Americaña
Americaña is, in a sense, a self-defining word. Without a formal definition, this invented term operates as a broader cultural metaphor to explore.
This is an ongoing series of collaborative projects and conversations to use the cultural metaphor of this invented word to understand the complexities of identifying Latina/o/x traditions, knowledge, politics, history, geography, artifacts, and ephemera. Using text and language, these projects confront the anglo-centered way that we archive and describe cultural artifacts within the United States of America.
Current collaborators include: Carissa Samaniego and Trent Segura
PROJECT DETAILS FOR FEATURED IMAGES:
(top to bottom)
Untitled (Americañ/na)
Concept rendering for neon sign
Magia y Ciencia
Sketch for skytyping project proposal
Prairie Wolf
An ongoing project to reclaim the coyote as a symbol of having mixed identity
Me gusta Americaña y Americaña gusta de Mí
A decade ago, M12 Studio (www.m12studio.org) designed a humorous tribute to the famous work by Joseph Beuys: I Like America and America Likes Me. Commissioned for a Spanish edition design, our version is not a direct translation of M12's cult-favorite t-shirt, but a way to use invented language to broaden the ever-evolving concept of what we identify as 'American.'