Related Web siteshttp://www.beyondbordersbinationalart.org
Newswise — Four 900-pound steel sculptures, each14-feet tall, will travel from the Mexican side of the border cities Nogales, Son. and Nogales, Ariz. to the University of Arizona Mall later this summer. Their unveiling will help inaugurate Hispanic Heritage Month on Sept. 15 and kick off a national tour in the United States.
Titled "Border Dynamics," the imposing sculptures were created by artists Alberto Morackis and Guadalupe Serrano. The piece of art is the first commission of Beyond Borders: Binational Art Foundation, a Tucson-based non-profit corporation, dedicated to fostering art that stimulates discussions on contemporary border issues.
Tom Whittingslow, founder of Beyond Borders, says that "to expedite the flow of capital and goods between the U. S. and Mexico, NAFTA has tried to minimize the effect of the border. Yet, the flow of human beings, who some may consider mere commodities, has created an atmosphere of xenophobia and fear. By externalizing these feelings through art, perhaps a common ground can be found. "These figures are allegories of how we behave when confronted with barriers-either external or of the mind. In this sense, the sculptures are universal."
The exhibition on the UA mall will run until Nov. 15, and was made possible by a collaborative effort on the part of the UA Multicultural Programs and Services, Chicano/ Hispano Student Affairs, the Arizona Student Unions and the Union Gallery, Risk Management; Facilities Management; the Office of the Dean of Students, the UA BookStores, the College of Humanities and the Mexican American Studies and Research Center in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Chrissy Lieberman of the Student Union Memorial Center says the artists will be on hand for the installation and for the unveiling.
Beyond Borders president, Michaela von Schatzberg-Whittingslow says that "having the U.S. debut of the thought-provoking sculpture at the University of Arizona is the fulfillment of our artistic mission that began with the inauguration in Sonora, Mexico."
The national tour of the sculptures is a cooperative effort between several universities in the Midwest, tentatively listed as DePaul University, the University of Minnesota and the Wiseman Museum in Minneapolis, and Lakeland Community College in Mentor, Ohio.
RSS