Sam Fox School Faculty, Alumni Featured in Exhibition on Migration

A team of researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have organized an exhibition titled “Moving Stories in the Making: An Exhibition of Migration Narratives.”

The researchers ask how visual, textual, and oral narratives can bridge divides between migrants and the communities where they settle. The exhibition both brings together the work of artists who craft narratives of migration and holds space for migrants to share their stories. Featured artists include Lecturer Zlatko Ćosić, MFA ’11, and Laurencia Strauss, MFA ‘13; Mee Jey, MFA ’19; Janna Añonuevo Langholz; Arleene Correa Valencia; Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya; Kiki Salem; and Rafael Soldi.

The exhibition is an “experiment in collaborative curating, with a team of WashU researchers from several disciplines and career stages making collective decisions about the art and programming, informed by insights gleaned in listening sessions with migrants, advocates, scholars, and arts workers in St. Louis,” said Jay Buchanan, a PhD student in art history and the organizer of the exhibition. “This project seeks to demonstrate how stories can shift entrenched attitudes toward immigration and how art can foster connections between migrants and the communities in which they become a part.”

The project also serves to open a dialogue with St. Louis’ immigrant community and begin collecting local migrant narratives. Later stages of their project include building an app which would draw on this collection of narratives.

The exhibition will open Saturday, Feb. 3, 2:00-5:00 p.m., at The Luminary, a gallery at 2701 Cherokee Street. The opening reception features a participatory ritual by Phingbodipakkiya, who will also give a lecture as part of the Sam Fox School’s Public Lecture Series Feb. 1.

The Moving Stories team is funded by the Incubator for Transdisciplinary Futures in Arts & Sciences and supported by the Mark S. Weil and Joan M. Hall Fund for Art History. Faculty leads include Lisa Bulawsky, professor and chair, MFA in Visual Art program; Ariela Schachter, associate professor of sociology; Tabea Alexa Linhard, director and professor of global studies; and Ila Sheren, associate director CRE2 and associate professor of art history and archeology.

Moving Stories in the Making: An Exhibition of Migration Narratives

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2:00 p.m.
Opening reception with participatory ritual led by Amanda Phingbodipakkiya, live music, and remarks from the organizers.
The Luminary

Saturday, March 2, 2:00 p.m.
Storytelling Workshop led by José Garza, MFA ’13, and Miriam Ruiz
The Luminary

Friday, March 22, 12:00 p.m.
Rafael Soldi Artist Talk
Steinberg Auditorium, Washington University in St. Louis