As part of our Hispanic Heritage Month programming, the department of Student Life is proud to present spoken word artist GABRIELA GARCIA MEDINA in a series of performances across all GHC campuses during the week of October 3-6.
Her GHC tour includes the following schedule:
Monday, Oct. 3 – Marietta Site, 12pm
Tuesday, Oct. 4 – Floyd Campus, 12pm
Wednesday, Oct. 5 – Cartersville Campus, 12pm
Thursday, Oct. 6 – Douglasville Site, 10:30am
Thursday, Oct. 6 – Paulding Site, 1:30pm
Learning Outcomes for this performance include:
1. Cognitive Complexity – development of critical thinking skills.
• Understanding spoken word as a form of poetry that is written to be performed
• Investigate how poetry can be used as a form of social commentary.
• Experience the impact of words recited in the spoken word/slam poetry method.
2. Knowledge Acquisition, Integration & Application – gaining and using knowledge.
• Explore the power of poetry that is written to be spoken as opposed to just written poetry.
• Examine the different literary techniques in spoken word.
3. Humanitarianism – understanding and appreciating human differences, cultural competency, and social responsibility.
• Learn about the Hispanic culture through the life experiences of a Latina.
• Share similarities and differences of the Hispanic family culture through poems.
• Explore sensitive topics such as domestic violence, rape, racism, sexism, love, poverty, body image, and positive relationships.
4. Interpersonal & Intrapersonal Competence – development of personal attributes such as identity, self-esteem, confidence, ethics, and integrity; plus building and maintain relationships with others.
• Experience the impact of sharing emotion through poetry.
• Examine how authors rely on personal experience in their writing.
5. Persistence and Academic Achievement – managing the college experience to produce personal and academic success.
• Be inspired by the story of how a poor Latina overcame personal and social obstacle to find success in college and beyond.
Aspects of this performance has relevance to a number of academic studies, which includes Spanish, English literature, Communications, Sociology, Psychology, Art, Drama, Political Science, Education, and Human Services. This will be Gabriela’s third time performing at GHC in the past 10 years, and never fails to impress and leave an impact. Please consider offering credit to you students for attending the performance, or better yet, bring your class to the performance as a group! Attendance sign-in sheets will be available for your students to sign if you decide to offer credit to those that attend.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Gabriela Garcia Medina is a Filmmaker, an Actress, and a Writer. She has enjoyed a career as an accomplished writer, and Spoken Word Poet, since 2006. She has been writing professionally since 2005, and has performed her Spoken Word Poetry at Universities, and Colleges across the United States for over a decade. Her one-woman show was the biggest selling act in the National College market (2007-2011).
In 2007, Gabriela was commissioned by Eva Longoria to write a poem, that is now etched (in glass) on the walls of Ms. Longoria’s Hollywood Restaurant Beso. Gabriela’s writing, and spoken word performances, have been featured on SiTv’s “Latinos on the Rise” (ep.4.6). From 2006-2014, Miss Garcia Medina has been a writer for KCET Television’s Annual Diversity Gala, and Hispanic Heritage Gala. Her poetry, has opened the stage for celebrities, and bands such as the Black Eyed Peas (Cesar Chavez Festival 2006), and Pitbull (NCLR Conference, 2007). She has performed for Political figures including: Kamala Harris’s inauguration party (SONY Studios), Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama (2007 NCLR Conference), and numerous events for Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti. In 2012, her one-woman spoken word show about identity and culture, enjoyed a run at the REDCAT Theater in Los Angeles. Her spoken word poetry has been featured on commercials for: Dove, Toyota (Yaris), Kasasa Banking, and more recently for Coca Cola. In 2014, Gabriela was nominated by writer/filmmaker Josefina Lopez (Real Women Have Curves) for The City of Los Angeles Poet Laureate Award.
Gabriela received a BFA (2005) from UCLA in Theater, with a double Minor in Chicano/a Studies, and African American Studies. In 2012, she returned to school, and attended California Institute of the Arts, where she pursued a dual MFA in Creative Writing and Acting, focusing her efforts on Shakespeare, Screenwriting, and Film.
During her time at CalArts, Gabriela created a Production Company to promote, and empower Women of Color filmmakers. She produced four short films between 2012-2015, Directed a short (Sam and Larry), wrote two feature screenplays, as well as a YA novel. Her feature script The Kidnapping of Casimiro Coronado was a quarterfinalist at the Sundance Institute Writers Lab (2015); and her feature screenplay Little Con Lili (an adaptation of her YA novel), was a recent recipient of the Hedgebrook Screenwriting Fellowship (Oct 2016), a TOP 100 Semi-finalist at the Austin Film Festival Screenwriting Competition (2016), Semifinalist at the TableRead My Screenplay Park City- (2016), Semifinalist (TOP 100) at Scriptapalooza (2016), 2nd Place winner at the 2016 Indie Film Festival (Geneva, Switzerland), and a quarterfinalist at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab (2016).
As an actor, Gabriela holds a BFA in Acting from UCLA, and an MFA in Acting from California Institute of the Arts. She has performed at the National Theater in Havana, as the International Host for the Havana Jazz Plaza Festival (at the Karl Marx Theater) alongside Pablo Milanes, and Chucho Valdez (televised in Havana, Cuba). She has performed her one-woman show at the REDCAT Theater in Los Angeles. Has played the Chorus in Medea at the Ford Amphitheater (Los Angeles). Has taken Master workshops with Sir Anthony Hopkins, Marta Carrasco, Nicholas Dunn, Deborah Lavine, Mirjana Jokovic, Travis Preston (among others). She was a member of the Los Angeles Latino Theater Company Lab (2004-2010) under the Direction of Jose Luis Valenzuela. Gabi loves Shakespeare; and enjoys meaty, non-stereotypical characters.
A true artist, Gabriela enjoys exploring the world through different mediums. Raising questions, and proposing answers, about emotional, and social conflicts through her art.
