Icons and Symbols of the Borderland

Regional artist Diana Molina will present an eclectic, multi-faceted portrayal that embodies the spirit of New Mexico's heritage through symbols and iconographic representations, sometimes with a distinctly modern twist. A photographic collection illustrates popular symbols and those less familiar. The Virgin of Guadalupe and Mimbres Rock Art are among the topics covered in a presentation that includes a blend of tradition, history, contemporary culture, and nature.

DIANA MOLINA

Author of the award-winning book titled: Icons and Symbols of the Borderland, Art from the US-Mexico Borderlands, Diana Molina features a wide spectrum of representations in art, photos, and literature. 

Artist, photographer and independent curator, Diana Molina was born a half mile from the US-Mexico boundary and serves as the Creative Director for the JUNTOS Art Association. Conceptually motivated by the interwoven relationships of people, land, and culture, she explores a range of mediums and platforms to bring forth perspectives uniquely inspired by the trans-border geography. 

Drawn early to Arts and Science, Molina began her career path as a software engineer in the initial stages of robotics and automation at IBM. This was followed by a decade working in Amsterdam as a photographer and writer for international magazines including Elle, Esquire, Geo, Marie Claire, National Geographic Traveler, Vogue, the book Amsterdam, Small Town Big City (1996).  She has prepared photographic collections for the UT Austin Benson Latin-American Library, The Netherlands Bureau of Tourism, Greenpeace, and Gamma Press. Her first solo exhibition about the indigenous Tarahumara culture was prepared for the World Museum of Art in Rotterdam and exhibits of her work have shown in art, science and history museums across the United States and Europe.  For 20 years, Molina was part of the New Mexico Humanities Council Speaker’s Bureau and was selected for the 2022 New Mexico Magazine True Heroes Award for her contributions to art and culture. 

Artist Statement:

I illustrate the borders of my homeland and those I cross, not only in the literal sense of a governmental division of territory, but also by the influence of ideologies, customs, politics, economics, and views of life.

Infused at a young age with an affinity to art, science, language, and literature _ observations of nature and human experience have been a driving force behind my impulse to travel extensively and fuel creative pursuits.   Informed early by the borderland Mestiza experience, my work follows layered views of the landscape we inhabit, the systems and frameworks that encase and sustain our place. Within the Crossroads Art and Ecology Lab, wholly pervaded by the Chihuahuan desert, my studio process begins with personal and collective activism to generate work that speaks to multi-species justice and equity of race and gender.  Conceptually motivated by the interwoven relationships of people, land, and culture, I explore a range of mediums and platforms to bring forth perspectives uniquely inspired by our geography.  My portable toolkit draws on art and ecology for the potent instruments to re-imagine the change we face.

This program is made possible by the support from Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.