I’ve been thinking about migration a lot.  Who and what migrates? And why?

I have a friend, Olivia Joy St. Claire, who is trying to emigrate to Canada, but the border remains closed, regardless of the fact that she was approved for permanent residency as early as March 18.  She is not allowed to migrate due to the pandemic.

Her car has been packed up for 4 months; she has been self-quarantined in Maine for the same time.  Inside her car are boxes.  Boxes of clothes, boxes of art supplies, boxes of house goods and tools, electrical equipment, computer equipment, and her own personal supplies.

And so I’ve been thinking about boxes, too.  What they signify:  keeping, saving, sending, storing.  A box of photographs, a box of clothes, a box of food.  A migrant takes what is needed – children, food, a change of clothes, or nothing at all.

MIGRATION is defined as the traveling of humans, animals, fish, birds and insects, even trees, for a less harsh environment in which to prosper.

My question then is:  Who is not a migrant?

I’ve just completed an artist book (somewhat loosely defined) for a virtual exhibition at the Camden Library in September.  It’s comprised of a series of eleven boxes mostly made from a sheer but stiff cotton organdy fabric.   I want the boxes to feel vulnerable and fragile – as surely the migrant must feel.  Each box is a little wobbly or pushed-in looking, a little uncertain.

Inside many of the boxes are scrolls with language about the migration of animals, insects, birds, fish, trees, and human beings.  Inside others are things saved:  bees, a feather, some dried garlic, a skull.

Human beings have always migrated.  At our earliest days we migrated from Africa, populated the Middle East and then Europe.  Now our migrations are primarily due to political problems and more recently, climate change problems.

Animals and humans have this in common – it is our instinct to move for better conditions in which to survive.

This is a heavy burden to place onto an art work. How can a humble box speak to the issues of migration?  My aim is not political though.  Rather to provide a visual container for the migrant’s task, that is, to move towards a better life, a more hospitable place, a better source of security.  When you pack another box, remember to think about what that box is helping you to do.

My artist book – Who Is Not a Migrant? – can be seen on the Camden Public Library website beginning September 1.  I hope you will visit their website. Also, please take a look at my video titled How to Make a Simple Box, on making the boxes for my artist book, as well as my video titled, Who Is Not A Migrant, displaying my artist book. Both produced by Olivia St. Claire, former artist in-residence. You can view my interview with her here.