El Sueño Americano/The American Dream: Photographs by Tom Kiefer
Audio Guide
Introduction
Audio Recording
El Sueño Americano/The American Dream:
Photographs by Tom Kiefer
El Sueño Americano/The American Dream: Photographs by Tom Kiefer brings to light the otherwise invisible facets of migrants’ experiences crossing the border between Mexico and the United States. These contemporary still-life photographs feature the personal possessions of migrants and asylum seekers that U.S. Border Patrol agents confiscated and discarded from 2003 through 2014.
The artworks in this exhibition exist because artist Tom Kiefer worked as a janitor for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility in Ajo, Arizona. During his fourth year of employment, Kiefer became disturbed by the volume of food being thrown away and was given permission to take the packaged food to the local food bank. When taking food out of the garbage, Kiefer became aware that other items were also in the trash. Recognizing the importance of the items to their owners, Kiefer started retrieving materials from the garbage to collect and preserve.
After years of bringing home cast-off rosaries, Bibles, stuffed animals, family snapshots, medicine, letters, and other personal property from the Customs and Border Protection processing facility, Kiefer began grouping and photographing the collection. The resulting body of artwork personalizes the unnamed migrants and asylum seekers by elevating their precious objects to a form of fine art. Although the names and stories of the migrants who walked this path are not known, each photograph evokes a unique story bound to the lost owner of the objects, a silent exploration of loss and what it means to be seen and treated as ‘other.’ Through his lens, Kiefer provides a platform for discussions on borders, humanity, and the lengths people will go to seek a better life for those they love.
Organized by the Boise Art Museum
About the Border (handout)
Audio Recording
About the Border (handout)
When two color fields are placed next to each other, they create the appearance of a line. In reality, no line was drawn, and no line exists. The same is true of national borders. Two countries press against each other and create the appearance of a line. But borders are fluid, and life exists across them. Goods on trucks, trains, and ships travel through borders. People commute to work, go on vacation, or go shopping across borders.
The history of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border has been constantly in flux, changing as new treaties and agreements have come into effect, and shifting with the movement of the Rio Grande River. Today’s map came into view after the U.S.-Mexico war, when the United States overtook lands including those that would become the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Wyoming. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), that ended the war, recognized the Rio Grande River as the southern boundary of Texas, and the Gadsden Purchase (1854) clarified further border agreements. Mapping the border took more work; surveyors, diplomats, and engineers sought to make the line concrete. The Rio Grande River has had other plans – moving, flooding, and changing course.
Similarly, U.S. rules governing movement across the border have come into place over time. In the 1870s and 1880s, the federal government asserted control over U.S. borders. Early restrictions barred the entry of Chinese laborers, and later federal immigration laws were used to restrict the entry of other immigrants deemed undesirable, whether due to race, nationality, disability, or other characteristics. It was only in 1924 that the Border Patrol was formally established. In the century since its founding, the U.S. has dedicated more resources to border control, at land, sea, and airports. Tom Kiefer’s photographs underscore the human impact of these borders and their related laws and policies.
Pink Camo, Packed, 2012
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Pink Camo, Packed, 2012
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Pink Camo, Unpacked, 2012
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Pink Camo, Unpacked, 2012
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Often found in the trash with their contents still inside, these backpacks were discovered when Kiefer was pulling sealed food items out of the trash to donate to a local shelter. Filled with an autobiography, each backpack holds memories and stories, told by the things they have carried. People carried these backpacks on their bodies to hold their most prized possessions, the few objects they selected to accompany them in their new lives.
Skull and Crossbones, 2021
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Skull and Crossbones, 2021
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Miffy, 2019
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Miffy, 2019
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Turtle, 2021
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Turtle, 2021
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Jack, 2021
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Jack, 2021
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Shoelaces, Grey, 2012
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Shoelaces, Grey, 2012
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Flash Cards
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Top Row (From Left to Right)
Since Flash Card, 2018
Certain Flash Card, 2018
Bottom Row (from Left to Right)
Divide Flash Card, 2018
Whole Flash Card, 2018
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Migrants and asylum seekers give up hearing the familiar sounds of their native languages and communicating in the languages they know best. These flash cards showcase how migrants undertake the daunting task of acquiring English, which they know they will need to use in the United States. At a time in their lives when people must be able to advocate for themselves as a matter of life and death, their ability to communicate is often smothered. These cards are indicators of the value of language under the urgent need to learn and connect.
Toilet Paper Assembly, 2020
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Toilet Paper Assembly, 2020
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Her, 2020
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Her, 2020
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Artwork Grid
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
While Tom Kiefer’s photographs of grouped items point to the large numbers of confiscated belongings taken from people who come to the U.S.-Mexico border, his images of single objects encourage us to think about the people who carried them as individuals. How old were they when the possessions were taken from them? What might this item have meant to them? What does it tell us about who they are/were in this world? Each artifact in the artist’s care was once valued and provides a glimpse into the life of the original owner. The more we look, the more we understand.
Top Row (from Left to Right)
Mitten, 2019
Duck Pins, 2018
BFF’s, 2018
Panuelos, 2019
Adult Transit Pass, 2019
Fortunes, 2019
ASU Sun Devil, 2018
Diamond Earrings, 2018
Wish of Peace, 2016
Two Crosses, One Crucifix, 2017
Loose Matches, 2021
Middle Row (from Left to Right)
Three Religious Medallions, 2020
Kola Loka, 2018
Shell #1, 2018
Christ the Redeemer, 2022
Angry Birds, 2018
Dinosaur, 2018
Contraceptives, FEB 14, 2018
American Creamy Peanut Butter, 2018
Mustang Body Wash, 2021
Gerber Durazno, 2019
Peter Piper Tickets, 2017
Bottom Row (from Left to Right)
Magenta Hygiene Napkin, 2014
Contraceptives, ABR 13, 2018
Grey Briefs, 2014
Beauty Treats, 2018
Blanca, 2018
Metocarbamol, 2017
Disney Princesses, 2018
Bic lighters, 2018
3 Virgens de Guadalupe, 2018
Rings, 2018
Mole, 2019
Sunglasses, 2014
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Sunglasses, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Pens
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Top Row (from Left to Right)
Boise, ID Pen, 2017
Wilmington, NC Pen, 2017
Bottom Row (from Left to Right)
Holcomb, KS Pen, 2017
Priceville, AL Pen, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Artist Quote
Audio Recording
“These belongings, necessary for hygiene, comfort, and survival, were deemed ‘non-essential’ or ‘potentially lethal.’ I ask the viewer to consider these photographs as untold and unknown stories, markers of human journeys cut short. My intent is to explore the humanity of those who risk their lives crossing the desert into the United States to create a personal connection for the viewer and to extend compassion and empathy to those who seek a better life.”
-Tom Kiefer
Soap, 2015
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Soap, 2015
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Blue Combs and Brushes, 2014
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Blue Combs and Brushes, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Black Combs and Brushes, 2013
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Black Combs and Brushes, 2013
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Pink Combs and Brushes, 2013
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Pink Combs and Brushes, 2013
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Blanket Assembly, 2019
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Blanket Assembly, 2019
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Water Bottles, 2014
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Water Bottles, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Cell Phone Assembly, 2019
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Cell Phone Assembly, 2019
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Imagine that you have accidentally misplaced your cell phone or left it at home on a workday. Now, imagine you have traveled to a new country where you do not know anyone, and you are isolated by language, culture, identity, and policy. Then, the government takes your cell phone.
Satisfies!, 2015
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Satisfies!, 2015
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Pink Monkey Buddy, 2016
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Pink Monkey Buddy, 2016
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Los Amuletos Migran/The Amulets Migrate
Audio Recording
Los Amuletos Migran/The Amulets Migrate, 2019
Video Duration: 7 Minutes 48 Seconds
Original video produced by the Skirball Cultural Center
Directed by Amada Torruella and Seth Gadsden
Edited by Maria Luisa Santos
Migrants’ rights advocate Dora Rodriguez visits Tom Kiefer at his art studio in Ajo, Arizona. While going through Kiefer’s extensive collection of personal effects, Rodriguez explains the use and meaning of items that once belonged to migrants and asylum seekers and shares some of her border crossing story.
After reaching the United States, Rodriguez applied for political asylum, but her claim was denied. She was supposed to be deported back to El Salvador but was able to stay in the United States with her husband and start a family. For 25 years, she worked as a social worker, until 2021, when she founded Salvavision, a nonprofit whose mission is to support those who are seeking refuge with different forms of aid, create prevention programs that provide income, and bring awareness to communities and political leaders of the realities that migrants face. Running this organization helps her heal and has become her life’s purpose.
Ajo Copper News, 2021
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Ajo Copper News, 2021
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
This Ajo Copper News article tells the story of Dora Rodriguez and a group of migrants and asylum seekers chronicling their rescue and search for survivors. In the weeks and months following this incident the Ajo community came to the aid of the “El Salvador refugees.” They raised money and sent telegrams to Arizona Senators and Representatives, as well as the Governor, demanding that the survivors be given asylum. Congressman Maurice Udall sent a staffer to Ajo to investigate and relay information to his office. The Ajo residents’ concern and generosity extended to offering to house the refugees in their own homes.
Three Portraits
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Portrait, Senior Male, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Portrait, Two Males, One Female, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Portrait, Young Woman, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Trail Markers, 2015
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Trail Markers, 2015
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
The Sonoran Desert extends across areas of California, Mexico, and Arizona. It is the hottest, deadliest desert in both Mexico and the United States, reaching temperatures of more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit, with surface temperatures reaching a staggering 177 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter months, there is a deceptive beauty to this landscape. The land can appear lush, but it is a false picture that masks the brutality people face when moving through it. Crossing this terrain only happens under desperate circumstances, and sadly, is often fueled by misinformation about the journey itself. There is no yellow-brick-road to follow, but instead miles of shadeless desert, cacti, shrubs, mountains, and unfriendly wildlife.
To assist future travelers in finding their way, migrants and asylum seekers leave Rubber Duck toys tied to bushes, trees, and shrubs to mark the path. Their bright color and durable material make them ideal markers. The pictured trail-marker ducks were taken down and thrown away by Border Patrol agents.
Wish of Luck, 2016
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Wish of Luck, 2016
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Crossing the Sonoran Desert from Mexico to the United States takes multiple days, walking in high temperatures and ending in death for many. Travelers battle Cholla cacti and can’t carry the needed supply of water as they walk in temperatures reaching 120 degrees. Though asylum seekers and migrants often bring perfume and cologne with the intention of using it for job interviews and meeting loved ones, they often end up drinking the liquid and their urine to try to survive in the desert.
USA! USA! USA!, 2019
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
USA! USA! USA!, 2019
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
43, 2015
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
43, 2015
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Comb and Brush Assembly, 2017
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Comb and Brush Assembly, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Contraceptive, 2014
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Contraceptive, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Migrant women face additional threats on their journey through Mexico and the United States. While there are no agreed-upon statistics, advocates and health professionals have documented extensive evidence that a significant number of women, perhaps six in ten, are sexually assaulted on their journey to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. To prevent unwanted pregnancies caused by sexual assault on the journey, some women take contraception, medication that also may otherwise support their overall health. Nonetheless, immigration authorities seize birth control pills and discard them as nonessential property.
Rubbing Alcohol Assembly, 2021
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Rubbing Alcohol Assembly, 2021
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Nail Clippers, 2015
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Nail Clippers, 2015
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, 2014
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
from Left to Right
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, 2014
Dame Tus Cansados, Tus Pobres, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
The Statue of Liberty, originally titled, Liberty Enlightening the World, was created to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, the end of the Civil War, and the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The statue serves as a visual signifier of America’s commitment to freedom and liberty, as well as its strong relationship with France. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, it was unveiled on October 28, 1886. In 1903 the sonnet Mother of Exiles by Emma Lazarus was inscribed on a plaque and placed on the inner wall of the statue.
Created with dried, alphabet-soup letters, sourced from food discarded at the border, Kiefer has spelled out Lazarus’s sonnet in both Spanish and English. The artwork points to a history of the United States as a nation that has long benefited from immigration and that has welcomed people seeking refuge from unjust government and religious persecution. By selecting this sonnet, Kiefer is discussing the disparity between U.S. founding principles and the current immigration and asylum-seeking laws.
Axe Deodorant Assembly, 2020
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Axe Deodorant Assembly, 2020
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Pain Relief, 2017
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Pain Relief, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Surprisingly, medicine is among the forbidden valuables routinely confiscated from migrants and asylum seekers. Although these individuals are in physically vulnerable conditions—exhausted, dehydrated, injured, and in need of medical care—their prescribed insulin, pain relief medicine, and other needed pharmaceutical products are considered unnecessary personal property and are seized and discarded at the border. This act further endangers the asylum seekers’ lives within a system that is not prepared to support their medical care.
Black Milk Jug, 2022
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Black Milk Jug, 2022
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Text Panel: Cynthia’s CD Collection
Audio Recording
Cynthia’s CD Collection
The music you hear is a selection of 14 songs from Cynthia’s CD collection. Cynthia, a migrant who had her things confiscated by Border Patrol agents, chose to bring these CDs on her trek through the Sonoran Desert. They were the soundtrack for her crossing.
Six of the selected songs are from a personalized CD mix entitled “Super Sappy Songs for Issa.” We make playlists for friends, to mark important life moments, and to show love. We use songs to tell stories. Who is Cynthia? Who is Issa to her? Were they in love? Were they best friends? No matter the answer to these wonderings, the corresponding photograph is a portrait of Cynthia that serves as evidence that she is/was a person using music to help her survive and thrive under extremely dangerous life circumstances.
Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss), Betty Everett 2:16
Brand New Key, Melanie 2:26
Burn Rubber on Me, Gap Band 5:22
Smooth (with Rob Thomas), Santana 4:16
Dusk and Summer*, Dashboard Confessional 4:40
A Heart Full of Love*, Les Misérables (Broadway Cast) 2:23
If you Believe (A Walk to Remember)*, Rachel Lampa 3:49
At the Beginning (Anastasia)*, Donna Lewis, Richard Marx 3:40
I Will Follow You Into the Dark*, Death Cab for Cutie 3:12
The Real Thing*, Gwen Stefani 4:11
So Very Hard to Go, Tower of Power 3:42
Mercy, Mercy, Don Covay & The Goodtimers 2:24
Reach Out, I’ll Be There, Four Tops 2:59
What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye 3:51
* Songs from the CD: Super Sappy Songs for Issa
Super Sappy Songs, 2022
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Super Sappy Songs, 2022
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Cynthia’s CD Collection, 2018
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Cynthia’s CD Collection, 2018
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Artist Quote
Audio Recording
“Super Sappy Songs for Issa compilation is really a soundtrack for the journey across the desert. I am sure that the loss of this collection was devastating to Cynthia.”
-Tom Kiefer
Canteen, 2017
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Canteen, 2017
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Nuevo Testamentos, 2014
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Nuevo Testamentos, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Migrant Origami and Dollars and Centavos
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Migrant Origami, 2016
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Dollars and Centavos, 2014
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Ankle Sock Assembly, Pink, 2022
Audio Recording
Tom Kiefer
(b. 1959, Wichita, Kansas)
Ankle Sock Assembly, Pink, 2022
archival pigment print
Courtesy of the artist
Artist and Curator Book List
(rack card)
If two titles are listed, the book is available in Spanish and English.
Books for Adults
The Devil’s Highway: A True Story
Rumbo al Hermoso Norte
by Luis Alberto Urrea
Tell Me How it Ends: an Essay in Forty Questions
Los Niños Perdidos
by Valeria Luiselli
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border
La Linea se Convierte En Rio: Una Cronica de la Frontera
by Francisco Cantú
Solito: A Memoir
Solito: Memorias
by Javier Zamora
Everyone Who is Gone is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis
by Jonathan Blitzer
The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands
by Margaret Regan
Dreamland: America’s Immigration Lottery in an Age of Restriction
by Carly Goodman
Call Me American
by Abdi Nor Iftin
Rivermouth: A Chronicle of Language, Faith, and Migration
by Alejandra Oliva
The Dispossessed: A Story of Asylum at the US-Mexico Border and Beyond
by John Washington
Books for Teens
Frontera
by Julio Anta
We Are Not from Here
No Somos de Aquí
by Jenny Torres Sanchez
Santiago’s Road Home
La travesía de Santiago
by Alexandra Diaz
Manuelito: A Graphic Novel
Manuelito: Una Novela Grafica
by Elisa Amado (Author), Abraham Urias (Illustrator)
Through Fences
by Frederick Luis Aldama (Author), Oscar Garza (Illustrator)
Borderless
by Jennifer De Leon
Books for Children
Imagine
Imagina
by Juan Felipe Herrera (Author), Lauren Castillo (Illustrator)
I’ll Be the Moon
Seré la Luna
by Phillip D. Cortez (Author), Mafs Rodríguez Alpide (Illustrator)
La Frontera: My Journey with Papa
La Frontera: El Viaje con Papá
by Alfredo Alva (Author), Deborah Mills (Author), Claudia Navarro (Illustrator)
My Shoes and I: Crossing Three Borders
Mis Zapatos y Yo: Cruzando Tres Fronteras
by René Colato Laínez (Author), Fabricio Vanden Broeck (Illustrator)
Yenebi’s Drive to School
El Viaje de Yenebi a la Escuela
by Sendy Santamaria
Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border
by Mitali Perkins (Author), Sara Palacios (Illustrator)
A Journey Toward Hope
by Victor Hinojosa (Author), Coert Voorhees (Author), Susan Guevara (Illustrator)
The Notebook Keeper: A Story of Kindness from the Border
by Stephen Briseño (Author), Magdalena Mora (Illustrator)
