Consuelo Jimenez Underwood American, b. 1949

Taken from California 1990s road signs found near the border, the image of a family fleeing has appeared several times in Jimenez Underwood’s work. It mimics the format of a deer-crossing sign, a parallel which made the artist reflect: “they’re thinking of us as animals now.” During her childhood, her father was deported to Mexico on multiple occasions, forcing her and her family to smuggle him back over the border each time. This piece was made to honor all the anonymous souls who have not survived the crossing. But its title, which alludes to the Dick and Jane children’s series, calls attention to the little girl in particular, who the artist has also identified herself with in the past. The C, in fact, stands for Consuelo's name.

"When I found out that when a person is hit by a car at full speed, nothing recognizable is left, except small fragments of clothing, I felt the need to construct a memorial quilt of sorts, a large-scale textile created to honor the anonymous dead who died when crossing the freeway. Again, the need for the humble safety pin to step up to the plate! The beadwork reminds us that everyone needs even a little joy at the edge." Consuelo Jimenez Underwood.