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Obituaries – The American Dream
Food For Thought – Obituaries – The American Dream
Lizania Cruz’s Obituaries of the American Dream: 1931-2020, commissioned for El Museo del Barrio’s ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21.
ABOUT OBITUARIES OF THE AMERICAN DREAM 1931-2020
These and other testimonies are recorded in a new online project by artist Lizania Cruz titled Obituaries of the American Dream: 1931-2020. Commissioned for El Museo del Barrio’s ESTAMOS BIEN: LA TRIENAL 20/21, curated by Rodrigo Moura, Susanna Temkin, and Elia Alba, the website is modeled after the obituary pages of a newspaper, with vertical columns of text against a black background. Instead of mourning individuals, however, each notice announces the passing of a typical American fantasy for “non-im/migrants and im/migrants” around the world.
The title of the work references the year 1931, when writer and historian James Truslow Adams coined the term “American dream” in his book The Epic of America. “Throughout my practice, I’m interested in how we can anchor these ideals in historical moments, and that’s why I chose 1931,” said Cruz. “But a lot of my friends who are Black Americans told me, ‘This thing never existed for me,’ which I understand.”
The project’s call for submissions will remain open for the next two months, and anyone can contribute. You can share your story here. Cruz’s vision for the work includes a physical exhibition of the printed obituaries, to take place at El Museo next year.
Obituaries of the American Dream: 1931-2020 continues online through the end of the year.