Miracles on the Border: Folk Paintings of Mexican Migrants to the U.S

University Library Art Gallery
7:30 am – 8:00 pm

Miracles on the Border: Folks Paintings of Mexican Migrants to the U.S. is a powerful exhibition of Mexican retablos that are both fascinating artworks and compelling sociological documents. Collected by Drs. Jorge Durand, University of Guadalajara, and Douglas Massesy, Princeton University, as part of an ongoing study fo Mexico-United States migration, the retablos displayed in this exhibit express the most prominent concerns of the immigrants who dedicated them, giving us direct Mexican perspectives on migrations. 

Retablos are Mexican folk paintings dedicated to the Virgin, Christ, and saints in thanksgiving for a miracle granted or favor received. The retablos in this exhibit were presented to religious shrines in Mexico by immigrants or by their families to commemorate a miraculous event or experience associated with migrating or living in the United States. Created by untrained popular artists or the migrants themselves, the retablos in Miracles on the Border represent work from as early as 1912. 

This exhibit was part of the Immigration: Humanity on the Move series and has been made possible through a generous grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts. SSU contributors to the event include Associated Student Productions, Multi-Cultural Center, and Residential Life. Other campus partners instrumental in bringing this exhibit to campus are the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies and the University Library.