Art Forward, a new UA student group, is seeking submissions of artworks for an exhibition to accompany the national participatory art project, Hostile Terrain 94, sponsored and organized by the Undocumented Migration Project (UMP).
The local exhibition will coincide with National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15, 2021, and will be installed in Maxwell Hall at The University of Alabama. Hostile Terrain 94 is an international installation composed of over 3,200 handwritten toe tags representing migrants who have died trying to cross the Sonoran Desert of Arizona between the mid-1990s and 2019. These tags are geolocated on a wall map of the desert showing the exact locations where remains were found.
The organizers hope that “the addition of artist submissions will tie these themes directly to local communities while acknowledging the vast impact immigration policy can have on people’s lives,” according to the press release.
Ivy Borden, president of UA’s Art Forward and a double major in art history and Southern Society and Culture, said, “We are currently seeking submissions of artworks (1-2 pieces per artist) to accompany this exhibit and will award artists a $100 honorarium if selected. Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply.”
“Once selected for the exhibition, artists are encouraged to create final works that relate to themes of borders, immigration, detention or themes of creative expression and empowerment in regards to immigrant and/or Latinx identity. Artists of all identities, ages, levels of experience, and mediums are welcome to apply,” according to Borden.
Artists should submit examples of previous work along with an artist statement outlining the work that will be submitted for exhibition. The deadline to submit samples and a statement is July 1, 2021. Click here for more information and the link to apply.
Art Forward organized in 2020 with the purpose of creating “a more inclusive and artistically empowered community for students at UA, members of the Tuscaloosa community, and people everywhere.” The exhibition is supported by The University of Alabama’s Collaborative Arts Research Initiative (CARI) and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
For more information about The University of Alabama’s programs in art history and studio art, visit our Degree Programs page.