Share
Vhils and I just completed a collaborative mural titled “American Dreamers” on Mack Sennett Studios in Silver Lake, Los Angeles! My “Target Exceptions” image, in the center of the mural, addresses the challenges of both visiting and becoming a resident of the United States, for many people. As it turns out, there are various target criteria that make a person an ideal candidate to immigrate, but most people who might long to fulfill the “American Dream” are exceptions to the target qualifications, especially considering the attitudes and attempted policies of the current administration.
Resident status in the United States is hypothetically granted for four main reasons: family ties, employment, status as a refugee, and to promote diversity. In other words, it will most likely be family or business/employment connections that are the most viable route to a U.S. visa, considering that refugees and people who would expand diversity seem altogether unwelcome in the U.S. at the moment.
Vhils liked the style and sentiment of my image and added his own chiseled textures and portraits with women of different ages to symbolize the multi-generational nature of the struggles of immigrants.
Thanks to Vhils, Over the Influence, Mack Sennett Studios, and Branded Arts for the opportunity, my crew including Nic Bowers, Dan Flores, Rob Zagula, and Luka Densmore for all their help with this wall, and Jon Furlong for the photo! – Shepard
