Borderlands
H&Aβs Borderlands: Immigration and Migration in the 21st Century, was a series featuring events that reconceptualized the idea of the border, with a focus on the theme of βBlurring Boundaries, Breaking Barriers, and Building Bridges.β Included in this series were: βA Conversation with Sonia Nazarioβ (two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist) and βLibro centroamericano de los muertos: A Conversation and Bilingual Poetry Reading with Mexican Poet Balam Rodrigo,β co-sponsored with 91ΑΤΖζβs Chicanx/Latinx Student Success Center. Students were able to interrogate the many issues within a complex issue like immigration and migration through a musical performance, theatre productions, an author discussing an award-winning book, a poetry reading, or a film festival. For example, in Spring 2020, students in a Spanish class produced translations that they then read on-stage with an award-winning Mexican poet. Check out all the interesting posters from this series:
To review the events that interrogated this theme, see Reports & Publications as well as past events and Stories of Engagement.
This initiative was inspired by a project co-created by Department of Design professor, Virginia San Fratello, and her partner, Ronald Rael. Specially designed teeter-totters were built and installed along the Mexican-American border, connecting children and adults on both sides in meaningful ways.
And watch an interview with Professor San Fratello for the Virtual Design Festival below!
