The Land Within Us
Death of Migrants, Alejandro Macias
The Land Within Us is an exhibition curated by Alondra Garza and featuring the work of 31 artists from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and Mexico. The Land Within Us acknowledges the lack of representation in the art world for Indigenous and Latines, most especially for young artists, in the U.S.
“The majority of people from Latin America have Indigenous of the Americas ancestry, on the contrary of the colonized mindset. Before, Native Americans and Indigenous of Latin America were thought of as separate, and this belief has not disappeared completely. This separation was made by the colonizers and the government to try to keep us separate because we can fight colonization and make a bigger impact when we are together.
In the United States, there is a lack of representation in the art world for Indigenous and Latines, and it is even harder as an emerging artist. It is almost necessary for Native Americans and Latines to occupy space in an art gallery, where our presence is very limited and is mostly a colonized space.
This exhibition was made to have the opportunity to showcase and support our voices through our artistic practices. To make them finally be seen. Indigenous of the Americas artists showcase together, as a whole, like it was always supposed to be. We use our art to tell stories about our identities and to learn from each other. It is time to come together and showcase our creations inspired by our body, family, identity, nature, and land.”
- Curator and artist Alondra M. Garza
Artists exhibiting include: Adrian Alejandro Gonzalez , Alejandro Macias, Alondra Garza, Alonzo Pantoja, Ashley Bautista, Bobby Marines, Christopher Alday, Cristina Mora, Drew Arrieta, Gabi Estrada, Genessis Lopez, Grover Hogan, Hedgiee, Inkpa Mani, Ivonne Yanez, J. Michelle Jesús, Jonathan Thunder, Jose Trejo Maya, Jovanny Hernandez, Juan Diego Pérez La Cruz, Kafe, Karla Gabriela De La Fuente, Kayla Koerner, Krystal Stackhouse, Lauren Alfaro Nuñez, Lynda Grafito, Nancy Ariza, Racquel Banaszak, Silvia Agreda-Kostin, & Sofi Lopez.
Exhibition Dates: March 9 - April 23, 2022
About the Curator
Alondra M Garza is a Tejana/Tex-Mex artist. She was born on the Mexican side at the Rio Grande Valley borderlands of Mexico and South Texas and obtained dual citizenship as a Mexican American. Garza received a BFA at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with honors and an MFA at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Her work has been exhibited internationally across the U.S., Mexico, and Italy. This includes a Solo Exhibition at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Group exhibitions at YAG/Garage in Italy, Minneapolis Institute of Art and The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis MN, The Museum of Fine Arts in Brownsville, TX, and mural commissions in Mexico. Her work is part of the private collection of The University of Minnesota Chicano & Latino Studies, by being awarded an emerging artist grant. She has been commissioned by CLUES and Lake Street to make work for the first Day of The Dead Parade in Minneapolis, MN. She has additionally attended a class at New York Academy of Art with Vincent Desiderio in NYC. Garza has been part of Art Residencies around the U.S., awarded juror’s choice in MADE at MCAD, and curated two Open Studio Nights at the MCAD MFA gallery.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.