SAVE ASYLUM
In 2018 I was compelled to "do something" after I saw children separated from their parents and put in cages at the U.S. border. Initially I felt helpless; but I knew I couldn't be daunted. I began volunteering at a migrant welcome center in Tucson. Out of that moral struggle and from my experiences at the center I began creating art dealing with the journey of Asylum seekers. The Statue of Liberty on the right and all of the art you see on this page once graced the walls of the welcome center until they had to close in January of 2025 because of the current U.S. policies towards migrants.
I was also a member of a bi-national organization called Save Asylum that advocated for migrants at our border. I was asked to create banners and signage for the people waiting on the Mexican side and also their supporters on the U.S. side.
It is a great privilege to create art for this and to lift up the stories of asylum seekers especially in these times. Forty percent of all migrant people coming to this country are children. I hope my art can be a counter narrative to the negative rhetoric we hear every day about people seeking asylum.
In 2024 my friend Gale Hall wrote a book about the perilous journey of a young girl and her family immigrating to the United States and she asked me to illustrate it.
You can learn more about the book at leavinghomeretreat.com/lilis-quilt
THE WAY OF ASYLUM
The Way of Asylum is based on the 14 Stations of the Cross that are images used to commemorate the events Jesus experienced before his crucifixion and death. In my Stations Jesus is embodied in the people seeking asylum in our country. For a more comprehensive immersion please visit the website created for the Stations at https://www.thewayofasylum.com
CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY
The Corporal Works of Mercy come from Christ's commands in Matthew 25 to "welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and bury the dead. Here the Corporal Works of Mercy are re-imagined with acts of mercy being shown to our siblings seeking asylum in our country.
