What sort of scene would an individual about to risk their life crossing the desert into the United States paint? What images would be depicted? What colors would be used? What message would such a painting bring to communities in the United States? These questions lay at the heart of our desire to paint with migrants in Altar, Sonora, Mexico.

    Altar is a Northern Mexican city that is located approximately an hour south of Arizona. Thousands of immigrants from various parts of Mexico and from numerous Central American countries pass through the city before embarking on their journey through the desert. The magnitude of this migration can be witnessed simply through walking the streets of Altar. Stores selling backpacks, hiking boots, water bottles, and even human guides, known as coyotes, line the city streets. These stores cater to the migrant population, a population consistent in numbers, but constantly changing in faces.

    We felt that this city would be the ideal location for our painting project. Many migrants arrive in Altar and remain in the city for a few days before crossing into the United States. These days are usually spent in the town plaza. We selected this location, in conjunction with a migrant shelter, to ask willing migrants to paint with us.

    The response to our request was astounding. The first night of our stay in Altar was spent in a migrant shelter founded by the Catholic church. The C.C.A.Y.M.N (Centro Comunitario de Atencion al Migrante y Necesitado) provides shelter, meals, and medical attention to migrants in need. Migrants gather outside their entrance and wait for the gate to be opened. Each afternoon at 5 o’clock a member of the Catholic church arrives and welcomes migrants into the compound. We stood alongside these individuals and waited for the opening of the shelter. We explained our project and invited anyone interested to paint with us that evening. Each migrant at the shelter graciously took a canvas and painted. The stories began to unfold through dialogue, painting and simply presence.

    The following day we brought our remaining canvasses to the center plaza in Altar. Initially, we approached a few men and explained our project. They were all willing to paint. As these first men began to paint with us many others soon followed. In only a few hours all forty of our blank canvasses transformed into stories, struggles, and hopes.

    The works of these artists are remarkable. The trusting demeanor each exhibited is inspirational. Only a few days, or even hours, before initiating their crossing into a new land, these men, women, and children stopped and painted with us. Each painting encapsulates a reality. It is fundamental that you pay proper attention to the images. The voices behind the art are not always heard, yet each migrant has a story to tell. Let this art speak to you. Thank you.

Molly Ericson '09 and Melissa Theesen '09

Click on any painting below to begin a slide show of all paintings.