THE LINES THAT GOT ME HERE

SEPTEMBER 10 – DECEMBER 31, 2023

Opening Reception September 17, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

The Lines That Got Me Here is a follow-up exhibition from last year’s “Lineas de Sangre” (Bloodlines). While I continue to examine and reflect on my experiences growing up as a “mixed” girl in Minnesota, a year later, I am in a different place. Our story doesn’t begin at birth. It’s a continuation through the bloodlines of our parents- their history and trauma unfold within us and around us through our upbringing. The choice of where to raise a family also contributes to our identity and culture. Through my reflective writings, recordings, research, and sketches I have come to the conclusion that solely creating work about my race was not enough. I needed to examine the traditions and beliefs that collided together from two completely different cultures to shape who I am.

“The Lines That Got Me Here” chronicles many aspects of my lineage- stories about abandonment and loss, alcoholism and dependency, assimilation, and racism. It also embodies my lineage from the Andes of Peru and the cobble streets of Lima to the dirt roads and poplar trees of Minnesota where all lines have converged to bring me where I am now. The linear experiences prepare and lead me to the path ahead of me. I stand here with my ancestors, with my parents, and with God.

This exhibition is just one personal story within a vast collection of experiences by others from within the diverse culture of immigrants and first-generation Latin Americans. It speaks about a journey navigating through a rural (mostly white
American) upbringing while still trying to preserve my Peruvian heritage, maintaining a pride of who I am and where I come from. These are the lines that got me here.