When we come together to share our stories, we build community, compassion and empathy.
We learn to step into each other’s shoes and get a taste of their life experience and how they feel. And by taking those stories and making art together, we connect even more. That’s what Margarita Cabrera does.
The socially engaged artist works with communities across the U.S. and world to address various social themes and topics, including immigration, labor and border politics, and collaborate on works of art.
“This is part of the methodology of my community collaborative productions,” said Cabrera, who lives in El Paso, Texas. “That we create works that build relationships and that these become strong creative communities.”
Colorado Springs graduate was first woman to join Harlem Globetrotters in 18 years
Two of her projects, which deal with immigration and food justice, will be on display beginning Friday at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. “Margarita Cabrera: Space in Between + CARE” will open during First Friday with a free reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and run through Dec. 13.
Her “Space in Between” project, which began in 2010, was inspired by the term “nepantla,” an Aztec expression coined by writer Gloria Anzaldúa that refers to the space between — living in the borderlands or crossroads, spaces where marginalized cultures create and survive.
For Cabrera, that space is between cultures and nations, between languages and between people and thoughts. It’s a space that connects people and where ritual, resistance and transformation can happen, she says.
11 weekend things to do around Colorado Springs and beyond: International Women’s Day Fashions, Spencers Garden Show and more
The exhibit, a collaboration between Cabrera and volunteer community members in cities throughout the U.S., features soft sculptures of plants found in the Southwest, such as agave, aloe vera, prickly pears and saguaros. They’re crafted from the fabric of U.S. Border Patrol uniforms and embroidered with phrases and symbols significant to the immigration stories of project participants.
“These are important works of art because they are a true portrayal of the landscape, of the borderlands, of our times,” Cabrera said. “They were created by immigrant communities about their history and it’s for their empowerment.”
Recognizing that we have a shared immigration history is key to the project.
“We all in our families have a history of immigration we need to recognize, identify and accept as shared history with other communities,” she said. “Our families have come to this country maybe a month ago, maybe six months ago, 10 years ago or 100 years ago. This is history that is foundational to this country, and we need to recognize it. That’s where compassion and empathy comes in.”
Irish band Téada bringing traditional music to Colorado Springs this weekend
“CARE,” Cabrera’s second project in the show, began in Longmont in collaboration with Ollin Farms, which grows its produce without pesticides or herbicides. It was inspired by the old parable of the long spoons and its moral to nourish others as a way to nourish yourself.
Cabrera and community participants began by telling each other their stories about their relationships to food and the land, then worked with clay to sculpt yardlong spoons mounted on wooden dowels made from fallen wood in the Longmont region.
“People were being innovative, creative producers together with those they’re sharing stories with,” Cabrera said. “They’re a very close-knit community now.”
Contact the writer: 636-0270
Contact the writer: 636-0270
link