As clashes between those making a stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline and local local law enforcement escalate in North Dakota — this week with reports of police unleashing rubber bullets, pepper spray and water cannons in below-freezing temperatures — Bay Area artist Saif Azzuz and the collaborative trio Bonanza decided to rally their own community to contribute to the cause.
“We’re very far away, but we wanted to contribute something,” Bonanza member Conrad Guevara says.
On Friday, Nov. 25, the NoDAPL Emergency Sale gathers work donated by over 65 Bay Area artists — including Robin David, Will Rogan, Mitsu Okubo, Jamie Thrower and Scott Hewicker — at Oakland’s City Limits Gallery. All proceeds go to Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Standing Rock Medic and Healing Council, and the Sacred Stone Camp Legal Defense Fund.
“People can donate money directly right now,” Azzuz says, “but this is one way to bring a lot of people together and push awareness about what’s happening.”
Donated works range in price from $5 to $500, says Guevara, who’s spending his time leading up to the sale picking up pieces from artists’ studios and homes.