| 21 Stops : Zine In Migration |

21 Stops : ni de aquí, ni de allá : neither here nor there

A collection of 21 written works exploring migration, movement, and the “in-between”

For the last several months I have focused my work as an artist and writer on transit, migration, and the relationship between private and public, personal identity and collective identity. In order to do this, I positioned my “studio” on buses, trains, and at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, spending many, many hours working directly in, with, and alongside public space, people, and things— drawing out information, making observations, encountering stories, learning about the spaces we share… and ultimately learning an incredible amount about “us”, myself, and where we might be going together. This work continues and I am completely humbled by it everyday…

As a part of this long-term project, I am pulling together a collection of written work that reflects these themes, combining unique voices, styles, and vantage points—in order to construct a dynamic portrait of the many ways we enter a conversation about belonging, place, and community. For the first edition of this collection, the Metro Goldline will be the focus of a “zine in migration”.

The Metro Goldline train route stretches from the most Eastern end of East Los Angeles, through Boyle Heights, Downtown L.A., Chinatown, North East L.A., Pasadena, and finally into Sierra Madre. For me, this route has come to mean many things as my daily migrations to and from school and work encounter countless other daily migration stories, the likes of which weave together to create an ever changing collective narrative, composed of infinite personal histories, contrasting social realities, told through the unpredictability of people in movement.

21 writers were invited to contribute to this edition of the zine, representing the 21 stops along the Metro Goldline route. I will be appropriating the design and form of the Metro Goldline train schedule and the zines will be available in the schedule holders on Goldline trains, in both Spanish and English, camouflaged among the actual train schedules. This unexpected surprise for the traveller aligns with a commitment to distribute “art” in our everyday shared spaces: nearly invisibly, gently, and very generously… challenging the idea that “art space” is separate from our lived or public space by integrating our cultural work covertly within public structures. Through this form of publication, art becomes a gift through a generous, loving act of resistance.

This is just the beginning! The vision for this work continues as plans are made for additional editions of the zine, travelling along public transit routes throughout Los Angeles. I sincerely hope you will consider supporting this project with a donation. Your contribution will help carve out space for the telling of these important stories and the cultivation of community through cultural work.

With love and gratitude,

Kristy Lovich