Bridging Borders Through Art: Student Voices on US-Mexico Relations

At the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), we are proud to serve as a space where Mexican students and Latin American students more broadly can feel heard, supported, and represented. DRCLAS is more than a center for academic research; it is a community dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, cross-border collaboration, and cultural expression as essential tools for understanding the complexity of the Latin American region.

In that spirit, we hosted the forum “Reflecting on US-Mexico Relations Under Two New Administrations”, an initiative that brought together leading voices from diverse fields and created space for new narratives and fresh thinking around the U.S.–Mexico relationship. We are especially grateful to our students, whose perspectives and engagement continue to enrich our mission.

The following article, written by Sitalin Sánchez Acevedo – MTS ’24 and Michelle Segura – Master in Design Studies – Publics (MDes Publics), Harvard University, offers a thoughtful reflection on the forum and the student-led initiatives that emerged around it.

Reflecting on US-Mexico Relations Under Two New Administrations was the interdisciplinary forum it created. During the first panel, "Shared Challenges," which was moderated by Professor Gabriela Soto Laveaga, scholars, activists, journalists, and academics demonstrated how binational collaborations are enriched by the experience and knowledge from different fields. Among the experts who presented their work, one stood out and resonated most with the goals of the Harvard University Mexican Association of Students (HUMAS) this academic year. Benito del Aguila, an artist and cultural promoter, emphasized the importance of using art as a medium to create networks of solidarity among nations and as a tool to convey social issues.

During the past semester, HUMAS has prioritized building bridges between Mexican artists and the Harvard community. Poets, writers, and filmmakers have showcased their work through our platform. Furthermore, since January, we established the first partnership in the history of the Association with the design departments of three Mexican universities: Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, and Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Azcapotzalco. Together, we launched Images of Mexico, a design contest for undergraduate students majoring in visual design to create and submit posters about what they considered to be Mexico’s most pressing issues.

Mexico-US migration emerged as one of the topics that Mexican youth found urgent to portray. Their approaches to depicting the experience of migration were diverse. The role of Mexican workers in the agricultural sector, the importance of remittances for Mexico’s economy, the hope in the American Dream, and the brutal path to achieving it were some of the most common representations. Juan José Bartolo, a sophomore at Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP) and one of the designers behind these posters, commented: “My poster’s design was born from the need to tell a story that, although evident, is often ignored: migrants are the backbone of what the United States is today. This poster is more than an image; it is a visual statement.”

Alejandra Rodriguez Woo, another student who participated in the competition with a poster titled The Hands Who Feed America, shared her hope of providing a moment of reflection for her poster’s viewers: “The poster aims to raise awareness about these issues and foster debate on the need for fairer immigration policies. It seeks to shed light on how these decisions affect immigrant workers as well as the communities and economies that depend on them.” Including the posters in the reception of Distant Neighbors or Regional Partners? Reflecting on US-Mexico Relations Under Two New Administrations opened a space for viewers from a broader audience to engage with the posters and analyze them through their own expertise.

“The poster Señorita Liberty reminds me of my own art. One of my mediums is collage. I’d like to know the student who created it and think about the possibilities of expanding Images of México to cities on the US-Mexico border,” mentioned del Aguila in a conversation with Sitalin Sánchez from HUMAS and Professor Gabriela Soto Laveaga, the organizer of the conference. This demonstrates the importance of opening spaces for art in academic spheres. Art is another way of building bridges across spaces. Moreover, for the young Mexican designers, this was a moment to show us how they see Mexico and the world. As Luis Eduardo Arroyo Ruiz, the designer from UAM Azcapotzalco behind Dreamers' Wings, mentioned: “My poster was born from the concerns I have about how migrants are often portrayed. There are several stereotypes surrounding their journey. I think it’s urgent to create images and metaphors that speak honestly about their experiences, desires, and fears.”

We are living in a time that urges us to raise our voices and make visible the diverse realities, discourses, and communities. Images of Mexico is a significant step in that direction—a shift toward a perspective that captures the nuances and complexities of Mexican experiences. We are inspired by the quality of the work and research, which showcases the talent of Mexican students and highlights the importance of continuing to support them while leveraging platforms like Harvard to create new opportunities.

Sitalin Sánchez Acevedo – MTS ’24
Michelle Segura – Master in Design Studies – Publics (MDes Publics), Harvard University