Tijuana in Stitches

8 Comments / Art, Art Quilts, Embroidery, Travel, Uncategorized / By

I’ve started a new series, similar to Eastern Europe in Stitches.  Recently I asked a good friend fom Tijuana to give me a tour. She was raised there, and holds many happy memories of growing up, especially of her grandmother and her farm.

She is also an artist who could readily understand my interest in viewing the art on the Mexican side of the wall that separates it from the US. There is a memorial to those who died in crossing the border. (top right in the pictures below.) You can see how the border wall extends right into the sea.

So we absorbed the beauty and sadness on the Mexican side of the wall. There was a pile of “wishing stones” including wishes for “unity of my family” and “that everyone finds prosperity and love.”

I’ve made four little quilts (5 x 7″) so far in this series. I bought some used Mexican postage stamp on Etsy, and some small items while I was there so I could add found objects. Each one includes a drawing on cloth (then stitched) of something painted on the wall, or something else I saw.

 
 
 

8 thoughts on “Tijuana in Stitches”

  1. jayressler

    A compelling view of the U.S.-Mexican border wall, which is necessitated by the unequal terms of trade between the U.S. and Latin America — the cause of poverty and underdevelopment. Under-development is something that is actively done to poorer countries by the metropolitan centers in the U.S. and Europe (read imperialist).

    1. Martha Ressler

      Thank you. And, I agree. It has had a bad reputation, but is turning around, partly through its vibrant art scene.
      Of course the dentist’s offices every block don’t hurt either! People without insurance come south of the border for reasonably priced dental care.

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