TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Arizona History Museum is hosting a special quilt exhibit focused on migrants who lost their lives while seeking refuge and crossing the Tucson sector borderlands in the United States. The exhibit is called “Los Desconocidos” or the migrant quilt project.
20 quilts carry the names of those who have been identified or are listed as unknown in the desert the project was started in the mid-2000s.
Jaynie Adams with the historical society says the quilts are well known way to record the past. The museum was recently gifted the quilts.
"Some of them you will notice have shirt sleeves, stamps or jean back pockets. It’s all made of materials found in the desert along with human remains. It's a labor-intensive process and you’re faced with this person's name and how much we know about them and how little we know about them,” Adams said.
The quilts were made to memorialize migrants lost over ten years. They are also on public display for the first time.
Barry Steiman from St. Louis, Missouri is one of the first visitors to stop by.
"It’s so emotional you’ve got traditional quilts and then you have some very dramatic black and white photographs. You’re in this small room and you’re just overpowered by the subject,” Steiman said.
Artists, quilt makers and activists wanted to capture humanity while showing compassion in their work to showcase what’s happening to families in the desert. The exhibit runs January 20th to February 28th of 2023.
The Arizona History Museum, located at 949 E. 2nd Street is open Tuesday through Saturday between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Tickets run $6 for kids and $12 for adults, seniors and military members get a discount and pay $11 and kids under 6 get in free.
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