MALLORY LORING/Arizona Daily Wildcat An artist puts finishing touches on a statue on Saturday The statue is part of a traveling art show dedicated to the border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Touring art in Union reflects border issues

Students who pass through the union today will have a hard time ignoring the towering metal figures that stand on the edge of the mall.

Four steel human sculptures, each approximately 14 feet tall and weighing 500 ÷ 900 pounds, are on display as part of a national tour intended to promote discussion of border issues.

"Our mission is to create awareness and appreciation for the unique culture that has arisen on the U.S.-Mexico border," said Tom Whittingslow, founder of the Tucson-based, nonprofit Beyond Borders: Binational Art Foundation.

The sculptures, commissioned by Beyond Borders, came to the UA from Nogales, Mexico, where they had been anchored to the Mexican side of the border fence since Jan. 13.

The imposing steel figures now stand along an exact replica of a section of the international border wall made from a Vietnam-era air force landing strip.

The figures push against the wall with their hands, shoulders and backs as if they were trying to topple the barrier.

They are positioned on each side of the model border in order to represent the complex nature of border issues, Whittingslow said.

Whittingslow said he hopes the piece "gives the viewer an emotional experience of dealing with barriers, either external or of the mind."

MALLORY LORING/Arizona Daily Wildcat The "Border Dynamics" sculpture located outside the Student Union Memorial Center will be officially unveiled Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m.

The UA is the first stop on a national tour of the artwork, titled "Border Dynamics."

Socorro Carrizosa, director of Hispanic and Chicano Student Affairs, said she hopes the art encourages students to think about cultural tensions and border issues like migration, trade and immigrant deaths.

"It's an opportunity to bring an academic discussion to issues they read about every day in the paper," she said.

Carrizosa said the idea to bring the sculptures to the UA arose when she met Whittingslow at a Latino Book and Family Festival in Phoenix earlier this year.

Both Carrizosa and Whittingslow thought it would be appropriate to showcase the sculptures in an academic setting, so they brought the idea to the university.

"The response was an overwhelming yes," Carrizosa said. "For the university to allow us to do this is really fantastic."

Whittingslow and Carrizosa hope the sculptures draw in members of the Tucson community as well as the university.

"We can't disassociate ourselves from what's happening on the border," said Carrizosa. "Day to day life in the Tucson and Arizona community is impacted by what happens there."

Chrissy Lieberman, coordinator of campus activities and Union Galleries, said she expects an overwhelming response to the sculptures, which will remain on display until Nov. 15.

Lieberman said that in early discussions, the university planned to display the art for only two weeks, and the decision to keep the piece for two months was a welcome surprise.

Lieberman anticipates some students may not react positively to the artwork because of its unique, contemporary style and its central location.

"Most of the public art I've seen recently is pretty digestible. More contemporary pieces like this one are more challenging for people to understand," she said.

Whittingslow said he also expects criticism, but added, "It would be pointless if there wasn't debate."

Whittingslow said the piece is designed to be cutting-edge in order to depict the harsh reality of modern Mexican culture.

"We're not interested in the Mexican in a sombrero sleeping under a cactus," he said.

Whittingslow said when the sculptures were displayed in Nogales, they became a modern icon of the U.S.-Mexico border.

He received letters from many who came to see it, telling him it was a life-changing experience and said he hopes it can have the same effect on those who view it at the UA.

"I think it sends a very positive message. It brings light to the issues around the border," said T.J. Willis, a first-year graduate student studying higher education.

"I've never been to the border so it brings it closer," Willis said.

The display coincides with Hispanic Heritage month, which is Sept. 15 ÷ Oct. 15.

On Sept. 22 at 5:30 p.m., "Border Dynamics" artists Alberto Morackis and Guadalupe Serrano will speak at the official unveiling of the exhibit, along with President Peter Likins.

Following the unveiling is a showing of "The Gatekeeper," a dramatic film about immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, in the Gallagher Theater of the Student Union Memorial Center.

After the UA, "Border Dynamics" will travel to the Weisman Museum of Art in Minneapolis, DePaul University in Chicago and Lakeland Community College in Cleveland.