Bucknell University’s Samek Art Museum announces the temporary exhibition Border Cantos | Sonic Border, on view Jan. 18 through March 24 in the Campus Gallery on the third floor of the Elaine Langone Center. Admission to the Samek Art Museum and most related programs are free.
Border Cantos | Sonic Border, a unique collaboration between American photographer Richard Misrach and Mexican-American sculptor/composer Guillermo Galindo, uses the power of art to explore complex issues surrounding the United States-Mexico border.
“At the start of 2019, as the nation’s eyes and ears are fixated on the U.S.-Mexico border and its social and political implications, I’m pleased that the Samek Art Museum is able to offer this exhibition as a forum for personal reflection and social discussion in our own community” says Samek Art Museum Director Richard Rinehart.
The exhibition features approximately 18 works of photography, sculpture, found objects and sound that document and transform artifacts from the border. Misrach, who has photographed the border since 2004, documents landscapes and objects, including things left behind by migrants. His large-scale photographs highlight issues surrounding migration and its effect on regions and people.
Responding to these photographs, Galindo fashioned sound-generating sculptures from items Misrach collected along the border, such as bottles, ammunition boxes, shell casings, and articles of clothing. The sounds they produce give voices to people through personal belongings they have left behind.
“Art exhibitions have the capability to expand our discussion of and bring new perspectives to a social topic. Misrach and Galindo’s works evoke both the poetic and political. Their work encourages us to slow down; to look, to listen, and, finally, to engage each other’s humanity” says Rinehart.
In addition to the works of art in the gallery, Border Cantos | Sonic Border provides in gallery resources to deepen understanding of the exhibition and subject matter. The Samek Art Museum has put together the following programs with support provided by Art Bridges:
Panel on Immigration – March 19, 6 p.m., Gallery Theater, top floor, ELC. This panel brings together Bucknell Professors of various disciplines who will answer questions related to immigration and the Mexican-American border. We encourage the public to come with questions.
Art in Bars – March 26, 7pm, Iron Front Events, 434 Market Street, Lewisburg. Turkey Hill Brewing and The Samek Art Museum have paired four beers with four works of art from the museum’s collection that highlight themes found in Border Cantos | Sonic Border. We bring the art, Turkey Hill brings the beer, and YOU bring the conversation. Join the Samek Art Museum in our favorite event — Art in Bars — where we discuss artwork and beer with the common language of taste.
Border Cantos | Sonic Border is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Generous support for this project is provided by Art Bridges.