Opening Reception and Lectures by Dr. Escalante and Dr. Domenech, March 8th, 6 pm - 8 pm in Rm 332 at the Laramie Plains Civic Center

Gallery Open for Public Viewing Monday to Thursday 10 am - 8 pm, March 8th - April 30th

Migración: Betabeleros is a powerful art installation by Ismael Dominquez celebrating the history and culture of migrant beet workers in northern Wyoming. Through textile-based sculptures, historic photos, and recorded narratives, the exhibition honors the resilience, labor, and contributions of the Betabeleros who shaped the region’s agricultural industry.

"Growing up as a queer person of color in the rural Mountain West has greatly contributed to the experiences that drive abstract ideas of connection, or lack thereof, between individuals as well as to the land we inhabit. The integrated plant imagery recalls the resilience it takes to flourish in a place where resources are scarce in the arid soil of Wyoming. I find this parallels my experience of being a minority and attempting to find and create community across the rural dry lands of the “Equality” State. My practice exalts traditional craft processes, which are most commonly created by marginalized communities such as women and people of color, and are often seen as “lesser than” by North American Art institutions, and often fails to provide any indication of who made it other than a general group of people.

This work is an homage or offering to my ancestors and living family members who carried themselves and our lineage through the fields, of their own volition or not, so I could have the privilege of never having to know that kind of manual labor.

It is my hope that Migración: Betabeleros provides recognition to the innumerable people and personal accounts, lost to caucasian history, that built the agricultural economy in Wyoming, the United States, and across the world.

For my family and others who would travel hundreds of miles, chasing the seasons and ripening crops, who packed their homes into a car or bus to travel to an unfamiliar place, I am honored to carry a sliver of their stories forward.

May the seeds of their labor flourish in all of us." - Ismael Dominguez