University of Richmond Hartnett Museum of Art

University of Richmond Museums Multisensory Exhibition Explores the U.S.-Mexico Border

October 31, 2024

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Border Cantos | Sonic Border, a traveling exhibition organized by the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, brings together the sights and the sounds of the Mexican-American border. It will be on view at the Harnett Museum of Art at the University of Richmond through Dec. 17.

Photographer Richard Misrach and composer and artist Guillermo Galindo began collaborating in 2011, after both artists had created bodies of work inspired by the Mexican-American border region and its impact. This multi-sensory exhibit pairs Misrach’s photographic landscapes with Galindo’s sound composition and musical sculptures created from objects found along the border.

“While photographing along the 2000 mile U.S.-Mexico Border I discovered and brought back multiple artifacts scattered across the desert,” said photographer Richard Misrach. “Guillermo [Galindo] transformed those objects into sculptures/instruments/symbols/concepts for contemplation and listening experience. It was an extraordinary—I would even say magical—collaboration which succeeded in creating something greater and more meaningful than either of our individual efforts could have hoped for.”

“We are honored to be presenting Border Cantos | Sonic Border this fall, a moving and immersive collaboration between Richard Misrach and Guillermo Galindo,” said Issa Lampe, executive director of University Museums. “This exhibit reveals the often unseen human reality of the Mexican-American borderlands.”

Programming for students and the community has included a talk from UR anthropology professors Miguel Diaz-Barriga and Margaret Dorsey, who research the impact of the U.S.-Mexico border wall on local communities.

A public lecture by the artists titled “Border Cantos: The Collaboration” on Wednesday, will take place on Nov. 20, from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Queally Center at the University of Richmond. A reception and viewing of the exhibition will follow in the Harnett Museum of Art. 

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