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Home › News & Events › News › Antebi, Taylor to participate in the Digital Borderlands Project

Antebi, Taylor to participate in the Digital Borderlands Project

June 11, 2021

Two University of Arizona School of Art faculty, Assistant Professor Nicole Antebi and Professor David Taylor, are members of collaborative teams that have been awarded major funding in support of projects which aim to facilitate vulnerable border populations in telling their own stories.

Digital Borderlands is a three-year grant project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and facilitated through the University of Arizona Libraries. The goal is to produce and disseminate new, open-access humanities scholarship about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands by integrating library services into a collaborative research process that emphasizes data-intensive, digital storytelling.

While the projects are vastly different, they both are intending to share the stories of people whose voices are often suppressed or erased. Leveraging the University’s resources and working in collaboration with advocacy groups and community organizers, these multidisciplinary projects will help to amplify the voices of the people at the center of complex borderlands issues.

NICOLE ANTEBI

Antebi of the Illustration + Design program is the Principal Investigator for “The Rarámuri Dressmakers of Chihuahua City,” an animated documentary produced in collaboration with Victoria Blanco, a nonfiction writer from the sister cities of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua and Irene Baqué, a documentary filmmaker based in London. The team will work with direction from Amalia Holguin, who will guide the film. Holguin is a Rarámuri dressmaker, community leader, and mother who was raised in Oasis, a government-funded Indigenous compound situated within the Colonia Martín López neighborhood.

Oasis is home to 500 Rarámuris who fled the drought and drug growers in their ancestral homeland, the Sierra Madre mountains. Mineral depletion in the soil, caused by deforestation and prolonged droughts have made it impossible for Rarámuri people to depend on traditional subsistence farming. 

Rarámuris in the Sierra often bet food during foot races, as a way to ensure that everyone has enough to eat. In the city, food scarcity is no longer the Rarámuris’ biggest threat. Instead, Rarámuri women create and redistribute traditional floor-length dresses as a way to discourage their people’s assimilation into mainstream Mexican society.

Animated style frame for “The Rarámuri Dressmakers of Chihuahua City” by Nicole Antebi.

“My collaborators and I are thrilled to receive this generous Mellon Foundation grant in partnership with the Digital Borderlands team at the University of Arizona Library,” said Antebi. “Our objective is to create a documentary that narrates the ways in which Rarámuri women of Chihuahua uphold their sharing economy and preserve their people’s knowledge and identity through dressmaking.”

In addition to the documentary, the project will bring late 19th and early 20th century photographs of the Rarámuri from the University of Arizona archives to their descendants, where they will respond to the images, with words or by drawing on the photographs themselves.

“By inviting community members to interact with the photographs housed at the University of Arizona library, we put historical documents directly in the hands of the people whose ancestors were documented,” Antebi said. “This has the potential to prompt important and moving dialogue, and visual art, among the women about their history and their resistance — conversations that, with their permission, we want to document.”

Antebi will also be engaging Rarámuri youth by facilitating a series of stop-motion animation workshops. Giving the teens these tools and resources provides them with the agency to tell their own stories, with a 21st century spin. 

Jen Nichols at CATalyst Studios will assist, connecting the teens directly to the University of Arizona Libraries, where the files will be converted into embroidered animations.

Through dressmaking, Rarámuri women have found ways to maintain their agency and resist assimilation into Mexican culture and upholding their sharing economy. While their story is one of cohesion and continuity, myriad people from across Mexico and Central and South America make the desperate decision to journey to the U.S. with hopes for a better future, only to find themselves incarcerated in immigrant detention centers.

DAVID TAYLOR

Taylor of the Photography, Video and Imaging program, is collaborating on a project called, “DETAINED: Voices from the Migrant Incarceration System.”

“DETAINED is a collaboration between faculty in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Creative Writing, the School of Art, and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP),” said Taylor. “The project is intended to create an archive of first-person testimony by those who have been incarcerated in privately operated ICE detention centers in Arizona.”

Students and faculty will document experiences of former detainees through a combination of multilingual written, visual, and audio forms.

La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, which has an ICE detainee population of up to 3,060. Image courtesy of David Taylor.

The public facing archive will be located in Special Collections at the University of Arizona Libraries. The project is designed to extend the meaning and function of archives while serving as an artistic counter-memorial to the expansive landscape of immigrant incarceration — which is present in nearly every region of the United States.

Often the subject of contentious national debate, migrant incarceration operates mostly outside of public view. When information is released to the public, it comes in the form of polished press releases and carefully crafted responses to public inquiry or outcry. The voices of those most affected, the migrant detainees themselves, are largely absent from conversations about immigrant detention and the treatment they endure while incarcerated. DETAINED will operate as a platform for people to author their own history and create a durable record of their experiences. 

Partnership with Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project (FIRRP) and its staff is essential as the project seeks to create a coequal relationship between the university and advocacy organizations. FIRRP staff will be critical to establishing trust with interviewees, and will also provide professional, legal guidance on what information to anonymize or redact for the safety of those who choose to participate.

Along with Taylor, the multidisciplinary group working on the project includes:

  • Anita Huizar-Hernández, Principal Investigator and associate professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese
  • Susan Briante, professor of Creative Writing in the Department of English
  • Francisco Cantú, a writer, translator and UArizona alumnus 
  • Daniel Hernandez, Donor Communications Coordinator for FIRRP
  • Greer Millard, Communications Manager for FIRRP
  • Three graduate assistants

The project team will interview 25 former detainees to document their experiences in their own words. The interviews will be put into context in order to enhance understanding and contribute to broader conversations surrounding migrant incarceration in the U.S. The stories of the detainees will be accompanied by artwork they created while incarcerated, information about the history of for-profit detention, the history of border enforcement, and the increased criminalization of migration.

Project collaborators will publish work that draws upon detainee testimony through scholarly and public outlets, exposing a wide audience to the archive content. In addition, the archive will be accessible to the public through an open-source web publishing platform.

“We want the archive to be responsive, to function as an artistic and conceptual vehicle, and, above all else, to privilege the agency of those who it depicts,” said Taylor.

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University of Arizona School of Art with Arizona Arts at University of Arizona School of Art.
1 week ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We're so proud of all of our 2022 graduates! This one holds a special spot in our hearts. ❤️

Lauren Paun is graduating with her BFA in Art & Visual Culture Education (emphasis on Community and Museums) and 3D Art. She has been a student employee in the School of Art for two years, working with our social media accounts. You might have talked to her about being featured here! Lauren has been an integral part of our team, doing a lot of heavy lifting to find the fabulous work y'all are creating and sharing it here.

"I would just like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to have had such an incredible position within the School of Art; I loved supporting and promoting the amazing artists that attend this school and feel so lucky to be able to learn and create beside them. I have loved every minute working here for the past two years and we'll miss it terribly-- but I am so excited to continue my journey and pursue my career in museums. A special thank you to my friends, family, professors, and supervisors for the constant love and support!!"

We could fill encyclopedias with praise for Lauren but hopefully this small note of gratitude can be enough. Good luck!! 🥺😭
... See MoreSee Less

Were so proud of all of our 2022 graduates! This one holds a special spot in our hearts. ❤️

Lauren Paun is graduating with her BFA in Art & Visual Culture Education (emphasis on Community and Museums) and 3D Art. She has been a student employee in the School of Art for two years, working with our social media accounts. You might have talked to her about being featured here! Lauren has been an integral part of our team, doing a lot of heavy lifting to find the fabulous work yall are creating and sharing it here. 

I would just like to say how grateful I am for the opportunity to have had such an incredible position within the School of Art; I loved supporting and promoting the amazing artists that attend this school and feel so lucky to be able to learn and create beside them. I have loved every minute working here for the past two years and well miss it terribly-- but I am so excited to continue my journey and pursue my career in museums. A special thank you to my friends, family, professors, and supervisors for the constant love and support!!

We could fill encyclopedias with praise for Lauren but hopefully this small note of gratitude can be enough. Good luck!! 🥺😭Image attachmentImage attachment+4Image attachment
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Congrats, Lauren!! 🙌💐

Congratulations on a job well done. 👏Very proud of you and your accomplishments.

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University of Arizona School of Art with Arizona Arts at University of Arizona School of Art.
2 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Graduation celebrations continue! Let's hear it for one of our newest PhDs, Kasey Stuart! 🎓

"I'm Kasey Stuart and I am graduating with my PhD in Art History and Education. My research explores and questions preservice teachers' reliance upon social media as a resource for lesson plans. Currently, I am developing a program to help art educators critically analyze and amend lesson plans found online before they have brought into K-12 classrooms."

Thank you for doing this critical work that keeps teachers relevant to their students, while also making sure they are intentional and accurate!
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Graduation celebrations continue! Lets hear it for one of our newest PhDs, Kasey Stuart! 🎓

Im Kasey Stuart and I am graduating with my PhD in Art History and Education. My research explores and questions preservice teachers reliance upon social media as a resource for lesson plans. Currently, I am developing a program to help art educators critically analyze and amend lesson plans found online before they have brought into K-12 classrooms.

Thank you for doing this critical work that keeps teachers relevant to their students, while also making sure they are intentional and accurate!Image attachment
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Congrats to Kasey!

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University of Arizona School of Art is at University of Arizona School of Art.
2 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

We are so glad to see everyone enjoying the incredible work done by our MFA graduates in the 2022 MFA Show! Featured in the @uazmuseumofart is Venessa Ball and her intricate project titled Crosscut: Mining and domesticity, creating a life in spite of and because of the mine.

“As a mining state, Arizona is among the leading producers of copper in the United States.
These large operations required an extensive workforce, from laborers, to geologists, engineers, and company representatives. The mine would often provide housing, schoolhouses and
gathering spaces in the surrounding area, creating an entire town owned by the company itself. Like so many other small communities in America these “boomtown” economies were built on what they believed to be stable and consistent growth. Should the ore deposit run out or the company no longer have the funds to dig any deeper, what then happens to the community? What should also happen if the very commodity the mine needs to keep going just happens to be right under the ground on which they built the town? If you ask the former townspeople of Ray-Sonora, AZ… there is no more town. In 1966, their town was demolished to continue the mine operations.
Thirty years after Ray-Sonora was removed from the map, in 1996, the Magma Copper mine where my father and grandfather worked for decades—and that had provided so much stability for my family—officially closed, because it was deemed too costly to continue operations.
The only way my father could continue his career in mining was to relocate his family to another mining town. This wouldn’t be the last time this happened in my childhood. Chasing the ore was my father’s way of ensuring our family always had a stable and comfortable life.
The delicate patterns cut from family and historical photographs highlight the tension often felt by my family and so many mining families as they attempted to build a life in the shadow of a brutal and unstable industry, dependent on an unsympathetic capitalist economy.” - @venessaball
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We are so glad to see everyone enjoying the incredible work done by our MFA graduates in the 2022 MFA Show! Featured in the @uazmuseumofart is Venessa Ball and her intricate project titled Crosscut: Mining and domesticity, creating a life in spite of and because of the mine.

“As a mining state, Arizona is among the leading producers of copper in the United States. 
These large operations required an extensive workforce, from laborers, to geologists, engineers, and company representatives. The mine would often provide housing, schoolhouses and
gathering spaces in the surrounding area, creating an entire town owned by the company itself. Like so many other small communities in America these “boomtown” economies were built on what they believed to be stable and consistent growth. Should the ore deposit run out or the company no longer have the funds to dig any deeper, what then happens to the community? What should also happen if the very commodity the mine needs to keep going just happens to be right under the ground on which they built the town? If you ask the former townspeople of Ray-Sonora, AZ… there is no more town. In 1966, their town was demolished to continue the mine operations. 
Thirty years after Ray-Sonora was removed from the map, in 1996, the Magma Copper mine where my father and grandfather worked for decades—and that had provided so much stability for my family—officially closed, because it was deemed too costly to continue operations. 
The only way my father could continue his career in mining was to relocate his family to another mining town. This wouldn’t be the last time this happened in my childhood. Chasing the ore was my father’s way of ensuring our family always had a stable and comfortable life.
The delicate patterns cut from family and historical photographs highlight the tension often felt by my family and so many mining families as they attempted to build a life in the shadow of a brutal and unstable industry, dependent on an unsympathetic capitalist economy.” - @venessaballImage attachmentImage attachment+6Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art is at University of Arizona School of Art.
4 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

“Small. Confused. And in Awe.”

In case you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, the 2022 MFA Exhibition is featuring this incredible body of work created by Florence Von Grote! The illustrations are based on treasured memories from the places Florence has lived. The little animals are stand-in protagonists inhabiting, exploring and experiencing dream-based worlds.

“Small. Confused. And in Awe. is based on memories of the places I have lived. Events, people, and places are contorted and blended together into a half-imagined/half-remembered architecture. The nod to children’s book illustration invites the viewer to blur the boundaries between animal and human, reality and imagination.” - @flovong

Featured images are:
Traveler
Progress photo
Cartographer
Gardener
Loiterer
Collector

We urge you to check out Florence’s amazing work in the @uazmuseumofart before the show ends on May 14!
... See MoreSee Less

“Small. Confused. And in Awe.” 

In case you haven’t had the chance to see it yet, the 2022 MFA Exhibition is featuring this incredible body of work created by Florence Von Grote! The illustrations are based on treasured memories from the places Florence has lived. The little animals are stand-in protagonists inhabiting, exploring and experiencing dream-based worlds. 

“Small. Confused. And in Awe. is based on memories of the places I have lived. Events, people, and places are contorted and blended together into a half-imagined/half-remembered architecture. The nod to children’s book illustration invites the viewer to blur the boundaries between animal and human, reality and imagination.” - @flovong 

Featured images are:
Traveler
Progress photo
Cartographer
Gardener
Loiterer
Collector

We urge you to check out Florence’s amazing work in the @uazmuseumofart before the show ends on May 14!Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment
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University of Arizona School of Art is at University of Arizona School of Art.
4 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Need plans for tomorrow? Join us Friday (4/29) from 5-7PM at the Graduate Gallery for The Soft Lines exhibition!

Soft Lines is a class exhibition for Art504 Soft Installation instructed by Angie Zielenski.

See you there!!👋
... See MoreSee Less

Need plans for tomorrow? Join us Friday (4/29) from 5-7PM at the Graduate Gallery for The Soft Lines exhibition! 

Soft Lines is a class exhibition for Art504 Soft Installation instructed by Angie Zielenski. 

See you there!!👋
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University of Arizona School of Art is at University of Arizona School of Art.
4 weeks ago
University of Arizona School of Art

Our future Art and Visual Culture educators invite you to join them for the 2022 Wildcat Art Exhibition and Reception this coming Saturday (4/30) from 10AM to 12PM in the Lionel Rombach Gallery!🎉

Wildcat Art is a non-profit, student-led program offered by the Art & Visual Culture Education program at the University of Arizona School of Art. Now in its 27th year, Wildcat Art serves the Tucson community while providing hands-on teaching experience for advanced undergraduate and graduate art education students.

The exhibition features selected works by local K-12 students created during art lessons developed and taught by Art & Visual Culture Education undergraduate students. This year’s theme explored the community of Tucson through environmental and cultural history and identity. The exhibition includes paintings, collages, embroidery, clay works, and drawings.🌵

We hope to see you there!!
... See MoreSee Less

Our future Art and Visual Culture educators invite you to join them for the 2022 Wildcat Art Exhibition and Reception this coming Saturday (4/30) from 10AM to 12PM in the Lionel Rombach Gallery!🎉

Wildcat Art is a non-profit, student-led program offered by the Art & Visual Culture Education program at the University of Arizona School of Art. Now in its 27th year, Wildcat Art serves the Tucson community while providing hands-on teaching experience for advanced undergraduate and graduate art education students.

The exhibition features selected works by local K-12 students created during art lessons developed and taught by Art & Visual Culture Education undergraduate students. This year’s theme explored the community of Tucson through environmental and cultural history and identity. The exhibition includes paintings, collages, embroidery, clay works, and drawings.🌵

We hope to see you there!!Image attachmentImage attachment
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