In the next episode of “Artistas in the Capital,” César Maxit discusses creating art for social good
By hola | Published
Maxit in front of a sculpture by artist Yayoi Kusama
(photo courtesy of Maxit)
Throughout history, social justice activists have found many ways to spread their message: organize protests, hand out fliers or more recently, post on social media and create hashtags. Artists have always found new and creative ways to tell a story containing a thousand words without saying a single one, perhaps especially about topics of social justice.
“Sometimes I identify as an artist, but really what I’m doing is I specialize in communications,” says César Maxit, an Agentinian-American street artist and activist.
Maxit was originally an architect until he left his job to pursue a different passion: activism and art. At the beginning of his career, he worked mostly on environmental justice campaigns and realized that movements were all connected in some way, which led him into different areas, such as human and immigrant rights. Maxit creates posters, murals, sculptures and organizes an artist collective to give artists a space to create and work together.
In this month’s episode of “Artistas in the Capital,” he shares his generous advice to other aspiring artist-activists.
“Be open to silly stuff. Volunteer. Get your skills up,” Maxit says.
About “Artistas in the Capital”
“Artistas in the Capital” is a monthly conversation with local artists, authors, dancers, entrepreneurs and researchers, ranging widely from the local community to the universality of art. Each episode sheds light on important topics and provides a platform for lifting up artists, writers and other D.C. Latino creatives.
The interviews were conducted by interns in Hola Cultura’s Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL). SPEL is dedicated to bringing together D.C. high school and college interns with fellows and mentors for story lab sessions and workshops that prepare them for their futures through the production of accurate digital media published on the Hola Cultura website.
— Story by Crystal Lee
— Edited by Jordan Luz
Meet our “Artistas
in the Capital”
podcast team…
Olivia Drey
Growing up in a small Midwestern town, Olivia Drey says she felt like she was living in a bubble. That is until she learned Spanish in high school.
“Spanish really opened my world, which has led to my passions today,” Drey says.
Drey is a former Hola Cultura intern, who spent two semesters on our SPEL program’s Arts and Humanities team. She is currently in her senior year at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she is double majoring in communications and Spanish studies.
Since Drey did not experience much diversity growing up, she saw Hola Cultura as a wonderful opportunity to not only expand her professional horizons but also to be able to hear from a variety of voices that she had not heard from before.
“It wasn’t about me being on the podcast,” she says, “I’m just really thankful to the artists that they gave me a space to ask questions about their story and their artistic journey. To me, it was a privilege to hear about it and be a part of it.”
In the future, Drey will continue to value diversity in her professional endeavors. Keeping her own upbringing in mind, she hopes to work with younger generations who may not often hear or learn about different perspectives.
“I feel like that’s something I know I lacked as a kid and in my childhood and in my raising,” she says, “so I want to be able to help integrate that.”
