Two innovative exhibitions debut at Frost Art Museum FIU exploring issues tied to social justice

In celebration of the ratification of the 19th amendment, “House to House: Women, Politics, and Place” examines two ideas: the domestic space women have dominated, and the public, political space where their voices are increasingly heard. The exhibit opens Sep. 26, 2020 and runs through Jan. 3, 2021.
 
On August 18, 1920, women in the United States gained the right to vote. A century later, women's access to equity in the social and political sphere continues to be at the forefront of the popular consciousness, especially with the increasing visibility of women as political leaders. The exhibition investigates a spectrum of spaces where women have exercised agency from domestic spaces to beauty salons, factories and courtrooms. The multimedia exhibition, made possible with support from the Funding Arts Network, includes work by Aurora Molina, Catherine Opie, Martha Rosler, Wendy Red Star, Laurie Simmons, Mickalene Thomas, and Deborah Willis, among others.
 
“Otros Lados: Itzel Basualdo, Hugo Crosthwaite, and Judithe Hernández,” opening Aug. 22, 2020 and running through Dec. 13, 2020, considers Mexican and Mexican American experiences from three different generations of artists. The exhibit, which opens Aug. 22, 2020 and runs through Dec. 13, 2020, was inspired by the novel “A Dream Called Home” by Reyna Grande.
 
The works of Basualdo, Crosthwaite and Hernández offer shared vantage points with Grande’s text. 
 
“The art produced by Mexican and Mexican American artists in the U.S. has a long history that continues to reverberate. This echo is a dynamic and necessary narrative that expands traditional interpretations of American art,” explained Frost Chief Curator Amy Galpin.
 
“'House to House' and 'Otros Lados' launch our fall programming at a moment of seismic shifts in the world of culture,” said Jordana Pomeroy, director of the Frost. “Social inequality frequently inspires visual and written narratives that can be unsettling and yet intellectually gratifying at the same time. We organized these two exhibitions at the Frost, both virtually and actually, as drivers of change and dialogue.” 
 
“Al otro lado” is a phrase used in Mexico referring to shared borders with the United States and the space populated by many Mexican immigrants on the other side of the Mexico/U.S. border.
 
“It’s thrilling to present work by artists Judithe Hernández and Hugo Crosthwaite who are well-known in other parts of the U.S., but have not been thoroughly studied in Miami,” added Galpin.
 
“House to House” and “Otros Lados” dig into issues and ideas that continue to shape policies, perspectives, and politics, especially timely with the approach of the 2020 election.
 
“We are eager to share work by three generations of Mexican and Mexican American artists at the Frost Art Museum this fall,” said Frost Manager of Strategic Initiatives Maryanna Ramirez. “We often hear discouraging stories about border crossing and U.S. and Mexico relations in the news. This exhibition gives us the opportunity to look beyond headlines and toward the unique experience of living between two lands.”