The Spanish word for hummingbird is colibrí. The colibrí are an indigenous symbol for safe passing. They soar as messengers between life and death, and their hundreds of species have been found migrating across the U.S. Mexico border for thousands of years. Every year thousands of resilient humans lose their lives crossing the U.S. Mexico border. We paint this mural of hundreds of colíbri rising from the sands of the Sonoran desert to honor their spirits.

During Netroots Nation, a group of artists from the JustSeeds Artist Co-operative will paint a mural in Phoenix in support of the work done by the Colibrí Center for Human Rights, which assists families in their search for missing loved ones and brings closure to the families suffering a devastating loss. We need to raise about $2900 for the supplies to make this happen. Click here to donate today.

The following is part of a few mural mock ups for a mural collaboration with Mata Ruda, Chip Thomas, and Thea Gahr of justseeds for a project with Netroots Nation and Colibri Center for Human Rights in Phoenix, AZ.

Mockup part two of a mural collaboration with Mata Ruda, Chip Thomas, and Thea Gahr of justseeds:

Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative is a decentralized network of 30 artists committed to making print and design work that reflects a radical social, environmental, and political stance. With members working from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Justseeds operates both as a unified collaboration of similarly minded printmakers and as a loose collection of creative individuals with unique viewpoints and working methods. We believe in the transformative power of personal expression in concert with collective action. To this end, we produce collective portfolios, contribute graphics to grassroots struggles for justice, work collaboratively both in- and outside the co-op, build large sculptural installations in galleries, and wheat paste on the streets – all while offering each other daily support as allies and friends. Click here to check out some of our projects.

Founded in 1998, and originally the graphics distribution project of Josh MacPhee, Justseeds made the transformation into a worker-owned cooperative in 2007 – the original network being largely in place through past collaborations and friendships. In May 2010, Justseeds moved our distribution center from Portland to a new and larger base in Pittsburgh. We operate an online store and wholesale distribution center, as well as an active, multi-voice blog detailing current art and resistance projects around the world.

Our distribution center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is run by artist/members Bec Young and Shaun Slifer. All member work and projects get sent here, where we package and ship orders, maintain an archive of Justseeds work, and drink a fair amount of instant coffee.