I have facilitated or coordinated many workshops, art builds, and art-oriented meetings over the years. Below are three hands-on, in-person events from the last year (2023-2024).
In November 2023, the Los Angeles chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a national grassroots anti-Zionist/Palestine solidarity organization, held its first action after being revived from dormancy by the urgency of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. JVP-LA's leaders identified Hollywood as an appropriate target and the intersection of Hollywood and Highland as a viable location to shut down, given the fact that the rapidly-growing membership was mostly new to organizing or participating in these kinds of actions. In response to this prompt, I designed social media graphics, wrote social media copy, and organized an art build of over 100 participants around the theme of CEASEFIRE as the HOLLYWOOD sign letters. I also did social media at and after the action, coordinating documentation, devising a posting strategy and schedule, and writing all captions. Finally, I organized a musical performance at the action by Lu Coy, by a queer Mexican, Indigenous, and Ashkenazi Jewish multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who sang in Yiddish and Ladino as we stopped traffic at the intersection.
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While I think there are many important critiques of the action, including its ultimately minimal disruption of "business as usual" relative to actions that shut down freeways and transit centers, it was successful by many metrics. The social media graphics went viral, leading to a turn out of a few thousand, including many entertainment workers and celebrities, even in cold rain. The action got extensive media coverage in the LA Times and entertainment publications. Perhaps most importantly, the action built community and new structures of organization among people largely working together for the first time.
In the future, I am focusing more on facilitating these kinds of community-building events. Please reach out to me at rachelpackerart@gmail.com if you or your organization would like to book a workshop or request help organizing an art build.
As the art lead for the action, I led a group of 5-10 other artists in the design of 10 concepts for banners and coordinated every aspect of production leading up to and on the day of the art build, from finding a location, to buying materials on a tight budget, to recruiting over 100 participants to paint. I created a collaborative and fun atmosphere at the build with music, food, and a sign-making station where people could realize additional ideas not already represented in the banners. I attribute much of the action's success on social and traditional media to the visual power of the art we made together.
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Below are social media posts I wrote and compiled that show the promotional graphics, the art build, the art in use at the action, the musical performance at the action, and the media coverage afterward.
JVP-LOS ANGELES' HOLLYWOOD ACTION
JVP-LOS ANGELES' FIRST ALL-MEMBER MEETING
In December 2023, JVP-Los Angeles held its first all-member meeting. 250+ anti-Zionist Jews and other allies to Palestinians gathered at the Islamic Center of Southern California to channel grief and rage into organization and action-planning. Those who attended left moved, connected, and plugged into teams where they could contribute to the rapidly-growing chapter.
For this meeting, I was on the programming team, helping to devise the content of the meeting and recruit speakers. During the meeting, I gave a presentation on JVP’s anti-Zionist, abolitionist, anti-racist, and anti-capitalist principles. We heard from JVP-LA members and partners who spoke to their specific relationships to Palestine solidarity, including a 17th-generation Palestinian Jerusalemite, a queer Black Jew, and an ex-Israeli who has spent years unlearning Zionism and reckoning with the violence he has witnessed and been complicit in.
I was especially proud of my arts-oriented contributions: queer Chinese Jewish musician Leng Bian played original harp songs that invited us to mourn and rise, and the trans Jewish anti-Zionist-owned Print Shop LA raised over $1,200 for e-sims for Gazans by live-screenprinting solidarity shirts.
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Below are social media graphics I wrote and compiled showing the meetings' promotional graphic (also designed by me) and photo and video from the meeting. I have also included a post of Leng Bian's performance, written by her and joint-posted by her and JVP-LA.
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EASTSIDE CAFE STENCILING WORKSHOP
In February 2024, I helped facilitate a stenciling workshop at the People's Pop Up for Palestine hosted by Eastside Cafe. This all-day event was attended by over 1,000 people of all ages and backgrounds and co-sponsored by over a dozen organizations including Latino Muslim Unity, La Raza Educators, Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine, JVP-LA, Black Lives Matter-LA, Palestinian Feminist Collective, Writers Against the War on Gaza, and more. It was a beautiful multi-community space with teach-ins, art builds, live music, and halal tacos. Attendees left feeling energized and connected, with a sense of understanding of how different communities' struggles are linked and how we can unite for Palestinian liberation.
Alongside another artist friend, I helped facilitate a stenciling workshop, where kids and elders alike could practice their street art skills by spray painting political posters using custom pre-cut stencils. Participants learned proper spray paint technique and how to layer different stencils to make a unique design. They left with a beautiful solidarity poster or two to take home with them.
