BOTH SIDES OF THE RIVER
Endangered Species in the Borderlands
“I had the opportunity to help to produce two murals as part of the (Species in Peril Along the Rio Grande) project, collaborating with artists and organizers in New Mexico and Chihuahua to create a pair of wall-paintings illuminating some of the threatened wildlife of the region. … The first is installed in Parque Borunda, a popular public outdoor space near one of the major crossing points, and features the Jaguar and the Aplomado Falcon. The next graces the foyer of the Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Texas El Paso, and features the Mexican Grey Wolf, the Southwest Willow Flycatcher, and the Monarch Butterfly. All of these species are cross-border migrants, representing the resilience of border communities to the violence of late capitalism.”
—Roger Peet, from “Species in Peril: Murals on the Border”
Both Sides of the River/Ambos Lados del Rio – Endangered Species in the Borderlands/Especies en Peligro en la Zona Fronteriza is a cross-border mural collaboration between U.S. artists Jaque Fragua and Dose (of Jemez Pueblo and Albuquerque) and Mexican artists Juan Carlos Reyes aka Waka and Laura Meneses of Ciudad Juárez. The project produced two murals focusing on the endangered species of the Rio Grande borderlands, located at the Rubin Center for Visual Arts at University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and Parque Borunda in Ciudad Juárez. They reflect the interconnectedness of border communities of endangered wildlife and culture across the river that both unites and divides them. Presented by Center for Biological Diversity’s Endangered Species Mural Project, Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Visual Art Program at Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez and 516 ARTS. These two murals were created with help from Roger Peet of the Center for Biological Diversity, Kerry Doyle of Rubin Center at UTEP, and Ernesto Leon De La Rosa of the Universidad Autonoma de Juarez.
LOCATIONS:
EL PASO: Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP
500 West University Ave., El Paso, TX
915-747-6151 • rubin.utep.edu
CIUDAD JUÁREZ: Parque Borunda
Av Vicente Guerrero s/n, Partido Romero,
32030 Cd Juárez, Chih., Mexico
Banner Image: Jaque Fragua, Dose, Waka & Laura Meneses, Ambos Lados del Rio – Especies en Peligro en la Zona Fronteriza, 2019, Mural in Cd. Juárez.
Jaque Fragua, Dose, Waka & Laura Meneses, Both Sides of the River/Ambos Lados del Rio – Endangered Species in the Borderlands/Especies en Peligro en la Zona Fronteriza, 2019.
Dose working on the mural in Cd. Juárez.
Laura Meneses and Waka working on the mural in Cd. Juárez.
All images courtesy of 516 ARTS.