Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Rutgers museum exhibit features Mexican paintings
By Sara Greenfest
Daily Targum (Rutgers)
02/25/2008

(U-WIRE) NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Delicately painted retablos lined the walls of the Rutgers University Center for Latino Arts and Culture Thursday as part of the traveling "Miracles on the Border" exhibit.

"This is the only collection of retablos with one single theme: migration," said Jorge Durand, a professor of social movements at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico and one of two curators of the exhibit.

Retablos are traditional Mexican folk paintings dating back to the 17th century that are dedications to Jesus or other saints as thanks for miracles or favors received.

Traditionally, retablos are painted either by the person who experienced the miracle or by an artist commissioned to paint them for the miracle receiver. The paintings are then often set by the altar of the saints being paid tribute.

This collection displays over 58 retablos illustrating Mexican migration to the United States.

Durand, along with Princeton University Professor of sociology, Douglass Massey, started collecting retablos back in the 1980s and opened the exhibit in 1989. They published a book about the exhibit in 1995, called "Miracles on the Border."

"The idea for the collection came after Professor Durand and I visited the Church of San Juan de los Lagos in Mexico," Massey said. "The walls of the church are lined from floor to ceiling with these retablos. It is absolutely fascinating."

Massey said the Church of San Juan is the most popular place to leave retablos in Mexico.

Durand and Massey said they did whatever they could to collect as many retablos as possible.

"We searched in churches, antique shops, anywhere we could and paid any price," Durand said.

The collection consists of retablos depicting Mexican migration, but they are also part of a much broader theme, Massey said.

"Although these only deal with one particular subject, all retablos deal with human experience, which is something the public can relate to also," Massey said.

Durand and Massey wanted to take a different approach with their collection, Massey said.

"We felt it would be interesting to look at migration from 'below' — the people's point of view," Massey said.

The inscriptions on the retablos deal with anything from safely crossing the border and avoiding border police to being united with family members.

"Each symbolizes every person's personal miracle that they experienced," Massey said.

The collection will be on display at the center until March 13.

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