Karla Diaz
Karla Diaz’s project, Borrego Unity Run/Walk: The Performance / Carrera/Caminata Por La Unidad De Borrego: El Rendimiento, is an event that celebrates the stories of the people who make up the vibrant community of Borrego Springs.
Diaz’s participatory performance is a guided 5k run/walk that will center the histories of labor and community as they relate to the unique landscape of the Anza Borrego desert. The journey from Galleta Meadows traverses land that holds Borrego’s agricultural stories, concluding at Seley Ranches, a family-owned citrus orchard focused on developing a more sustainable future for farming in the valley. You can access a self-guided version of the route in English and Spanish here. Click on the links below to hear and watch stories about the connections between people and land in Borrego Springs.
Many thanks to Esmerelda Garcia; Wade Beane; the Seley Family and the Smiley Family at Seley Ranches; Martha Diechler; and volunteers from Borrego Springs Rotary Club and Borrego Springs High School for their collaboration in this project.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Karla Diaz is a multidisciplinary artist and educator who engages in painting, social practice, and performance. By using narrative to explore identity and memory, she generates collaboration and dialogue among diverse communities. Notably, she is the co- founder of the socially engaged collective and community artist space Slanguage. Her works have been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; LAXART, Los Angeles; San Jose Museum of Art; and Institute for Contemporary Art, Boston, as well as many other institutions internationally. Her work is included in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, and she is the recipient of grants from Art Matters, New York and Tiffany Foundation, New York, among many others. Karla Diaz lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.