PROGRAM GUIDE
“In this time when our governments are clearly not bringing us together across borders, the role of cultural and educational organizations and institutions is essential in making this work happen. Through an open process of invitations, calls, meetings around the region, networking, and collaboration, we have forged an intercity, cross-border partnership with four cities at its core: Albuquerque, Las Cruces, El Paso, and Ciudad Juárez.”
—Suzanne Sbarge, Executive Director, 516 ARTS
The 32-page program guide lists all the events and related exhibitions organized by 516 ARTS, the Art & Ecology program at UNM, and partner institutions in Chihuahua (Mexico), Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado.
“Everyone is invited to the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge for a provocative and honest conversation exploring what it means to reclaim “Columbus Day” as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” We gather in sincerity to open space for meaningful dialogue about species in peril, tribal sovereignty and trust responsibility. In this way we Honor Native Land, people, plants and animals along the Rio Grande. Speakers include Eddie Paul Torres (former Governor, farmer and rancher, Isleta Pueblo), Brophy Toledo (Cultural Leader, Jemez Pueblo), Roger Fragua (Jemez Pueblo) and Stephanie Oyenqu (Education Coordinator, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center), among others, and is moderated by Rosie Thunderchief (Valle de Oro/ Ancestral Lands Tribal VISTA, Navajo (Diné, Pawnee, Arapaho & Cheyenne, Ho-Chunk, Lakota). The evening culminates with a special performance of Animal Dances by youth from Jemez Pueblo.”
–Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Honoring Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Rio Grande“The US–Mexico borderlands, one of the most biologically diverse places in North America, traverse six eco-regions and provide home to 1,506 native terrestrial and freshwater animal and plant species, including 62 species listed as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The proposed expansion of the “Wall” threatens not only human communities but also the incredible diversity of life and binational investment in conservation. This event begins with a poetry performance by León De la Rosa, PhD, professor in the Departamento de Arte at IADA and UACJ and is followed by a panel discussion on the history and ecological vitality of the borderlands and the threats facing the region, featuring: Michael P. Berman, exhibition artist; Robert Peters, PhD, Defenders of Wildlife and author of In The Shadow of the Wall, on how the border wall will affect wildlife; Ma. Eugenia Hernández, PhD, professor, UACJ in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico; and Sam Truett, PhD, borderlands historian and UNM Professor of History.”
–Species in Peril on the Borderlands
Select Program Guide Spreads
Banner Image:
Marisa Demarco, Dylan Mclaughlin, Jessica Zeglin, There Must Be Other Names for the River, 2019, performance at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
Program Guide Cover Image: Suzi Davidoff, Simplified World/Aplomado Falcon and Grasses, 2017,Charcoal, gesso, map