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Life Along The Border

  • Description
  • Specs
  • Schedule

Description

My views on illegal immigration are mixed and personal: I must remain neutral as a journalist and my photographs are a document of life along the border, as I saw it over decades of living there.

Jimmy Dorantes, Photographer
Fence Climber
Fence Climber
Otay Mesa Moon (Smuggler and family)
Otay Mesa Moon (Smuggler and family)
Night Light (USBP night vision)
Night Light (USBP night vision)

Life Along The Border, an apolitical and bilingual (English/Spanish) traveling exhibition, documents the U.S.-Mexico border region in a time of major political conflict. Combining photography with artifacts from life along the border, as well as hard facts and statistics from local border agencies, this exhibit brings the reality of the border issue to your institution. Visitors will be challenged to explore and discuss the nuances of this ongoing debate through the photographed human narrative of those living it. An apolitical exhibit, Life Along The Border does not assume a position, but instead provides visitors with the tools necessary to invite deep conversation, engagement, and self-reflection. The exhibit is presented in partnership with the Imperial Valley Desert Museum, located just 10 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border in Ocotillo, CA.

Life Along The Border is a culmination of the lifelong work of photojournalist Jimmy Dorantes, who has documented the U.S.-Mexico border for over five decades. Receiving his first job in photojournalism at the Calexico Chronicle at the age of 12, the photos, films, and documentaries of Dorantes have been featured across national outlets such as the Associated Press and Time magazine, and in partnership with major institutions such as the Smithsonian Institute.

Life Along The Border features the works of Jimmy Dorantes, originated at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum, and travels in partnership with Exhibit Envoy.

Specs

Audience:
Adults
Rental Fee:
RETIRED
Size:
1,000 sq. ft. or 150 linear ft.
Languages:
English, Spanish
Security:
Moderate

Exhibit Components:

  • 40 high-resolution framed photographic prints
  • Accompanying bilingual captions for each photograph
  • 5 longer bilingual text panels, including an introduction, artist’s statement, and hard statistics
  • 1 multimedia file with narration, still images, video, and interviews
  • 1-2 framed border crossing blankets
  • 1 “Border Angels” barrel

Schedule and Availability

Past Dates

December 4, 2019 – March 1, 2020
Imperial Valley Desert Museum, Ocotillo
April 3, 2022 – May 29, 2022
AVAILABLE
June 19, 2022 – August 14, 2022
AVAILABLE
September 4, 2022 – October 30, 2022
AVAILABLE
November 20, 2022 – January 15, 2023
AVAILABLE
February 5, 2023 – April 2, 2023
AVAILABLE
April 23, 2023 – June 18, 2023
AVAILABLE
July 9, 2023 – September 3, 2023
AVAILABLE
September 24, 2023 – November 19, 2023
AVAILABLE
December 10, 2023 – February 4, 2024
AVAILABLE
February 25, 2024 – April 21, 2024
AVAILABLE
May 12, 2024 – July 7, 2024
AVAILABLE
July 28, 2024 – September 22, 2024
AVAILABLE
October 13, 2024 – December 8, 2024
AVAILABLE

This show may travel beyond 2024! Contact us to discuss booking dates for 2025+.

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