On the Cover: The Spill/El Derrame

This mural, The Spill/El Derrame, is dedicated to all life forms in the Gulf of Mexico, where the Deepwater Horizon oil spill took place on April 20, 2010. As you probably know, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon Macondo drilling platform started the largest marine oil spill in maritime history, dumping 4.2 million barrels of crude; officials subsequently released 1.8 million gallons of Corexit, a chemical dispersant used to break up the oil, into the Gulf before the well was sealed.¹ I was deeply disturbed by this event, as I spend much of my life enjoying, admiring, and being nurtured by those Gulf waters, in the small village of Telchác, Yucatán, Mexico.

Figure 1.

This painting was the study for a mural that was completed in 2017. The Spill/El Derrame, 2010, acrylic painting on canvas, 24″ × 36″. © Juana Alicia.

I feel that it is my responsibility as an artist to be an activist for social justice, human rights, and environmental health, and this piece addresses all of these issues. As we face multifaceted assaults on the environment, and on all of the elements and species that live on this precious planet, my job is to create images that work for them. I bring images that awaken, shock, challenge, and hopefully raise consciousness, to provoke thinking, discussion, and action on the part of those who "read" them on the streets of our cities, or within the walls of schools, hospitals, labor unions, and other sites of social interaction and critical thought. I also seek to bring beauty, hope, and healing to the urban environment via the mural form.

As we watch and support the present struggle of our brothers and sisters at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on the banks of the Missouri River, we feel the ongoing urgency to protect the waters of the planet and all of the species that depend on them. This mural is dedicated to those fierce Earth Protectors, and to all of the pueblos around the world that are fighting to keep the oil in the ground, and to reestablish both environmental and spiritual balance. We know that the planet is in crisis, and that the timeline for reversing the effects of rampant, unbridled exploitation of her resources is short. I appreciate the support of the Bay Area Mural Festival, La Peña Cultural Center, and the California Arts Council, community volunteers, my assistant Keena Romano, and my students from Berkeley City College, for enabling the production of this mural.

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Este mural, que lleva por título The Spill/El Derrame, honra a todas las formas de vida que existen en el Golfo de México, el sitio del derrame petrolero más grande en la historia marítima, ocurrido el 20 de abril de 2010 en el pozo petrolero Macondo de la plataforma marina Deepwater Horizon, propiedad de British Petroleum (BP). La explosión desató el derrame de 4.2 millones de barriles de petróleo. Posteriormente, y después de muchos intentos por contener el derrame, agentes gubernamentales decidieron utilizar 1.8 millones de galones de Corexit, un dispersante químico cuya función es descomponer el petróleo pero que solamente sirvió para disimular los efectos del derrame; 87 días después de la explosión, el pozo petrolero fue clausurado. Este evento me afectó profundamente ya que las aguas del Golfo se extienden hasta un pequeño poblado de la Península de Yucatán, México donde paso parte de mi vida disfrutando y apreciando estos mares que también me nutren el cuerpo y el alma.

Siento que mi responsabilidad como artista es también ser una activista por la justicia social, los derechos humanos y la preservación del medio ambiente, y esta obra responde a todos esos problemas. Conforme nos enfrentamos a múltiples ataques contra el medio ambiente, y contra todos los elementos y especies que habitan en este hermoso planeta, veo mi trabajo como un medio para crear