The Border Crossed Us divides the UMass Amherst campus along its North-South pedestrian walkway.
April 20th - May 1, 2011.

The Border Crossed Us

A temporary public art installation by the Institute for Infinitely Small Things on the UMass Amherst campus. Sponsored by the University Museum of Contemporary Art.

Follow the project at www.thebordercrossed.us - Images, Student responses, text messages and comments.

Join us Saturday, April 23 with special guests Ofelia Rivas & Flora Marietta (Tohono O'odham) and Tiokasin Ghosthorse (Cheyanne River Sioux)

Powwow, 10:00 – 6:00 PM Curry Hicks Cage.

Tours of the Border, 11AM & 2:30 PM Virtual Tours of the US-Mexico border fence at the Project Site. Led by Ofelia Rivas & Flora Marietta (Tohono O'odham) and Catherine D'Ignazio (the Institute for Infinitely Small Things). Co-organized with Artists in Context.

Flute Performance, 6:30 PM Red Cedar flute performance at the Project Site by renowned musician, DJ and activist Tiokasin Ghosthorse of the Cheyanne River Sioux. All events are free and open to the public

About The Border Crossed Us

The Border Crossed Us transplants the US-Mexico border fence in southern Arizona to the UMass Amherst campus in the form of a 400-foot-long photographic mural and sound installation emanating from a vent in the ground. In addition to the installation, the Institute for Infinitely Small Things has co-organized programming with the Anthropology Dept, the Native American Studies Certificate Program, and Artists in Context.

From April 20 to May 1st, the UMass Amherst campus will be divided along its North-South boundary by a to-scale photographic replica of the vehicle fence that runs along the international boundary in southern Arizona/Northern Sonora. The particular stretch of fence being represented was erected in 2007 by Homeland Security and now divides the Tohono O’odham Nation – the second largest Native American reservation in the country – into two parts.

What happens when we divide a territory that the community imagines as contiguous? How does the international border in Arizona, seemingly remote from a college campus in northern New England, touch all of our lives here? More info: www.thebordercrossed.us.

Commissioned by the University Museum of Contemporary Art at UMass Amherst.

Please direct press inquiries to Eva Fierst 413-545-1176/efierst@art.umass.edu

This project was made possible by the Berkshire Taconic Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts, Artists in Context, the RISD Professional Development Fund, Technomad and the University Museum of Contemporary Art at UMass Amherst.

This is the mailing list for the below groups & projects:

The Institute for Infinitely Small Things conducts creative, participatory research that aims to temporarily transform public spaces dominated by corporate and political agendas. Using performance and conversation, we investigate social and political "tiny things". These have included corporate ads, street names, and post-9/11 security terminology. The Institute markets dissent through its research reports in the form of maps, books and videos. This interdisciplinary group has a varied and open membership.

iKatun is an artist-run organization whose mission is to foster public engagement in the politics of information. iKatun runs experimental curatorial platforms, supports art projects and publishes critical writing. iKatun was founded in 2000 as a 501(c)3 organization based in Boston, MA.

Platform2: Art and Social Engagement is an experimental event series about creative practices at the intersection of social issues. Platform2 is organized by Catherine D'Ignazio, Jane D. Marsching, Savic Rasovic and Andi Sutton.

kanarinka is an artist & educator based in Boston, MA.