Sandy Rodriguez, Jakelin Amei Rosmery Caal Maquin (age 7), from You Will Not Be Forgotten, 2019 (private collection)
The 2022 Terra Lectures in American Art centre on Latinx art, with an emphasis on Chicanx (Mexican American) artists, and the theme of migration – of people, ideas, and artworks, from the seventeenth century to today. Art and activism converge as these lectures move across disciplinary, chronological, and geographical borders. We consider new approaches to “American” art, its borders, and contact zones. By posing strategic questions, these four talks demonstrate avenues of inquiry to decolonise art history.
Lecture 1 "Art and Radical Hospitality" presented by Professor Charlene Villaseñor Black
What is the role of art and artists in the face of human suffering? This lecture considers that question, focusing on Chicana (Mexican American) artist Sandy Rodriguez’s 2019 installation You Will Not Be Forgotten. Dwelling on her series of seven portraits of Central American children who died in US Customs and Border Protection in 2018 and 2019, I contextualize her art in relation to global migration crises. Investigation of Rodriguez’s work in relation to theories of memory, postmemory, and trauma elucidate the power of art to inspire empathy. How can art enact radical hospitality?
Lecture open to all to attend. Directions to Worcester College here.
Post-lecture drinks will be available after this lecture. For those unable to attend in person, this event will be live streamed.