Skip to Content

The Border Project: A History on the Divide

Wednesday, 25 January 2012 19:33

Attention: open in a new window. PDFPrintE-mail

 

To help celebrate Arizona’s 100th birthday, the University of Arizona Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit that explores the historical, cultural and political lifestyles connected to the U.S.-Mexican border.

It’s called “The Border Project: Soundscapes, Landscapes, and Lifescapes.” It features contemporary visual and audio art from the most prominent border artists.

Art curator Lauren Rabb said she started planning the exhibit two years ago when Ph.D. student John-Michael Warner asked her to help conduct border-related research. She says this research then helped form the exhibit.

RABB: “When we first looked at what the concept of what the border meant, we realized that you can take the concept and the relevance of the border and you can expand it in about a hundred different directions. You could talk about psychological borders. You could talk about territorial borders that were not delineated on a map. You could talk about so many borders. I mean the average everyday borders people encounter.”

Yet Rabb says she found that to be “too ambitious” was causing them to focus solely on the basic concept of living along Arizona and Sonora.

Critics say that this approach led to an uneven collection in both history and culture. However, Rabb disagrees.

RABB: “We tried to give voice to some of the other cultural experiences that go on here. We talk about Chinese History. We talk about Civil War History. We even talk a little bit about Japanese History. I think we tried to cover just about every aspect that you could think about, especially when you are talking about Mexico versus the United States. I think we've done an excellent job of talking about, you know, all the various ways that you could approach it.”

She says some aspects include the conflicts of being Mexican-American today, as well as what it “really means” to live in a state directly connected to another country.

“The Border Project” will be open until March 11.

Written by Melissa Guz You are reading The Border Project: A History on the Divide articles

News

Culture

People

Education

Health

Sports

Food

Related Items

Stalk us at:

Border Beat on Facebook


Border Beat Blogs

Educación en la Frontera

By: Shannon Maule

A look at higher education in regard to those who have and have not been able to travel from various countries to the United States. Stories from people in the higher education world relating to the border.

A Mosaic America

By: Rachel Kolinski

"Exploring Diversity one Face at a Time"

Dancing in the Desert

By: Hope Jamieson

Explore dance throughout the borderlands.

A City of Musical Diversity

By: Maria Teracena

Tucson musicians influence and are influenced by the sounds of the world.

Culture Crossing

By: Chelsey Barthel

American borders are crossed every day by cultures of all kind. These stories tell the personal experiences of people from different lands, offering further insight into the difference of cultures.

Borderfilmbeat

By: Lauren Inouye

A look at Mexican and Latin films that reflect culture, politics, and society --  reviews, research and analysis.

CaPOWera

By: Charles Misra

Stories about martial arts and combat sports with a cultural twist, all finding a home in America's southwestern borderlands.

Border People

By: Jamie Turow

Profiles of English language learners.

Tear Down Borders

By: Jessica Hoerth

Meet some of the people in Tucson who have made the journey across the border as they share what they came in search of and what struggles they may have encountered along the way.

Border Couture

By: Lauren Urratio

Fashion and how it is impacted by the border and international cultures.

Crossing the Line

By: Lucy Valencia

News from along the border with Mexico

The Border Project

By: Melissa Guz

"The Border Project" is an art showcase located in the University of Arizona's Museum of Art. It has over 40+ art pieces related to border issues.

Athletics and the Border

By: Preston Fawcett

Get to know high school coachs and athletes from Arizona border towns or from Mexico and their struggles to get to where they are.

Border Personalities

By: Audrey A. Fitzsimmons

The Southwest boasts of diverse ethnic backgrounds and a wealth of interesting personalities. Border Personalities is dedicated to the people of the Southwest and their stories.

Border Beats

By: Jeff Kessler

U.S. - Mexico border issues, current events, and interesting local stories

Music of the Border

By: Steven Schiraldi

Music reviews of musical works by Mexican or other ethnic artists.

The Border Wall

By: Brett Haupt

A visual exploration of America’s last frontier -- pictures and videos from different areas of the wall and fence that separate two different worlds and insight into what really stands between the United States and Mexico, ramifications of wall building and what it means for the average citizen.

Border Athletes

By: Lauren Sokol

Meet international student athletes at the University of Arizona, a look at the recruiting process that helped them find a temporary home in the desert, and culture changes that the athletes might have endured.

Journey Across the Border

By: Emily Kjesbo

Spotlighting Mexico’s top travel destinations, as well as a few of its hidden gems.

Border Shots

By: Keith Perfetti

A photojournalist looks at how other photographers have viewed the border and shoots lesser known spots of the southwest.


MLS Soccer comes to the Desert

By: Jeff Kessler

All about the 2012 Desert Diamond Cup,  a 10 day exhibition soccer tournament featuring four Major League Soccor teams coming to Tucson.


News

Culture

Education

People