Project Description

Portals/Portales was a public art event that literally opened doorways—or portales in Spanish—to different rooms which focused on Mexican American migration and the various experiences of local Latino/Hispanic community members who have settled in Boise, ID. The project’s goal was to provide a space where Boise residents could communally explore the universal experience of leaving someplace familiar behind and settling somewhere unknown.

Portales/Portales opened at the Boise State University in their art gallery on June 6, 2003. The installation contained rooms, or portals, in which local artists Chris Binion and Jeannette Ross wove stories, images, and artifacts about the individual experiences of fellow Mexican-American Boise residents. Audience members were invited to pass through the rooms, following the artists’ instructions. The first room, Entry, had a collection of authentic stories, familiar objects that migrating people would carry with them, and shrines representing revered and sacred memories and values. Guests were asked to touch the pages of the books, to read the individual stories, and to take in the metaphors of the objects and the shrines. Then audience members passed through the next portal into Banquet of Boise, where walls were covered in images that reflected the city of Boise, such as pages of Boise’s telephone directory. In the center of the room, two questions were placed on a table: “What did you leave behind or give up to live here?” and “What did you bring that contributes to this community?” Instructions on the table asked guests to write their own answers on the tablecloth and to read the contributions of those guests who had already traveled through the installation. Next, the audience traveled to Garden, where they were asked to reflect on the beauty and variety of every bloom, as a metaphor for the many unique individuals it takes to create a community of many colors. The final space contained the Writing Room and Research Room. The Writing Room provided materials, notebooks, and a flower template so guests could write down their own story of migration. The Research Room invited audience members to peruse the research materials used in the preparation of this exhibit.

Civic Engagement/Dialogue Activities

The goal of the project, according to artist Jeanette Ross, is to “increase mutual understanding between long-time Boise residents and more recent ones.” The artists drew inspiration from their belief that every Boise resident, at some point, has been forced to participate in what they call “cultural bargaining,” where a resident must decide what to leave behind in their old community, and what to bring to the new. The installation, as well as the activities surrounding it’s opening, hoped to create a common understanding among all residents living in Boise at present.

To reach the point of this common understanding, the installation provided spaces for the guests to write their own stories about what they brought to Boise, as well as read the stories of their fellow community members. During the month of June, as audience members passed through the portals, they were asked to revisit their own memories. The installation aimed to be a portal from the guest’s personal experience into their understanding of how their memory fits into a larger, universal experience: leaving someplace familiar behind, and settling somewhere unknown.

Portals/Portales kicked off with an opening night reception, recognizing the artists and the community team for their hard work. Following the reception was a facilitated 90 minute dialogue about the art work; audience members were asked to share and analyze their personal reactions to the installation. Furthermore, in conjunction with the opening night festivities, a shrine-making workshop was held for families. The goal of this workshop was to give families an opportunity to participate in a cultural art experience, shrine-making, as inspired by the Mexican tradition and the installation’s shrine area. The shrines were made out of collage materials, displaying a favorite person or memory of the shrine-maker, and at the end of the workshop, participants shared their art and memory with the group.

Since Portals/Portales in 2003, presentations of Mexican American culture have increased at Boise’s artistic events. Last fall at the City Art Celebration 2004, the main performance, Fall for Boise, featured Mexican folk dancing. Furthermore, BCAC plans to sponsor a series of future art installations, all with the theme of portals—offering Boise residents from all cultural heritages the opportunity to participate in the creation of their own art installation: Portals/_____(portals in their native language) When the series is complete, collaborators hope that participants will have a common understanding about of the diversity of their community.