SDAI is pleased to partner with the California Lawyers for the Arts to present CROSS/ NAVIGATE a panel discussion on Cross-Border Legal Transactions for Artists and the Creative Community.
Join us for a panel discussion with Moderator Maya Srikrishnan from Voice of San Diego, Artist Marcos Ramirez Erre, Gallerist Aida Valencia, Tax Attorney Raúl Villarreal Garza, Esq. and Immigration Lawyer Kimberley Best Robidoux, Esq.
The panel discussion includes a pre-event cocktail hour with an interactive component that will invite participants to share their questions or thoughts on cross-border legal transactions.
Artists, arts organizations, and creative entrepreneurs working on both sides of United States/Mexico Border face unique legal challenges. While the border region is a dynamic space presenting great creative opportunities, its complicated legal landscape can be difficult to navigate. Please join us for a panel discussion shedding light on some of the most important legal issues facing the cross-border creative community, including tax, immigration/authorization to work, intellectual property, and business transactions. The experienced panel will include artists and gallerists, attorneys, and accountants who themselves engage in cross-border work or represent clients working on both sides of the border.
Panelist include:
Marcos Ramirez Erre is an artist born in Tijuana, Baja California Mexico. In 1983, he immigrated to the United States where he worked for 17 years in the construction industry as a carpenter. In 1989 he became active in the field of visual arts. Since then he has participated in different individual and collective exhibitions countries like Mexico, USA, Russia, Puerto Rico, France, Spain, Cuba, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil and in major exhibitions throughout the word including InSite94, InSite97, the VI and VII Havana Biennials, the Whitney Biennial 2000, the second Moscow Biennial, the San Juan Poly/Graphic Triennial, the 2007 Sao Paulo/Valencia Biennial, Made in California, Mexico Illuminated, From Baja to Vancouver and the California Biennal 08, among others. In 2007, Marcos received a USA artist fellowship, and since 2009 is a member of the Mexican National System of Art Creators. Marcos also has a law degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.
Kimberley Best Robidoux is a senior attorney at Maggio Kattar Nahajzer + Alexander, P.C. in San Diego. Kimberley assists individuals and corporate clients with immigration matters related to obtaining authorization to work in the United States and with the implementation of immigration policies and procedures. She guides individuals and companies through the intricacies of immigration processes, including the path to become permanent residents and U.S. citizens. Kimberley takes a proactive approach to help her clients reach their goals, and believes in supporting her clients with proper communication and education. She received her B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations and her J.D. from Albany Law School at Union University.
Raúl Villarreal Garza is an international tax attorney and senior associate at the law firm of Procopio. As part of his practice, Raúl advices high-net worth foreign families on the tax consequences of acquiring and maintaining valuable assets in the United States, including art, yachts, planes, real estate and the like. Raúl is licensed to practice law in México and the States of California and New York.
Aida Valencia is a visual artist and owner of Casa Valencia Gallery in Liberty Station. Born in San Diego and raised in Tijuana, with a bi-cultural tendency, her sculptures are characterized by her use of intense colors, reflecting her Mexican roots, which she interprets in a contemporary form. Aida is the organizer of the Latin American Art Festival, held in Liberty Station, which showcases artists from all corners of Latin American in an array of mediums. Recently Aida won first place for her 3D sculpture called “Imagination & Magic,” selected for the Society of American Mosaic Artists, in the Museum of Man in San Diego’s “Contemporary Mosaic Exhibition. “ She has also been selected for the 2nd District Exhibition in Long Beach California, with her third work “Cuídame” and “El Canto a la Naturaleza” (take care of me and the chant of nature) and won first place for “Cuídame.”
Moderator: Maya Srikrishnan is the border and immigration reporter for Voice of San Diego. She holds a degree in Latin American studies from the University of Texas in Austin. After graduating, Maya served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Panama for two and a half years, where she trained Panamanian teachers in teaching English, math, reading in Spanish, social-emotional learning and classroom management. When Maya returned to the U.S., she pursued dual master’s degrees in journalism and international affairs from Columbia University. At the journalism school, she was a Toni Stabile fellow, specializing in investigative journalism. Her master’s project found that New York City’s welfare system had been wrongly denying people in need their benefits for years. While receiving her masters in international affairs, Maya worked for the Americas division at Human Rights Watch and was part of a consulting team for the Peruvian government that looked at how the government could reap the economic benefits of mining, while minimizing the social unrest and environmental damage caused by the industry. She came to San Diego in 2015 and has been working at Voice of San Diego since. She previously reported on housing, land use and education issues in San Diego County. Her work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the New York World and ABC News.
Admission for CROSS/ NAVIGATE is FREE. Please RSVP below.