Mission

Ni Santas is an autonomous all Women of Color collective working to write their history through art, with responsibility to create socially conscious visual narratives. We promote sisterhood through skill sharing.

Vision

We envision creating a safe space by cultivating a community of women, free of judgement to nourish them into emerging artist.

Our Story

In the summer of 2016, Andi Xoch and a friend (who wishes to remain unnamed) began to make art together and noticed that the women in their community had little access to art resources. Xoch, who was a teaching artist at Self Help Graphics & Art and had recently left the all-female bicycle brigade known as the Ovarian Psycos, wanted to create another collective that would retain the sisterhood of ex-Ovarian Psyco members. The one-time friends then decided to do a call out on social media and invite women to create art together. Self Help Graphics became the perfect place to meet. They decided to call the group Ni Santas. Ni Santas’ name comes from the protest chant, “Ni santas, ni putas, solo mujeres”. Which can be translated to: not saints, not sluts, just women.

With a shared attraction to graffiti, painting, and other similar art styles, soon thereafter, many women joined the group. At one point Ni Santas consisted of about thirteen members and met twice a week. Every member contributed to incorporate a myriad of art mediums through different skills and styles. As time passed by the collective grew smaller due to a differences in interests, time schedules, and life. The current collective is composed and led by Ni Santas co-founders Joan Zamora, also a former Ovarian Psyco member, and The Clover Signs, who had also joined Ovarian Psycos’ bicycle rides. Andi Xoch has taken a step back since opening up two brick and mortar plant stores, Latinx With Plants. Please visit her store in Boyle Heights, California.

In 2017, Andi Xoch said: “When you’re brown a woman from the hood, whether you’re queer or gender non-conforming, your oppression isn’t only experienced as a woman, it is any and all those things at the same time so you have to create spaces to be able to articulate those experiences.

Historically we’ve been erased from art, and we have a responsibility to rewrite history through art creating socially conscious narratives. It empowers us to support each other because we have that trust and healing space among each other. We only get stronger by coming together.” Ni Santas host monthly free workshops in Los Angeles, California.

Ni Santas x Ni Putas x Solo Mujeres