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Americana: New MexicoPost an Event »

CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts

April 13 - April 25, 2010

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360 Kansas Street San Francisco, CA 94103
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Americana: New Mexico Border Patrol at the border fence. Columbus, New Mexico, 2009. Photograph by Nicole Cromartie.
Education on the Border/Educación en la Frontera Mary Augustine Gallery | Apr. 13–24, 2010 During the 1950s, the Deming Public School District in New Mexico began admitting students from Puerto Palomas, Mexico into New Mexico schools located in the towns of Columbus and Deming. Janet Barney, a former principal at Columbus Elementary, explained this practice saying, "We educate whoever shows up at the door. We are not immigration agents. We are educators." To accommodate students from Mexico, the district developed a strong bilingual program and assisted with cross-border travel by providing bus transportation. But this was not thought to be enough. In 1994, Deming schools superintendent Carlos Viramontes proposed that by drawing resources, funding, and teachers from the United States and Mexico, a binational school would better reflect the interests and needs of the larger border community. The school would not be merely bilingual, but would aim to be bicultural. To date, this proposal has not received much support or attention outside of the education community and a binational school has yet to be officially implemented. However, with increasing tension surrounding the US/Mexican border today, a re-consideration of the proposal is necessary. It is especially important to look at the border as an opportunity for new ways of learning. The border towns of Columbus and Puerto Palomas serve as a model for what life on our borders could be, as well as an inspiration for unprecedented models of education. Curated by Nicole Cromartie