This will be a live-stream program at St. John’s and is part of our continuing series on Becoming Beloved Community for 2024. This program celebrates both National Hispanic and Native American Heritage months and is sponsored by the Mellon Foundation. The program begins promptly at 1 PM and will last about an hour. We will meet in Walker Hall. This is a public program and is open to the entire community.
Though often contested in political debates around immigration and security, the Borderlands that transcend the boundaries of Mexico, sovereign indigenous nations, and the United States are also spaces of artistic invention, cultural renewal, and intermingled histories. What can we learn from new ideas and new approaches to the arts currently taking place in the region, and from the strength and stewardship of its many different cultures? In a year when both Mexico and the United States are holding presidential elections focused on the political border between the countries, how can we better understand and celebrate the intersection of the arts, culture, and social justice that lives among Borderlands communities?
Join Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander for a discussion with guests whose mission-driven work connects us to the Borderlands: Julián Castro, chief executive officer of the Latino Community Foundation; Dr. Patrisia Gonzales, emeritus associate professor, University of Arizona and advisor to the Indigenous Alliance Without Borders; and Cristina Ibarra, filmmaker & co-founding director of Borderlands Studios.
Aunque a menudo se disputa en los debates políticos sobre la inmigración y la seguridad, la zona fronteriza que trasciende los límites de México, las naciones indígenas soberanas y los Estados Unidos también es un espacio de invención artística, renovación cultural e historias entrelazadas. ¿Qué podemos aprender de las nuevas ideas y los nuevos enfoques artísticos que están teniendo lugar en la región, y del valor y la gestión de sus muy diversas culturas? En un año en el que tanto México como Estados Unidos celebran elecciones presidenciales centradas en la frontera política entre ambos países, ¿cómo podemos entender y celebrar mejor la intersección de las artes, la cultura y la justicia social que vive entre las comunidades de las zonas fronterizas?
Únase a Elizabeth Alexander, presidenta de la Fundación Mellon, en un debate con invitados cuyo trabajo nos conecta con las zonas fronterizas: Julián Castro, director ejecutivo de la Latino Community Foundation; la Dra. Patrisia Gonzales, profesora asociada emérita de la Universidad de Arizona y asesora de la alianza Indigenous Alliance Without Borders, y Cristina Ibarra, cineasta y directora cofundadora de Borderlands Studios.