Border Crossing

Artist / Maker Luis Jiménez (Latino American, 1940 - 2006)

Date1989

OriginUSA

MediumFiberglass with urethane finish

Dimensions127 x 34 x 54 in. (322.6 x 86.4 x 137.2 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LinePurchased by the College of Consumer and Family Sciences. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU2000.67

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Edition3/5

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: A signature image of Luis Jiménez’s body of work, Border Crossing features a family crossing the Rio Grande River in search of a life in the United States. The sculpture is dedicated to the artist’s father, who is depicted as the crying baby in the arms of the mother figure. The family travels through reeds on the back of a barefooted man wading through water. Jiménez often worked in fiberglass to create his large-scale sculptures, influenced by the Lowrider culture of the Southwestern United States. Using autobody paint and occasionally glitter in his fiberglass sculptures, Jiménez depicted images of Latin American heritage and Mexican mythology. Accessioned to the University Museums collection following its positive reception when loaned to campus for an exhibition, Border Crossing is sited facing north, towards MacKay Hall and the College of Health and Human Sciences. This placement is in reference to the building of a family, opportunity, and a new life. University Museums accessioned a lithographic print of Border Crossing to the Art on Campus Collection in 2020. Created by the artist two years before fabricating the sculpture, this print depicts details which can be difficult to see or are absent in the finished sculpture, such as the cattails or the changed patterning in the woman’s shawl. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Border Crossing, a totem-like sculpture, is one of Luis Jiménez's signature works of art. The sculpture is of a man crossing the border carrying a woman on his shoulders. The woman holds an infant in her arms, sheltering the child from the elements. The sculpture commemorates the hundreds of thousands of Mexicans who have travelled across the southwestern border from Mexico into the United States in search of a better life. The sculpture is a celebration of the immigrant and is dedicated to Jiménez's father. The style of Border Crossing is typical of Jiménez's other works of art with larger-than-life figures. These figures are depicted in motion to give the feeling of movement towards a goal and a will to survive. At the same time the figures appear fixed in time, exposed and in peril. The sculpture is made of fiberglass, a medium which Jiménez prefered over glass, metal or wood sculpture. Crafting in fiberglass allows the illusion of a flawless finish and gives a look of mass production. The color is a jet aircraft acrylic urethane which is applied to the fiberglass. Once the sculpture is finished, an extraordinarily tactile surface is left, which is a hallmark of Jiménez's style. Luis Jiménez was born in El Paso, Texas in 1940. After high school he attended the University of Texas and Cuidad Universitaria, Mexico City. Upon completion of his studies he moved to New York City in 1966 where he assisted Seymour Lipton, an accomplished artist whose artwork can also be seen at Iowa State). Jiménez is known for his large polychrome fiberglass sculptures of Southwestern and Hispanic themes that capture the everyday person as a hero. Fiberglass is a medium which Jiménez preferred and crafting in fiberglass allowed the illusion of a flawless finish. As an artist, Jiménez was fascinated with popular culture, relating his art to everyday experiences. The art he produces is very personal and he has established himself as a role model for people both inside and outside of the Latino community. Jiménez was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the City of Houston and was awarded the Governor's Award in New Mexico in 1993. In 1998, Jiménez became a Distinguished Alumni of the University of Texas for his influential art. He died in June 2006 at his studio in Hondo, New Mexico.

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