The Other Side of The Tracks

November 9, 2024 – February 8, 2025

OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, November 9 | 6-8pm

In 2019, in cities across the country, the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad was celebrated with a great deal of fanfare. There is another story that must be told.

The histories unaccounted for in our best-known tales of the train—the men, women, and communities transformed but ignored in the dominant narrative of the engine and the nation it built. It is their stories of the tracks that still wait to be told. The Other Side of the Tracks, a traveling exhibition, features the work of nine national and internationally recognized contemporary artists who come from these communities, their voices excluded from the triumphal tales of the track. This approach challenges the traditional narrative about trains and promotes a more inclusive and accurate view of the subject. The work of the Native American, African American, Chinese American, and Mexican art-makers in this exhibition creates a powerful vision of the railway from a perspective Americans have rarely experienced before. Additionally, the research component, which included a journey by train the participating artists took together, visiting towns and cities built by the railway, was both innovative and critical to the evolution of the artwork in the exhibition.

As a new generation of faster trains emerges, we must think critically about the history of our railways: who they have served, who they’ve neglected, and who they have hurt. The power that trains have to move and inspire us is still strong, but if we are to build a more equitable future, we must make a more concerted effort to clearly see our past. Curated by Jorge Rojas, Other Side of The Tracks features national and regional artists Tania Candiani, Raven Chacon, Gregg Deal, Guillermo Galindo, Zhi Lin, Caroline Liu, Paisley Rekdal, Xaviera Simmons, and Chip Thomas.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Rebel Responsibly with Caroline Liu & Inspire Nation Skateboard Co. – November 16, 2024, 3-5:30pm
Artist Caroline Liu will lead a hands-on workshop for skate-enthusiasts, youth, and anyone looking to expand their creative skillset to paint their own skateboard with a focus on mental health awareness. Inspire Nation, a local youth-centered mental health nonprofit, will provide their Rebel Responsibly journals and promote journaling and skateboarding as emotional outlets. 

516 WORDS: Reexamining the West with Paisley Rekdal – December 5, 2024, 6-7:30pm @ FUSION | 708
Delve into the history of the American West through the lens of Chinese and other railroad workers’ histories, and through the railroad’s impact on America with a dynamic, inter-media live reading from poet and scholar, Paisley Rekdal. 

ABQ Herstory Makers: Street Style Portrait Prints Workshop – January 9 & 12, 2025
516 ARTS and Herstory Printmaking present a two-day street-style portrait printmaking workshop led by Herstory Printmaking members Shelly Korte and Lena Weiss. 

Dead Pioneers Live at 606 Studio – January 17, 2025, 7pm 
Exhibiting artist Gregg Deal takes the hard-hitting, truth-telling themes of his nationally renowned visual art to the stage as frontman for Dead Pioneers—a visceral fusion of spoken word and punk born from his performance art piece, The Punk Pan-Indian Romantic Comedy. Featuring opening bands Weedrat and Los Mocos.

Curator Tour with Jorge Rojas – January 31, 2025, 2pm
Jorge Rojas, guest curator of The Other Side of the Tracks, will guide audiences through the gallery discussing insights on process, themes, and more in an open discussion.

Caesura: Raven Chacon and Guillermo Galindo Live – February 1, 2025, 3pm @ Albuquerque Rail Yards 
Caesura is a collaborative and graphic music score that examines the sonic history of the railway and to be performed live by Raven Chacon, Guillermo Galindo. Sponsored in part by The City of Albuquerque, The National Performance Network, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The resulting video is included in the exhibition and accompanying publication. Ultimately, The Other Side of the Tracks exhibition presents an imaginative new understanding of the locomotive through the eyes of artists from historically marginalized communities.

Press: Southwest Contemporary, Artists Ride, and Reframe, the U.S. Railroad in The Other Side of the Tracks, by Ana Estrada

THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBITION SPONSORS

The exhibition was created in collaboration with Ogden Contemporary Arts in Salt Lake City, Utah, and RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, Colorado.