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North Carolina museum exhibiting 20th century American art

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Home > Exhibitions > Border Cantos | Sonic Border

Border Cantos | Sonic Border

Richard Misrach | Guillermo Galindo

Dates:
July 22–October 24, 2022
Location:
Appleby Foundation Exhibition Hall

Border Cantos | Sonic Border, a unique collaboration between American photographer Richard Misrach and Mexican American sculptor and composer Guillermo Galindo, uses the power of art to explore and humanize the complex issues surrounding the Mexican-American border through a transformative and multi-sensory experience.

Misrach, who has photographed the border since 2004, beautifully captures landscapes and objects, including things left behind by migrants. His large-scale photographs, along with grids of smaller photos, highlight issues surrounding migration and its effect on regions and people, and also introduce a complicated look at policing the boundary.

Responding to these photographs, Galindo fashioned sound-generating sculptures from items Misrach collected along the border, such as water bottles, Border Patrol “drag tires,” spent shotgun shells, ladders, and sections of the border wall itself. The sounds they produce give voices to people through the personal belongings they have left behind. The composition embraces the Pre-Columbian belief that there was an intimate connection between an instrument and the material from which it was made, with no separation between spiritual and physical worlds. Based on the Mesoamerican Venus calendar, Sonic Border plays for a total of 260 minutes and is separated into 13 cycles of 20 minutes. Within these cycles, the instruments play in small groups of two or more, or all together as an orchestra.

Presented in English and Spanish, Border Cantos | Sonic Border offers perspective on the challenges of migration, inviting us to bridge boundaries. When experienced as a whole, the images, instruments, and emanating sounds create an immersive space in which to look, listen, and learn about the complicated issues surrounding the Mexican-American border. While the artists do not seek to provide solutions to these issues, they do provide insight into a place where most people have never ventured, creating a poignant connection that draws on our humanity.

Border Cantos | Sonic Border is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas. Support for the national tour of Border Cantos | Sonic Border is provided by Art Bridges.

Sensory note: This exhibition contains an immersive sound experience that varies in loudness and occasionally produces sudden noises. Noise-canceling headphones are available for checkout at the welcome desk. Learn more about accessibility at the Asheville Art Museum here. 

Related Programs & Events

Thursday, Jul 21, 2022

Members-Only Preview: Border Cantos | Sonic Border

As a valued Museum Member, we invite you to join us for the exclusive opening of our newest exhibition: Border Cantos | Sonic Border Please

Sunday, Aug 7, 2022

Public Tour: Border Cantos

This tour will be offered in Spanish or English depending on needs of participants.

Sunday, Aug 14, 2022

Public Tour: Border Cantos

This tour will be offered in Spanish or English depending on needs of participants.

Saturday, Sep 10, 2022

Free Community Event: Border Cantos | Sonic Border

Celebrate current exhibition Border Cantos | Sonic Border with an afternoon of creativity and discovery! This event features a variety of family-friendly programs both inside

Sunday, Sep 11, 2022

Public Tour: Border Cantos

This tour will be offered in Spanish or English depending on needs of participants.

Sunday, Sep 25, 2022

Public Tour: Border Cantos

This tour will be offered in Spanish or English depending on needs of participants.

Thursday, Sep 29, 2022

Special Performance: Guillermo Galindo

Mexican American sculptor and composer, Guillermo Galindo, whose sound generating sculptures are featured in Border Cantos | Sonic Border exhibition currently on display, will perform

Saturday, Oct 1, 2022

Artist Talk: Guillermo Galindo

Join artist and composer Guillermo Galindo as he discusses his work presented in the Museum’s current exhibition Border Cantos | Sonic Border on view through

Sunday, Oct 16, 2022

Public Tour: Border Cantos

This tour will be offered in Spanish or English depending on needs of participants.

Friday, Oct 21, 2022

Last Weekend: Border Cantos | Sonic Border

Border Cantos | Sonic Border: Richard Misrach | Guillermo Galindo

See All Related Events

Selected works from the exhibition

Tire drag tracks, near Calexico, California
Richard Misrach, Tire drag tracks, near Calexico, California
Wall, Jacumba, California
Richard Misrach, Wall, Jacumba, California

Group Tours

Groups of students or adults are invited to schedule a tour of the Museum’s Collection or special exhibitions. Our inquiry-based group visits, led by volunteer docents or Museum staff, challenge visitors to hone their observation skills.

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Museum Hours:

Open daily 11am–6pm. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Pre-purchased online tickets are encouraged; walk-in tickets are also available.
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Museum Location:

2 South Pack Square
Asheville, NC 28801
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Museum Contact

828.253.3227
[email protected]
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