It’s a hot summer night in Trieste, Italy. The air is still, with not a breeze stirring as the city slumbers. But in the shadows of its central piazza, there’s no rest. Underneath the trees of Piazza Libertà, where weary people on the move gather, volunteers from local humanitarian organizations arrive with supplies in hand. Their mission tonight, like many others, is simple but crucial: offer a moment of solace in the midst of chaos.

One of the most incredible aspects of street art is that it can take many forms and mean many things — from a small sticker pasted onto a trash can to graffiti found in a subway car to paste-ups adorning a fence. Being from Mexico, I have always felt strongly connected to murals and their powerful messages. Murals are big. Murals are vibrant. Murals are captivating. In this third installment, I am excited to share my journey of leaving New York City to start the second half of my off-campus year studying in Italy, and to share my experience with Jorit, an internationally known Italian urban artist.

Here’s the thing: Fascists hate solidarity. At a minimum, they want you to laugh at people who embrace the solidarity impulse and who act accordingly. At a maximum, they want you to support the criminalization and violent suppression of this impulse. What this means is that acting out of solidarity is a fundamental part of the larger project of fighting fascism - a project whose global urgency is growing by the day.

By Rebecca Clayman

Since returning from Rome, where I reported for the Weaving the Streets and People’s History Archive (WSPHA) project this past spring, I find myself closing my eyes and allowing a wave of visual memories to wash over my mind. After living in such a visually captivating place there are an endless number of picture perfect moments to recall, but the images I am most enchanted by are ones that surprised me. Instead of reminiscing about the Pantheon saturated in afternoon sunlight, I think back to the images I felt most challenged or shocked by.

By Rebecca Clayman

On the night of Friday April 22nd crowds gathered along the banks of the Tiber River in anticipation of the evenings performance. While on a typical Friday night the surrounding neighborhood would be filled with pedestrians filtering their way to and from popular bars in the lively neighborhood Trastevere, but on that particular night crowds gathered waiting to witness the unassuming walls of the Tiber River transform into a once in a life time theatrical experience.