Free People Read Freely

This sculpture and performance was a response to the Huntington Beach city council's attempt to privatize the Huntington Beach Public Library without holding a vote in 2023 and install a biased group of representatives chosen by the unanimously MAGA city council to decide what books would be allowed to be available in 2024 in an attempt to target books relating to sex education and LGBTQ topics.

The wheel was constructed out of plywood with protruding letters to stamp the sand. The quote "FREE PEOPLE READ FREELY" is a popular slogan used to protest book bans across the country as seen in the image of my abuela at city hall from an article by the LA Times.

The goal from this project was to bring awareness to the corruption in place in the Huntington Beach city council to as many people as possible in a unique way. In may of 2025 I pulled the wheel for 7 miles across Huntington state and city beach, covering over 4 acres of sand in text, and sparking several positive conversations along the way. While some people attempted to tread on the message, the project left a small but clear impact in the community.

In June of 2025, Huntington Beach voters came together to pass measures A and B, protecting our public library.