Last week I had the pleasure of speaking to two artists visiting (or soon-to-be visiting) Albuquerque: Jess X. Chen and Gregg Deal.

Jess X. Chen is a multi-disciplinary artist whose mediums include video, mural work, paintings and poetry. She will be visiting the Tannex with Demian DinéYazhi as part of their joint poetry tour: Solastalgia.

Here is where I will begin to flood you with an immersive multimedia experience. Not only can you read interviews (that I got to conduct (!) *straightens tie*) in upcoming issues of the Alibi, but you can watch these artists speak out on important issues on alternately funny and cerebral platforms.

Jess X. Chen recently delivered her first TED Talk about migration as imagination. Enriched by her poetry, her talk is visceral and powerful.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with Gregg Deal, an artist from Colorado who not only premiered his first short film at last weekend's Rezilience, but threw up a mural at the Peace and Justice Center of Leonard Peltier.

Gregg works in a multitude of public art mediums--murals, performance art and more. His works are visual pieces of activism and always express his Indigenous heritage. He is an outspoken critic of the Washington Redskins racist mascot and participated in a great, biting panel for The Daily Show on the topic.

You can watch both of these artists do their things in the videos above.

You can also watch Jess X. Chen perform her poetry on Monday, May 9 (along with Demian! And a performance by the brilliant Discotays) and also get thee to the Peace and Justice Center (202 Harvard Dr. SE) to see Gregg's mural on the west facing wall. Inside, you can buy shirts with the same images, the proceeds from which will go to the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee.