Mama Calizo's Voice Factory

Mama Calizo's Voice Factory examines our sense of the world and how itâs shaped by a myriad of influencesâthe cacophony of ideas and information that contribute to the ongoing reshaping of our perception of contemporary life. our programs raise several questions: whoâor whatâdo we trust and how do we know when to trust them? Is this a time to hold fast to what we think we know, or to really seek knowledge and understanding from external sources? How do we navigate among these multiple influences to achieve insights and understandings?
Dedicated to supporting the creative work of Queer People of Color, Trans People and artists living with HIV/ AIDS, MCVF is leading the charge in reshaping our contemporary Bay Area life. Furthermore, MCVFâs championing of Radical Queer Performance offers a platform for better understanding the realities and experiences of historically marginalized peoples. And isnât MCVF so very very San Francisco, a city known for its far left ideals and beautifully quirky counter culture? San Francisco is often characterized as an isolated bubble as in âthereâs San Francisco and then thereâs the rest of the world.â It would be too easy to reduce MCVF as avant-garde, offbeat and perhaps, out of touch with the âreal world.â


I argue that our isolated bubble is very much the âreal world.â Perhaps the real world ahead of its time but so very real nonetheless. As capitalism continues to unravel, as 20th Century icons are dying, as the polar caps continue to melt at an alarming rate, and as we move forward as a nation under Obamaâs leadership, we are shedding our collective skin and becoming the future. This is why it is critical that we examine the realities of those who may be very different from us to glean key insights about who we are today and who we are becoming as 21st century citizens. Who better to learn than from artists who are challenging the boundaries of gender, sexuality, morality, wellness, and art making? Bravely we march into the 21st Century. Mark my words, one day, this country will vote in a President who happens to be a Trans Queer of Color.