Crossing the Line: The Passport Reimagined | Artist Panel Part Two

Commissioned by Cynthia Sears, artists Shana Agid, Ben Blount, Sandra C. Fernandez, and Mare Blocker will discuss their work and creative process as our exhibition Crossing the Line: The Passport Re-Imagined nears its close. Join us as they share their experiences individually, and then in a panel conversation moderated by curator Catherine Alice Michaelis. Each artist explored borders and boundaries, identity, and the concept of documentation. Shana Agid’s Forgeries explores the authority to mark bodies, land, and paper(s) as “real.” Ben Blount’s Passportal explores a personal history of his family’ migration to escape racial violence. He paired this story with an imagined Afrofuturist account of a Black family moving to another state, given our current discourse around politics and the ongoing problem of race in this country. Exploring concepts of sacrifice, destiny, identity, belonging, and resilience, Sandra C. Fernandez’s, Pass [puertos], A Journey Inscribed, documents her personal family history of migration from Ecuador. Storytelling, memories, and sea creatures have all been recurring themes in Mare Blocker’s work. Like a traditional passport which allows entry into other lands, her Hippocampus Hippocampus passport represents a point of entry to exploration and adventure. Audience Q & A and reception to follow.

Mare Blocker, Hippocampus Hippocampus, 2024, mixed media, (watercolor, typewriter, hand lettering, stamping, papercuts), drum leaf dos-a-dos binding, 4”w x 6”h x 2”d, Unique, Commissioned by Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection