Artists Sergio De La Torre and Chris Treggiari have been working on projects related to immigration issues, specifically looking at the Sanctuary City Ordinance, for over 15 years. They became interested in the concept of sanctuary cities after they witnessed a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the United States in 2008. This marked a dramatic federal shift from working towards comprehensive immigration reform to pursuing a policy of aggressive enforcement and criminalization.
Sanctuary City Project, which began as an art installation at the now defunct gallery Queen’s Nails Annex, re-emerged in 2017 as the Sanctuary City Print Shop at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The project has been included in several spaces in California, Texas, Seattle, and Massachusetts. The project has received grants and commissions for several foundations including the San Francisco Arts Commission, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the Vachon Gallery at Seattle University, Kala Art Institute, and For-Site Foundation.
Sergio De La Torre
Born 1967 in National City, CA and now based in San Francisco, CA, artist Sergio De La Torre documents the ways in which citizens reinvent themselves in the city they inhabit, as well as site-specific strategies they deploy to move in and out of modernity. These works have appeared in the 10th Istanbul Biennial; Bienal Barro de America Venezuela; Cleveland Performance Art Festival; Atelier Frankfurt; Centro Cultural Tijuana; YBCA; SFMOMA; TRIBECA Film Festival; and El Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia. De La Torre is an Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco Art + Architecture Department.
Chris Treggiari
Born 1978 in Concord, MA and now based in Oakland, CA, Chris Treggiari investigates how art can enter the public realm in a way that can engage people in our communities. Treggiari focuses on highlighting diverse community experiences, histories, and personal stories through participatory mobile platforms that encourage audience engagement, turning the passive viewer into an active art maker who can participate in sharing their personal voice in a community dialogue. Treggiari has shown internationally including the Venice Biennale 2012 American Pavilion as well as nationally at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Getty Museum, Berkeley Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Oakland Art Museum. Treggiari has received grants from the San Francisco and Oakland Arts Commissions, the Creative Work Fund, The Rainin Foundation, The Seattle Center Foundation, and the Zellerbach Foundation. Treggiari has taught at the California College of the Arts since 2013.
