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Miguel Luciano's 'DREAMer Kites' (PHOTOS)

If art is about showing us new visions of what is possible in the world, Miguel Luciano'sproject allows us to envision an America in which young people, including undocumented immigrants, can soar in the sky and fly like superheroes.
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A few days before the presidential election on November 4, 2012, neither of the candidates, nor many in the national media, were discussing immigration issues or what kind of an impact the Latino vote would have on the outcome of the presidential election. On this cold, windy day, artist Miguel Luciano and a group of undocumented students gathered to fly enormous hand-built kites they had made and decorated with life-sized photos of themselves on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As each kite soared in the sky above the White House and the Washington Monument, each youth appeared to be flying or hovering in the sky among these symbols of American power and freedom.

Luciano's "DREAMer Kites" project is a part of The Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art, an exhibition curated by Raquel de Anda which is on view at the Art Museum of the Americas (the visual arts division of the Organization of the American States) and co-sponsored by the Washington Project for the Arts ("WPA"). With additional sponsorship/support from CultureStrike and United We Dream, Luciano created this project to provide an empowering experience for undocumented students and give them an opportunity to make a poetic visual statement about themselves and immigration issues.

If art is about showing us new visions of what is possible in the world, Miguel Luciano's "DREAMer Kites" project allows us to envision an America in which young people, including undocumented immigrants, can soar in the sky and fly like superheroes. Among many things, Luciano's project is about dreams -- the dream of flying and freedom, the American Dream and the need for federal passage of the highly politicized DREAM Act ("Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors" Act).

When Luciano and another group of undocumented youths flew with new "DREAMer kites" a few days ago on December 7, the story made the front cover of the Washington Post. Check out the slideshow below for images from the flying events in November and December as well as from the workshop in which the undocumented youths -- the self-proclaimed DREAMers -- built their own kites for Luciano's "DREAMer Kites" project.

Miguel Lucianos DREAMer Kites
DREAMer Kites Workshop Oct 2012 at AMA(01 of13)
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DREAMer/artist/activist Marco Saavedra is a recent graduate of Kenyon College who works with the National Youth Immigrant Alliance, largely fighting deportations. During the summer of 2012, he purposely got himself detained at Broward Transitional Center, an immigration detention center in Florida, and then wrote about the experience to share with the public. "I am religious, of the Episcopalian Faith tradition, so the pose here is one of an Orant -- a prayerful pose. What I'm saying is: 'America, I'm here, take me as you wish.' The shirt I wear adds a sense of inevitability: The Dream is Coming, PERIOD. So take me as you wish, either with hands wide open or with a clenched fist. The dream, it's coming."- DREAMer Marco Saavedra
DREAMer Kites Workshop Oct 2012 at AMA(02 of13)
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DREAMer Lizbeth making her kite during the workshop. Kite-making is a part of Puerto Rican/Caribbean traditional culture and learning how to make your own kite is a part of the community-building and exchange in the "DREAMer Kites" project. Artist Luciano has throughout his career created projects with roots in popular and traditional Puerto Rican culture which directly interact with community members in thoughtful, meaningful ways.
DREAMer Kites Flying Nov 4, 2012 (03 of13)
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Artist Luciano and group of DREAMers (undocumented youths) gather to launch "DREAMer Lizbeth" a few days before the presidential election in front of the Washington Monument and the White House.
DREAMer Kites Flying Nov 4, 2012(04 of13)
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"DREAMer Lizbeth" soars in sky above the Washington Monument. In a city full of formidable national monuments made of marble and stone, Miguel Luciano essentially presents a new type of public monument with "DREAMer Kites" -- temporary and ephemeral, but reaching for the skies and inspiring awe nonetheless.
DREAMer Kites Flying Nov 4, 2012(05 of13)
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"DREAMer" kites in flight above the White House. Where local and Federal regulations limit the height of buildings to keep them lower than the Washington Monument and prohibit the trespass of the airways above the White House, these handmade kites float over them, apparently unbound by such rules.
DREAMer Kites Flying Nov 4, 2012(06 of13)
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Those who see and experience "DREAMer Kites" witness the visual conception of their own power and seemingly unlimited potential. Using non-traditional materials and methods, Luciano helps us continue to change the way we think about public art -- just as artists like Maya Lin and Robert Smithson did in the past.
DREAMer Kites Flying Nov 4, 2012(07 of13)
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DREAMers and artist Luciano with their kites in front of the White House two days before the 2012 presidential election. Among many things, Luciano's "DREAMer Kites" project is about dreams -- the dream of flying and freedom, the American Dream and the need for federal passage of the highly politicized DREAM Act ("Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors" Act).
DREAMer Kites Flying Dec 7, 2012(08 of13)
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Hurricane Sandy coverage dominated the news when the "DREAMer" kites flew on November 4, two days before the presidential election. The "DREAMer Kites" project was happening days, months before we started hearing in the media about the Latino community's impact on the presidential/national elections and how it will influence immigration policy and legislation.
DREAMer Kites Flying Dec 7, 2012(09 of13)
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When the DREAMers flew again with an additional group of undocumented youths and their kites on December 7, a spectacular image from the event was plastered on the front cover of the Washington Post.
DREAMer Kites Flying Dec 7, 2012(10 of13)
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"DREAMer Sara" about to be launched in front of White House on December 7, 2012.
DREAMer Kites Flying Dec 7, 2012(11 of13)
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"DREAMer Sonia" flying by Washington Monument on December 7, 2012.
DREAMer Kites Workshop Oct 2012 at AMA(12 of13)
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Making his kite during the "DREAMer Kites" project workshop is DREAMer Francisco Gutierrez, a student at Georgetown University who has been involved with the New York State Youth Leadership Council, the leading organization in New York on undocumented youths issues, and United We Dream, one of the sponsors of this project. He founded the Brooklyn Immigrant Youth Coalition last year, worked with the Orange County DREAM Team in California last summer and is the current founder and president of Georgetown University's Hoyas for Immigrant Rights.
DREAMer Kites Flying Nov 4, 2012(13 of13)
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"When Miguel told us that we were free to pose as we'd like, I was nervous. I was never used to having so much freedom and normally did well following instructions. However, this time I would decide my portrayal. After a few ideas, I was still not convinced that I had chosen the "right" expression and I spoke to Raquel, the curator of the project. She asked me what I do best and would like for others to see. I immediately responded, "screaming... that's what I do a lot." I explained that I was tired of people not listening to us and that I wanted to be heard."- DREAMer Francisco Gutierrez

Note: This slideshow is an updated excerpt of "Miguel Luciano's DREAMer Kites," which appeared in Arts in a Changing America with a discussion of his art, the history of this project and quotes from many participants who were involved in making it happen.

The Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art is on view October 15, 2012 - January 13, 2013 at the Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006. Artists in the exhibition include Annie Albagli and Vadim Ogievetsky, ASCHOY Collective, Floating Lab Collective, Ghana Think Tank, Olivier Giron, Miguel Luciano, Pedro Reyes, Mark Strandquist and Lina Vargas de la Hoz.
For more information, see: wpadc.org and amaMuseum.org.

All images courtesy of the artist.

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