Instagram account admin @eyerollsandbloodlust, an emerging artist, local organizer and Cal State San Bernardino graduate student, has her second upcoming MFA thesis exhibit, “Away From Keyboard: Practical Applications of Antifascism, Revisited” on display at CSUSB’s Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art Nov. 9 to 16.

Over the past year, banners displaying bigotry, homophobia and transphobia have appeared over Inland Empire freeways. In reaction, a committed response team has formed and has been dedicated to swiftly removing the offensive banners. Coordinated through the Instagram account @eyerollsandbloodlust, this grassroots watchdog effort serves as an example of how social media can be used in the historical practice of combating campaigns of disenfranchisement, marginalization and terror exercised under white supremacy and capitalism through everyday praxis.

For the culmination of her graduate degree, account admin @eyerollsandbloodlust invited the Inland Empire community to collectively take part in subverting fascist messaging by repainting the collected banners and take part in a socially engaged artwork: a social interaction proclaiming itself as art and is a celebration of collaboration, creativity and real-world praxis.

“Revisited” is a showing of these subverted banners and will provide the opportunity to learn about the uptick in extremist activity in the Inland Empire.

The work of @eyerollsandbloodlust sits uncomfortably between and across the disciplines of activism and art. This tension is typical of Socially Engaged Art. The artist aims for these interactions to center antifascism in interrogating the complex interrelation between digital spaces and the streets outside our front doors, as antifascism is the only appropriate response to the blatant fascistic aspirations that are both digitally and physically present.

@eyerollsandbloodlust (she/her) graduated with a BA in studio art with a minor in graphic design from CSUSB and is now a candidate for the CSUSB Master of Fine Arts program. Her work is informed by her youth in the California state foster system lived experience with houselessness and poverty.

About RAFFMA

The Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, nationally accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, serves a dual mission to exhibit and collect both ancient and contemporary art. It hosts temporary exhibitions throughout the year. Located at California State University, San Bernardino, RAFFMA presents one of the largest public displays of ancient Egyptian art in Southern California. The museum offers a variety of opportunities providing valuable hands-on work experience and preparation for future museum-related careers for CSUSB students. It is also a great museum for K-12 school field trips. When you visit RAFFMA, you find it’s more than a museum – it’s an unforgettable experience.

The museum is open to the public free of charge Monday-Tuesday 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. with extended hours Wednesday and Thursday evenings till 6 p.m., and Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Suggested donation is $3. Parking at Cal State San Bernardino is $3-6 per vehicle, depending on duration ($3 on weekends).