Testimony is a long-term project that explores the experiences of recently arrived refugees or immigrants to San Francisco. It will search for innovative ways to raise awareness without re-enacting storytelling tropes and social norms that continue to marginalize vulnerable communities.  

The kickoff event will highlight service providers and professionals who work with immigrants and refugees. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions and gather information about the contemporary experience for newcomers to this city. The professionals participating will represent a diverse array of services and perspectives on the issue, ranging from a doctor in the pediatric clinic at SF General Hospital to an immigration lawyer with recent experience in a detention center in Dilley, Texas, where Central American refugees are being held. Keeping in mind San Francisco's complex immigration history, we will try to paint an accurate picture of what's happening in the city right now, while exploring new questions raised in the context of our city's history and collective identity.   

Eliza Gregory is an artist and educator. Using images, relationships, interactions, interviews, events and other media, her work illuminates diverse experiences in a given community. She uses art to ask questions about contributing to community health, the role of cultural adaptation in contemporary society and how family relationships shape our lives. Trained as a fine art photographer, a creative writer and a social practice artist, Eliza lives and works in San Francisco.