Print Details:

• Museum-quality posters made on thick, durable, matte paper.

• Paper is archival and acid-free.

• Unframed prints arrive rolled up in a protective tube.

Frame Details:

• Alder, Semi-hardwood frame

• Black in color

• .75” thick

• Acrylite front protector

• Lightweight

• Hanging hardware included

• Made in the USA

From the Artist:

In his sermon on June 14, 2020, at Montreat Conference Center, North Carolina, Rev. Matt Gaventa explored the situation at the US-Mexico border in relation to the travels of Ruth and Naomi. At that time, I drew an image for the worship service inspired by news images from the border. A woman stands with a plastic grocery bag in her hand. Another woman embraces her. They are exhausted, yet determined. One faces the viewer, the other looks away. A low fence delineates the border along the side of the road. In the figures pictured here in the wall, I reimagined that idea. Where do we go from here? 

In this art piece, the border fencing that is located along miles of the US southern border takes center stage. Through it the viewer sees mountains in the distance and the figures supporting one another. Their feet step through, breaking into the border of the image. In my research for this image, I watched a documentary put together by the BBC in 2018. The reporter traveled along the entire span of the border, interviewing people that he met and seeking out comments by residents, officials, and immigrants on both sides of the line. In parallel, the current circumstance along the US-Mexico Border is incredibly complex and has unfolded over the last month on the news. A comment that recently stood out to me was a quote from the U.S. Congresswoman, Representative Veronica Escobar from El Paso, Texas:

“. . . we saw that the. . . administration essentially tried to shut every door to America, even asylum, which is legal, and it dismantled the asylum system. And so, what happened was immigration and the migration, the flow of humanity from Central America never stopped. It just—it’s right outside our front door and the misery became even worse.”

She commented on the flow of humanity, naming the concept as a normal event over the course of history. The flow of humanity. That is why the story of Ruth and Naomi speaks so poignantly to me at this time, at any time. Where do we go from here? 

Ruth and Naomi are hungry; they are traveling to connect with their family, their security. They are risking their lives and safety to strive for their best chance to thrive. They are currently in motion, striving to settle down. As I contemplated this image, the other motifs that wove their way in were barley and blade wire. Barley is the sustenance that meets Ruth at the end of her journey. Blade wire represents the lacerating spirals that are installed along the top of the fencing of the US-Mexico border. The stark clarity of interdependence and desperate need for humanizing becomes juxtaposed with the pain of scarcity of resources. The barley woven into the blade wires in the border of the artwork represent the tension between scarcity and abundance in this narrative. Where do we go from here? 

Here, Ruth and Naomi are flowing through the wall; they are on both sides. As we have all become more aware of the number of people in the world and the humanity of each one as a precious child of God, we find it both easier and harder to answer the question, “Where do we go from here?” Easier because we know the teachings of our faith: to love God and to love one another, as my daddy has always reminded me. As I daily expand my mind to see reality as abundance, my quest continues to lead me back to providing all I can for those whose presence in my life demands it. There is perpetually enough to share, every day. Where do we go from here? To whom can we extend abundance? Whose presence is demanding us to share?

—Hannah Garrity