Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Access

What spaces do you occupy every day? Where are you welcomed and where do you feel excluded? The artworks in this section consider the ever-changing accessibility of places and explore the internal and external barriers that grant or restrict access. The stories included here are of those whose space has been disrupted by violence, discrimination, and oppression.

In May 1997, 18-year-old Esequiel Hernandez Jr. was herding his family’s goats outside of Redford, Texas. Suddenly an antidrug surveillance team ambushed him from the brush, shooting and killing him because they thought he could be a drug smuggler. This print by Luis Alfonso Jimenez honors Hernandez and brings attention to the racial profiling and violence that Latinx residents experience at the United States–Mexico border.

Japanese American artist Roger Shimomura portrays what appears to be an idyllic scene of a young child playing. Through the window the clear blue sky is marred by sharp rows of barbed wire—an indication that the time and space the child inhabits in an internment camp. Shimomura often depicts his own childhood experiences at Camp Minidoka, Idaho, during the height of World War II. His work demonstrates how space and citizenship are tied, rooted in one's memories and experiences.

Through innocent images of young boys, Roger Shimomura explores the effects of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, which led to the evacuation of thousands of Japanese Americans from their homes into internment camps. These scenes are drawn in part from his childhood experiences at Camp Minidoka, Idaho, during the height of World War II and his grandmother’s diaries about life there.

The layers in this piece include a map of Kansas—part of the traditional land of the Osage—native Kansas birds, a depiction of the Osage creation story, and a portrait of an Osage chief. The map speaks to the land and to expanse, but also to the legacy and impact of colonization. Maps can broaden our horizons or create imposed borders. How is a sense of space cultivated in colonized land?

The silhouette of a standing figure appears over an engraving depicting acts of cannibalism in South America. Colored shapes fill the space, a top spins, and a helix covers a watchful bird. These layered images coexist without any clear hierarchy, creating a non-linear sense of time. How does our knowledge of history and sense of time intersect with our relationship to space?

An idealistic image of a home is spray-painted on a makeshift shelter in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. This print is part of the Your House is Mine portfolio, created in response to the 1989 Tompkins Square Riots in New York City. During these riots police violently removed 300 people without housing who were living in Tompkins Square Park. There are an estimated 580,466 people currently experiencing homelessness in America.

Enrique Chagoya draws on his own experiences living on both sides of the United States–Mexico border and explores the fears people of color live with in America. The folded book format mimics that of survival guides, informing the reader of the challenges that immigrants face in the United States. The panels combine symbols and iconography from Mexican, Mayan, Aztec, and Spanish history with popular contemporary imagery.

One third of adults in the United States cannot access safe and reliable healthcare because of the financial burden. Legal battles are still being fought over the accessibility of healthcare for transgender people. People with disabilities must navigate a complex, restrictive system with rules designed to make marriage and access to necessary benefits incompatible. In addition to high costs and legislation, religious influences and racism make seeking and receiving necessary healthcare difficult and often impossible. The artworks in this section explore historic and current healthcare battles. 

The Jane Collective, or Jane, provided access to safe, affordable abortions in Chicago. They went to great lengths to ensure the safety of their clients because abortion was illegal at the time. Jane posted signs letting those in need call and leave a confidential message. A collective member would then schedule a meeting at one of many apartments they rented across the city. From there, they would drive to a secondary location to undergo the abortion.

Although the phrase “survival of the fittest” is often associated with naturalist Charles Darwin, it was actually coined by English philosopher Herbert Spencer. The phrase is often used to explain the concept of natural selection; the process through which living organisms adapt and change. When used in relation to the ideas of Social Darwinism, it implies that the strong members of society will succeed, and the weak will perish. What societal systems exist today that reinforce this idea?

In 2014, Salina, Kansas resident Jim Nelson painted the message “I NEED A KIDNEY” on a billboard. This was a desperate attempt to find a kidney donor for his wife, Sharon Plucar, after she failed to qualify for a spot on the official transplant list. Plucar passed away three months after Philip Heying took this photograph. The necessity of Nelson’s action exposes flaws in the US healthcare system and raises important questions about who can access lifesaving treatment.

August Sander’s series of photographic portraits, titled People of the 20th Century, brought attention to an array of individuals from all parts of German society. In this image, Sander captured two children living at a home for the blind. This photograph was in the final part of Sander’s series, titled “The Last People,” and included those existing in the margins of modern society, such as people with disabilities.

The United States government took years to acknowledge the threat of HIV and AIDS and its disproportionate effect on the queer community. The slow response and silence from officials were reflected in the inadequate research into HIV treatment and prevention. As of 2019, more than 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV. Progress in treating HIV is slow but improving.

Many aspects of living in the United States are determined by financial status and security. Healthcare, housing, transportation, employment, education, and more are all affected by economic opportunity. Barriers like oppression, race, and class can prevent economic mobility and reinforce economic segregation. Restrictions on economic opportunity keep people in poverty from gaining power and pressure them to conform to a capitalistic mindset that thrives from their labor and profits from their low wages.

Accra Shepp’s photographs are a testament to the social and political movement Occupy Wall Street that began in 2011 in Zuccotti Park, New York City. These portraits document the demonstrators who came together to give voice to the movement. The slogan “We are the 99%” widely resonated with people, gaining momentum online and spreading throughout financial districts across the world. These photographs highlight the intimacy shared amongst strangers and the community they formed.

The Monopoly man dances across a fallen American flag. Originally the face of a board game, this figure now serves as a symbol of capitalism and corporate greed. Suspended in space and surrounded in whiteness, we are reminded that capitalism is a game we witness in black, white, and symbolic color. When the game ends, who wins? 

The Statue of Liberty is often seen as the ultimate symbol of freedom. Egyptian artist Ganzeer depicts the statue firing a gun, illustrating America’s militaristic attitude toward justice and the aggressive pursuit of freedom, both domestically and abroad. How does a simple addition to an iconic symbol change your feelings?

The charging bull, an iconic symbol of Wall Street and the financial district in New York City, is seen here restrained by a red strap drawn around its snout. Using strong graphic design and bold colors, the Occuprint Portfolio was created to support the Occupy Wall Street movement that began in 2011 to challenge economic inequity in America. Targeting various disparities, the posters lie at the intersection of many social and economic injustices.

This text comes from the Diggers, a group of religious and political rebels in England in the mid-1600s. They honored the connections between people and nature and believed in economic equality. The Diggers sought to reform the existing social order by creating small, egalitarian communities and farming common land. Echoes of these ideas can be seen today in the rise of urban farming, backyard chicken raising, and other small scale self-sustaining initiatives.

History is told through narratives. Many communities of color are unable to access parts of their personal histories because of slavery, forced relocation, and indoctrination. Artists included in this section take control of their own narratives by creating work influenced from their perspectives. Identity is deeply embedded in the stylistic choices and content of these works. What narratives are accessible to you? What parts of your personal history have been lost, destroyed, or hidden?

How did you get your name? This handwritten list of first names and shapes that mimic fingerprints represent the most basic parts of one’s identity. Deborah Muirhead uses genealogical research and African American history and literature to bring historical context to ancestral history. This connection can help restore a sense of identity to those who had their identities stolen.

To reclaim her history and in honor of unrecorded Indigenous artists, Gina Adams etches Native beadwork designs from the Spencer’s collection onto ceramic basketballs. Nearby, Haskell Indian Nations University is one of the leading four-year accredited Native American colleges in the United States and has a strong basketball program for Native athletes. For many Native Americans, basketball and other sports are an extremely accessible survival method, both financially and physically.

Osaka Ohsho is a global Japanese restaurant chain that serves dumplings. Born in Korea and now working at KU, Yoonmi Nam explores the idea of contradictions through her international background and personal experience. Using ceramic, paper, and lithography, she transforms the form of a disposable delivery box into a durable porcelain sculpture. The familiar but strange materials allow us to observe the temporary but lasting things and our obvious but easily neglected identities and history.

The two prominent figures of Carrie Mae Weems and Thomas Jefferson mirror each other in this dramatic standoff surrounded by columns. Weems’s stance reclaims access to her history stolen by a man hailed as a founding father. Her work effortlessly captures moments defining the Black experience in America. As an observer of this moment, what is accessible from your viewpoint? Which side of history are you on?

What role do humans play in creating a sustainable relationship with nature? Nature is meant to be accessible to all without discrimination. Yet, many marginalized communities have to fight for access to clean water and air. Grassroots movements, non-profits, and government organizations all recognize the importance of natural and built environments. These artworks explore how people interact with the environment—what they need and what they give back.

Following an economic crisis in 1999, the Bolivian government sought financial assistance from the World Bank. In exchange, World Bank required the privatization of Bolivia’s water systems. With rising prices many people were at risk of losing their access to water, leading to widespread protests. The young boy in this poster holds a sign that translates to “The water is ours dammit!” reminding us that water is not a privilege, it is a right.

This exhibition was organized by the 2021–2022 Spencer Museum Intern cohort. They are: Sadie Arft, Maggie Brown-Peoples, Allison Charba, Charita Dailey, Allie Fischer, Sara Johnson, Eleni Leventopoulos, Jenny Nielsen, Vidhita Raina, and Ying Zhu.