Big new Berkeley art sale this Sunday will benefit immigrants

Richmond-based photographer Carlos Juarez holds a blown-up print of a photo he took on a recent trip to Guatemala. He will be selling his art for the first time during Sunday’s “Art Without Borders” benefit sale for immigrant communities. Courtesy: Carlos Juarez

Hundreds of local artists are turning their creativity into solidarity this Sunday, donating works for a new art sale at La Peña Cultural Center, raising money for a Berkeley nonprofit that supports immigrant families across the Bay Area.

Art Without Borders, La Peña Cultural Center, Sunday, May 31, 2-5 p.m.

Called “Art Without Borders,” the art sale will feature about 335 art pieces from around 125 artists, including award-winning creators such as Angela Luna, Juan R. Fuentes and Dobee Snowber. The work includes printmaking, photography, collage, drawings and paintings on paper, with prices ranging from $15 to $200, co-organizer Lisa Kokin said. She said many of the artworks would normally sell at much higher prices.

The idea emerged months ago, Kokin said, after a local artist donated a piece during a know-your-rights workshop at La Peña.

“Everybody wants to do something,” Kokin said. “People are upset, angry, sad, and every adjective you can use to describe all the gross violations of human rights that are happening to immigrants and people of color.”

Chicano artist Juan R. Fuentes’ linoleum cut print “Paz” is one of the works for sale at the art benefit on Sunday. Courtesy: Lisa Kokin

The art sale will benefit the Multicultural Institute, founded in 1991, which works primarily with immigrants from Mexico and Central America, including day laborers, low‑income families, and youth. It operates in Berkeley, Redwood City, and Richmond. Since President Donald Trump’s return to power, the institute has seen increased need from Bay Area families for legal aid, mutual aid funds and other forms of community support.

Executive Director Mirna Cervantes said the support from artists is especially meaningful at a time of heightened uncertainty for immigrant communities.

“Knowing that artists are willing to share their work in this way to help create a positive impact in our immigrant communities, gives me hope,” she said in a prepared statement. “Together we will continue to support immigrant rights.”

Some donated works are tributes to artists’ own family migration stories

Kokin said the featured artwork is varied, from explicit political work to still life, portraits and abstractions. “The hope is that everyone can find something they’d want to hang in their home or give as a gift,” she said.

Among the contributors is Pleasant Hill-based multimedia artist Maritza Ruiz‑Kim, who is donating “We Are Home,” a print depicting her mother at age 5 crossing the Rio Grande on a raft pushed by her grandfather.

Artist Maritza Ruiz‑Kim is donating “We Are Home,” a print depicting her mother’s journey to the United States. Courtesy: Lisa Kokin

The piece features imagery from the U.S. national anthem: the American flag and the phrases “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” The artwork, she said, is a tribute to her family’s migration story and the sacrifices made to come to the U.S., including when immigration authorities detained her mother and siblings while they were working in the fields. Her mother, then 9, was sent back to Mexico without her parents before eventually returning.

“As an artist, I have to make things,” Ruiz-Kim said. “I want to tell stories. I hope that when I share my work, it opens their hearts … gets people to be more empathetic and open their eyes about how policies affect real people.”

Richmond‑based photographer Carlos Juarez, who was born in El Salvador, is contributing a 16-by-20-inch photograph of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala. The image, taken on a recent trip with his partner, reflects his connection to Central America and his experience living between cultures in the U.S.

Artist Bushra Gill is donating her artwork “Daffodil Vase,” a Mokuhanga woodcut. Courtesy: Lisa Kokin

“Whenever I’d go back, I wasn’t Salvadoran enough, and here I’m not American enough,” he said.

He first heard about the event while tabling at La Peña for Reimagine Richmond during an immigrant rights workshop. Photography has been part of Juarez’s life since childhood, with his parents always having a camera around, and he decided to sell one of his prints for the first time for the benefit sale.

“It’s a form of expression, but it’s a form of storytelling as well,” Juarez said. “It gives exposure depending on the type of artwork; I’m putting the Latino community out there with the image I’m providing.”

His work in Richmond includes know-your-rights trainings, rapid‑response efforts, and policy advocacy. Reimagine Richmond and the Multicultural Institute, he said, helped secure $1 million in city funds for free immigrant legal consultations.

Organizers are also encouraging attendees to donate to the Multicultural Institute, which will have a table at the event alongside Friends of La Peña.

The art sale will be held Sunday, May 31, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at La Peña at 3105 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley. The event will feature live music and refreshments.

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