Bakersfield based artist Lia Mendez (@smallfoxpress) released a drop of clothing made to show your Bakersfield pride called Stay Foxy on January 27th, 2020. To explain the story of this design I am gonna put Lia’s own description for why she had made this, “The San Joaquin Kit Fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and Bakersfield Cactus (Opuntia basilaris var. treleasei) are both are listed as federally endangered, largely due to habitat loss associated with human development. Both are native to the part of California where I live. To me, they represent why wild land conservation and conscientious stewardship are so critical to maintaining rich biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem. I’ve depicted them here in a graphic style as a dual reduction print, meaning a second block was carved and printed to incorporate a layer of cool color on top of the warm hues.”
“I love where I come from and all of the life this land supports, and I believe it’s possible to create solutions that allow both humans and nature to thrive. And as disheartening as it is to witness such great loss of life and land, my spirit is buoyed by the belief in a future in which we value our Home and all of its inhabitants enough to protect and preserve it to the fullest extent of our human ability.” Now I fore one love the design and reason to this release so if you are able to please pick up one of these three shirts, currently the shipping date is March 2nd but keep in mind this is a independent company so they are doing this all by hand.
The Musical Hippie 