The “School of Panamerican Unrest” stops in Arizona, June 20-21

May 10, 2006

TEMPE, Ariz. – The ASU Art Museum is the only Arizona stop for Pablo Helguera's "School of Panamerican Unrest," a portable school house where the New York-based performance and multi-media artist invites dialogue about immigration, globalization and art in society.   From May 19-Sept. 15, Helguera will make 30 stops from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, opening his sculptural schoolhouse for discussions, performances and films that generate connections between the different regions of the Americas.

From June 20-21, Helguera will interact with ASU Art Museum visitors and with 7th to 10th -grade students at the Phoenix Country Day School. An open forum will examine the human side of immigration policy with the question "What are the limits of empathy?" At Phoenix Country Day School, students will discuss the special nature of the Valley. Their comments and those of other participants will be incorporated into Helguera's "Tempe Speech," a performance that ends the Arizona tour. Helguera will document the interactions for incorporation into a larger exhibition that he will create after the tour is complete.  

The ASU Art Museum schedule is as follows:

  • Tuesday, June 20, 1-4 p.m.: open discussion with Helguera in his school house.
  • Tuesday, June 20, 7-8 p.m.: open forum, "What are the limits of empathy?"
  • Wednesday, June 21, 7 p.m.: participatory performance with students from Phoenix Country Day School and a reading of the "Tempe Speech."

A native of Mexico City, Helguera's work in photography, drawing, performance and installation has been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the 8th Havana Biennial, Ex-Teresa Espacio Alternativo (Mexico City) and The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. He was co-director of the International Forum of Contemporary Art and Criticism in Madrid from 2003-2005 and was senior education programs manager of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York from 1998-2005.  

The School of Panamerican Unrest is sponsored by the Creative Capital Foundation. The ASU Art Museum presentation is supported by Friends of the ASU Art Museum. For information and to participate in an online dialogue, visit http://www.panamericanismo.org .

The ASU Art Museum is part of the Herberger College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University and is located on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and 10th Street in Tempe.   Hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and admission is free.   For more information, call (480) 965-2787 or visit the museum online athttp://asuartmuseum.asu.edu.



Media Contact:
Denise Tanguay 
480.965.7144
denise.tanguay@asu.edu

  • Photo Courtesy of Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

  • Photo Courtesy of Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.