From floating red buoys in the Rio Grande to the takeover of a public city park, Eagle Pass has made headlines in the on-going fight between the state of Texas and the federal government over border enforcement.
But residents of Eagle Pass say news coverage often leaves out the rich cultural experience of what it is like to live on the border and have roots in communities that are binational, bicultural, and bilingual.
The Border is Beautiful exhibition at the Eagle Pass Art & Culture Center features the works of nearly 50 artists with roots on the U.S.-Mexico border and celebrates the cultural tapestry of the region.
Yocelyn Riojas, assistant director of the Eagle Pass Digital Arts Society, helped coordinate the exhibition.
She said the space is filled with reflections of the community.
“We see different things that connect us to home,” she said. “It is truly a celebration. It's bright, it is full. It is filled with so much art that people don't comprehend.”
Abel Ortiz, a border artist and art educator at Southwest Texas College, explained his painting, Sisyphus. It depicts a Border Patrol truck towing three tires on the surface of the moon.
“The border areas are full of histories of immigration,” he said. “This is what these artworks can do: bring awareness to these issues that we all deal with along the borders.”
The artwork Shelby by artist Santos Polendo touches on the indigenous roots of Shelby Park and its namesake, Confederate Col. Joseph Shelby.
Polendo, a member of the Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas, says it’s history that can’t be erased.
“The piece was about … stirring up that conversation,” he said. “Why is there an indigenous person in full regalia taking a cellphone picture of a Confederate soldier in the middle of the river?”
Eagle Pass native Jesse Fuentes, a board member of the Eagle Pass Border Coalition, has been a vocal advocate against Gov. Greg Abbott’s focus on border enforcement.
He described what the exhibition means to him.
“This art exhibit is emotional, it's inspirational,” he said. “It’s a clearer narrative of how we want to be seen down here. We want to be seen for the beauty and for our culture and our history and our story.”
The exhibition is on display at the Eagle Pass Art & Culture Center through Sept. 30.
View a video taken from the opening night of The Border is Beautiful exhibition in August.
Credit: Reel Beta - Clay Fisher.
