Datos y Dibujos is a group of AgitArte, Papel Machete and collaborating artists creating rapid response visual artwork addressing the political moment with tools for popular education. This group of artists began creating rapid response posters after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and officially formed under the name Datos y Dibujos after the 2020 earthquakes in Puerto Rico, as a project of AgitArte’s Art & Media program.
Datos y Dibujos artists meet weekly, under the direction of AgitArte’s Visual Art Director José ‘Primo’ Hernández Díaz, to pitch ideas for new artwork, provide each other feedback on works-in-progress, and for skill-building workshops. We have continued to respond creatively to COVID-19, the fiscal control board in Puerto Rico, police violence, reproductive health and gender-based violence, and other impacts of colonialism and late stage capitalism.
As a movement organization that produces art and media by and for the people, we know that we cannot rely on mainstream media to tell the stories of oppressed people, especially those living under colonization in Puerto Rico. We have seen this especially in moments of climate and political disaster. In response to these catastrophic events, AgitArte and our collaborating artists create rapid response art that brings to light the stories of frontline folks and those most impacted by disaster, through clear and powerful imagery paired with rigorous political analysis and research. We share this artwork on our social media pages and make the imagery and text available for free download on our website. Offering these resources for free allows community groups and organizers to use our art to amplify their messages. For example, we created the campaign #DefiendeLaEducaciónPública which featured a series of portraits of public school teachers in support of La Federación de Maestras de Puerto Rico. These images were shared on social media and made into signs for street actions in support of teachers’ wages and pensions.
Datos y Dibujos artists also collaborate on longer-term projects such as the illustrated Word of the Day series for When We Fight, We Win!: The Podcast. The Word of the Day series offers concise, impactful political education that defines and illustrates an important political concept relevant to each episode, which can then also be shared outside of the podcast context.
