Alicia Garza, Cielo Zuñiga, and Voces Unidas RGV

Rio De Muertos, River of Remembrance

Multimedia/textile installation

"Rio De Muertos, River of Remembrance" is a collaborative project by Alicia Garza, Cielo Zuñiga, and Voces Unidas RGV. The installation is currently on view at the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy lobby in Brownsville, Texas.
Images by Michelle Serrano, Co-founder, Voces Unidas RGV

"This work was created over a month and was an immense undertaking; it is our effort to evolve the general sentiment toward people in migration by reflecting our own lived experience and that of many others, which includes an awareness of the different types of impact that borders have in living in the U.S Southwest. Migrant labor, historically and in the current day, is core to the development of America. Similarly, immigration is common in the journey of many families across the US. However, political misalignments towards the southern border have led to our witness of human rights violations and the slow encroachment on and destruction of precious natural environments."

— Alicia Garza

About the artist

Alicia Garza, Cielo Zuñiga, and Voces Unidas RGV

American

Alicia Garza (she/ella) is a multimedia artist, instructor, and graphic designer. She was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley border region of Texas and has recently completed a B.A. in Studio Art with a minor in Media Studies at Pomona College in Southern California. Creating and altering is her driving force, and the resourcefulness expressed in her work stems from growing up in the RGV and learning from those around her. She is inspired and influenced by the visual aesthetic of daily life, folk tradition, and the craft of “el Valle.” Focusing on the use of reclaimed material, Alicia's work lies at the intersection of sustainable fashion, art, craft, and activism, as sharing this process with others is core to her practice; in leading demonstrations, selling upcycled clothes at festivals, and circulating online, she engages her audience beyond the gallery with creative, fashionable alternatives to modern consumer trends.

"Rio De Muertos, River of Remembrance" is a collaborative project by Alicia Garza, Cielo Zuñiga, and Voces Unidas RGV. The installation is currently on view at the Brownsville Performing Arts Academy lobby in Brownsville, Texas