This installation challenges viewers to engage in the issues facing Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Inspired by BMoCA’s concurrent exhibition El movimiento sigue, this exhibition continues the social justice work of Los Seis de Boulder, six activists in the Chicano Student Movement who lost their lives while advocating for equal educational opportunities at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Viewers experience the perspectives, dilemmas, and emotions of two Dreamers at the center of the installation as they confront the United States/Mexico border wall. Signs in the Mexican Papel Picado tradition hang in the air and express the Dreamers’ hopes and wishes for an American life: Without Dreamers, There is No American Dream; Home is Here, Here to Stay; We Are Not Aliens; Dreamers Not Criminals; Stop Deportations; Citizenship Now; Dreamers Belong Here.

Join us and be active in the journey towards justice.

-Judy Miranda & Geraldina “Jerry” Lawson, artists

This exhibition is presented in partnership with Chicano Humanities & Arts Council (CHAC).

About the Artists
Born in southern California, Judy Miranda sees through the eyes of a first-generation American. Her father emigrated from Hungary during World War II, and her mother emigrated from Mexico. She began making art in high school, working in photography before branching out into painting and wood carving. Miranda seeks to create works that open viewers’ eyes and hearts and provide the space for questioning personal and societal beliefs. Through her art, she strives to share her passion for truth and social justice. Miranda’s first exhibition was in 1975 at the California State University Long Beach gallery, where she was the first Chicano artist to exhibit work. She has since shown her work internationally at venues including the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Hunter Gallery in New York, the Prado Museum in Spain, and galleries in Cuba and Mexico City. Miranda lives and works in Denver and is a member of the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council.

Geraldina “Jerry” Lawson is a Denver-based artist who was born in the border town of Laredo, Texas, where she grew up bilingually (Spanish and English) and biculturally (Mexican and American). Her observations of unjust treatment in her Latino community sparked her desire to address disparities and express her Chicana identity through art. Lawson’s commitment to social justice grew through her 35-year career as a nurse in public healthcare. During the 1980s, she began her journey in the Chicano arts by directing and producing Chicano teatro. Lawson was the proprietor and artistic director of Artes del Pueblo (Art of the People) where she curated 40 exhibitions. A recognized professional storyteller, she has performed “Cuentos de Lupe la Loca’’ locally and nationally and published a book of her cuentos/stories. In 2010 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council in Denver. Her artistic practice currently includes relief wood carvings focused on social justice.

About Present Box
Present Box is a series of temporary exhibitions that invite artists to transform BMoCA’s lobby and front entrance into innovative installations, performances, and events. The site-specific projects are intended to encourage artists to create work outside their comfort zone, and to foster interactive participation. Artists are also urged to explore themes that are relevant for our present time.

BMoCA would like to thank the families of Los Seis de Boulder for their gracious involvement in the museum’s exhibition of El movimiento sigue and associated programs. BMoCA looks forward to further collaboration with the families, Los Seis de Boulder Sculpture Project, and many community partners, including El Centro AMISTAD, Chicano Humanities & Arts Council, City of Boulder Office of Arts & Culture, The Latino History Project, Metropolitan State University of Denver Department of Chicana/o Studies Journey Through Our Heritage, Mexican Cultural Center, Museo de las Americas, and YWCA of Boulder County.

During the year-long exhibition of El movimiento sigue, BMoCA will collaborate with community members and groups to create free public programs that honor the history of Los Seis de Boulder and spark conversation about the current state of equal opportunity for all people in our community. This exhibition is presented as part of these efforts and in partnership with Chicano Humanities & Arts Council (CHAC) in conjunction with the El movimiento sigue exhibition in BMoCA’s InsideOut space.

Thank you to our generous sponsors:
Nicky Wolman & David Fulker, Sue Schweppe, Audrey & Andy Franklin, The Markowitz Family, City of Boulder, Boulder Arts Commission, Human Relations Commission, Scientific & Cultural Facilities District, Colorado Creative Industries, and National Endowment for the Arts.

Exhibition Events
- 8/12 Opening Reception