Supporters of NE Iowa Peace & Justice Center are welcomed to attend and experience Hostile Terrain 94, on exhibit now in the gallery located inside Dahl Centennial Union on the Luther College campus.
Led by Dr. Destiny Crider, Exhibit Curator and Director of Luther’s Museum Studies program, participants will learn more about the U.S-Mexico’s border crisis plus the effects it has on migrants who come to the United States due to sociopolitical factors from many countries in Latin America. Exhibit visitors will be asked to fill out toe tags to commemorate and memorialize just a few individuals of 3,194 who have lost their lives in the Sonoran Desert since 1994.
Hostile Terrain 94 is a participatory art project organized by the Undocumented Migration Project, a non-profit collective led by anthropologist Jason De León. The exhibition is composed of over 3200 handwritten toe tags that memorialize individual migrants who have died trying to cross the US-Mexico border. The tags are pinned to a wall map of the Sonoran Desert, showing the exact locations where remains were found. The installation is happening at over 150 locations worldwide. Luther College began the installation of the Hostile Terrain 94 exhibit in February 2021.
Individuals and groups of up to 5 are welcomed. After the 2021 school year begins and student worker staffing is organized, appointment will be accepted online via this form (https://form.jotform.com/211376131262143) where you’ll be able to pick from the available days and times. Requests for additional availability are welcome and should be sent to Dr. Crider at cridde01@luther.edu.
Once you have signed up, head to the gallery space in Dahl Centennial Union, on the Luther College Campus. There, you’ll meet Dr. Crider to take you through the exhibit. Expect to spend about an hour at the exhibit.
This is a very moving experience. Thank you to Luther College for bringing this opportunity to our region and to you for taking the time to make the connection to those who have lost their lives in their effort to seek something better.