utilized to create a black and white image with a balanced contrast. These were also vectorized on Illustrator to allow the ability of resizing without pixelating. After months of working on the guide, a few samples were printed. For this project, the guides were printed by Staples. Since Brownsville has limited options for printing services, Staples is the go-to for local businesses, professionals, and students. The idea of printing through an online business was considered; however, printing locally made the process smoother and provided a quicker turnaround time. The first couple of samples were ordered with ivory colored paper of different weights (20 lbs and 110 lbs) to compare thickness. The booklet printed on 110 lbs paper was too thick to close properly; therefore, the 20 lbs paper was the best option as it made the guide lighter and easier to carry around. These samples were practical to review design concerns such as the quality of images and size of font, as well as finding spelling and grammar errors.
In the Spanish language, there’s a formal tone and an informal one. When revising for consistency in the tone, a mix of both were found. Some parts of the guide were translated using formal language since it’s seen as a form of respect. Ultimately, we opted to exclusively use informal language. This decision was made because most of the official paperwork migrants receive from Border Patrol and other governmental agencies utilize a formal tone that comes off as alienating. The informal tone was identified as a more welcoming and less dehumanizing approach since it is commonly applied among friends. This choice was in line with our goal of making asylum seekers feel welcomed and accepted. Once all necessary edits were made, an order for more than twelve hundred booklets was placed. After a quick visit to Staples to approve proofs (Figure 16), all the guides were printed and delivered within a couple of business days.
Figure 16. Proofs of final draft.
As soon as we picked up the finished guides, Martha and I planned our visit to the Welcome Center. We delivered three boxes full of booklets to volunteers from Team Brownsville and Iglesia Bautista West Brownsville (Figure 17). As incoming asylum seekers line up for services, volunteers review their paperwork, collect basic information, and hand back the documents with an envelope. Volunteers were instructed to include the guides in the envelopes (Figure 18) and asked to limit booklets to one per individual, family, or group. Since we visited on a weekend, Good Neighbor staff were not present; in response, Martha contacted them to advise them of our delivery and provide instructions for distribution. Before concluding our visit, Martha and I walked around the area to meet migrants and hand out some copies. Not even five minutes had passed when we met a woman who asked us for the name of the city. We asked what her final destination was, and she responded, “Louisiana.” After explaining we were in Brownsville, Texas, we showed her the spread with the map of the US and let her know of Louisiana’s proximity. Witnessing our guides being helpful was a full circle moment for us.
Figure 17. Martha Mercado during delivery of the guides.
Figure 18. Martha Mercado inserting a guide in an envelope given to incoming migrants.
The overall aim of this project was to show migrants that their struggles and efforts do not go unnoticed–to remind them there’s people out there rooting for them. These guides are a resource meant to help migrants facilitate travel to their long-awaited destinations within the US. This initiative could not have happened without the guidance and supervision of Martha, a passionate social worker dedicated to the cause of immigration. I would also like to thank my sister, Melissa Flores Tavizón, who showed her support by translating and revising early drafts. These guides are the end result of collaborative efforts, determination, and compassion for asylum seekers.
Michel Flores Tavizón is a Mexican artivist and graphic design that uses printmaking as well as her background in design to reflect her cultural-identity and promote collaborative activism along the Matamoros-Brownsville border. Living in a border town, issues like migration and the border wall are part of her everyday political environment where she explores these topics, the process of Americanization and sense of belonging. The phrase “ni de aquí ni de allá” (neither here nor there) as well as Gloria Anzaldua’s concept of “nepantla”, a Nehualtl word meaning existing in-between worlds, are graphically represented within her art. Flores Tavizón was invited and recently completed collaborations with organizations like Planned Parenthood South Texas and Trucha Rio Grade Valley (RGV), an independent multimedia platform dedicated to the movements and culture of the RGV. Flores Tavizón received her BFA in Art with a concentration on Graphic Design from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2021 and is currently pursuing her MFA in Design. During her undergrad, she won several student graphic design awards from organizations like the American Advertising Federation, Texas Intercollegiate Press Association and United Design Association for her client-centered design work as well as editorial work done for UTRGV’s Pulse Magazine.