$200 From… To… -With Love

Due to the process-based nature of the Session program, this project will undergo constant modifications; the features of this page provide accruing information on the project’s developments.

On February 14, Lizania Cruz will begin $200 From… To… -With Love a participatory art project focused on remittances, the money migrant send to their homelands. Annually, remittances total of over $500 billion dollars. In some countries remittances make up a large portion of the countries GDP; 10.5% in the Philippines, 20% in el Salvador, and 32% in Haiti. Cruz’s project attempts to make visible the impact a dollar could have, and the kinship and love embedded in the seemingly modest act of sending money home as a gift and support for family and loved ones. $200 From… To… -With Love explores how this economy of care challenges growing dangerous xenophobic narratives of immigrants both within the US and internationally.

During her Session, Cruz will solicit receipts from Recess visitors, non-immigrants and immigrants, for purchases in the USA of $200 and under, which will serve as the base for a series of collages depicting the profound impact that same amount has when spent in a commonly used food item in a country with a high remittance flow. Cruz’s colleges will be displayed at Recess and available for sale to visitors and the profits will go to a fund subsidizing the fees paid by migrants when sending remittances.

Complimenting Cruz’s physical artworks, the artist will partner with artists, activists and advocacy organizations such as The Center for Family Life, The Black Alliance for Just Immigration, the Hate Free Zone organizers on a series public events and workshops. Events will focus on investment in and financing of education for immigrants, migrant worker rights, and allyship, and will take the form of screenings, talks, and readings on the impact, sacrifice and love represented by remittances.

Session invites artists to use Recess’s public platform to combine productive studio space with dynamic exhibition opportunities. Sessions remain open to the public from the first day of the artist’s project through the last, encouraging sustained dialogue between artists and audiences. Due to the process-based nature of Session, projects undergo constant revision and the above proposal is subject to change.