Hostile Terrain 94

March 9 - May 31, 2021

Hostile Terrain 94 (HT94) is a participatory art exhibition created by the Undocumented Migration Project, a non-profit research and arts-education collective directed by University of California, Los Angeles anthropologist Jason De León. On view at the Otto G. Richter Library, this installation, co-curated by professors Pamela Geller (Anthropology) and Brenna Munro (English), is intended to raise awareness about the realities of the U.S. and Mexico border and focuses on the deaths that have been happening almost daily since 1994 as a direct result of the Border Patrol policy known as “Prevention Through Deterrence.” The creation and installation of HT94 is designed as a reflective learning experience for students and members of the University community who are interested in related issues and disciplines—art, politics, migration, curation, map-making, anthropology, and history.

Separated

MARCH 9 - MAY 31, 2021

Presented by the Learning Commons at University of Miami Libraries, Separated draws inspiration from the reflective and participatory elements of Hostile Terrain 94, emerging in a collaborative tribute to the children who still need to be re-connected with their families. Developed by Roxane Pickens (Learning Commons director) and borrowing from the iconography of children’s crafts, volunteers cut chains of paper dolls from vellum—628 in total—and accented each with gold leaf following a meditative process that echoed the construction of Hostile Terrain 94's toe tags. Additionally, special memorial dolls were made to honor seven children who have tragically died through this system of neglect.