Telenovelas in Front of Our Eyes

"No Puedo Pasar" - painting by Ana Teresa Fernandez exhibited at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. Her painting reads "No puedo pasar indiferente ante el dolor de tanta gente" which translates to I cannot pass here with indifference considering the sorrow of so many people.

Today I visited the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. A new exhibition, titled "A Declaration of Immigration" opened on July 4th. The images that depict the experience of immigrants and the politics surrounding immigration policy are conveyed in 100 pieces of art being shown, including the painting by Ana Teresa Fernandez titled "No Puedo Pasar" -

Fernandez' work brings to mind our current diorama - the millions of undocumented people in the U.S. - thousands of which getting arrested and deported - while the rest of us watch. Those of us who are documented see the videos on tv and youtube. We see photos of crying babies on the front pages of newspapers. We hear the stories of arrests and detentions - of workers being yelled at by ICE officers with guns in their hands. Imagining the sounds of the helicopters hovering over a raid site. Some of us wonder, "how can this be happening?"

Amid outrageous gas prices, the mortgage crisis, continuing deaths in Iraq and the threat of war against Iran we are still affected when we hear of the Postville raid, or the Bedford Mass. raid, or the nursing babies that became dehydrated because ICE separated them from their mothers-

Sometimes we wonder if there is any need to air telenovelas because we have our very own drama in front of our eyes. How can we be indifferent to this?
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National Museum of Mexican Art

exhibit:

July 4 - September 17, 2008

A Declaration of Immigration is an exhibition that depicts many of the experiences and viewpoints within U.S. immigrant communities. The works of over 70 artists will help visitors increase their understanding of this complex issue by providing immigrant perspectives that are seldom included in the national debate. As a vital part of the democratic process, artists and community-based institutions play a critical role in any civic dialogue and struggle for social justice. Immigration is indisputably the foundation upon which this country was built. The National Museum of Mexican Art has a responsibility to take a proactive stance, and provide a platform from which many immigrants can speak out – especially at a time in our history, when once again, countless immigrants are being scapegoated and blamed for many of the nation’s
problems. This exhibition will launch the Museum’s three-year commitment to immigrant centered programs.

from the exhibition brochure