It was a great privilege (and lots of fun) to spend a week installing quilts, creating new work, and holding a dyeing workshop at the wonderful non-profit art gallery 516 ARTS in Albuquerque. This residency was made possible through the support of the National Performance Network’s Visual Artist Network - an amazing organization focused on small-scale arts organizations working for increased equity.
This was part of a show called “At Home in the World”, featuring 9 artists from around the country and internationally who are working with themes of migration and national identity.
Part of my time there was spent creating a new work, DIY Carpet Shoes. DIY Carpet Shoes is a replication of the slip-on shoe covers used by some migrants crossing the US-Mexico border to avoid leaving footprints. Carpet shoes are often sold to migrants on their way to the border, and can be found discarded or lost near migrant trails. These carpet shoe replications intend to concretize the clandestine nature of border crossings and personalize the many people involved in one person’s crossing, including the shoe’s makers. As a knock-off of an original, DIY Carpet Shoes explores the commodification of emblems of struggle and predicts a possible way that migrants’ history could some day be told.
DIY Carpet Shoes are made from clothing collected from the US-Mexico border. The clothes were dyed with Albuquerque chamisa, California madder root, and cochineal with the help of participants in a Mending Patriotism workshop at 516 Arts.
Finally, the exhibition included the debut of our video documenting our collaboration with DouglaPrieta Trabajan in making two folklórico skirts with clothing from the border - grateful to all who helped with this project!
So many thanks to the wonderful team at 516 ARTS in Albuquerque.
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