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Albuquerque Museum acquires teeter-totter originally installed on U.S./Mexico border
Immigration remains a hot-button issue in the United States.
In 2019, Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello created a pink teeter-totter which was installed at the United States/Mexico border.
The installation piece served as a beacon of social commentary concerning the treatment of migrants, the connection among citizens of both nations and societal change.
While the work was seen by those worldwide, it now has a home at the Albuquerque Museum.
Andrew Conners, Albuquerque Museum director, said the museum recently acquired one of the teeter-totters and installed it in the museum’s permanent collection exhibition, “Common Ground,” which honors the artistic and cultural achievements of the U.S. Southwest.
“The Teeter-Totter shook the world with its installation along the U.S./Mexico border wall, and we are honored to elevate that piece of international history at our museum,” Conners said. “In a state where immigration is such a large, often discussed issue, it’s exciting to have this imperative piece of the conversation here in Albuquerque.”
The teeter-totters were originally installed between Sunland Park and Ciudad Juárez. Children from both sides of the border wall would play together – symbolically breaching the division of the wall.
“Children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides, with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” said creators Rael and San Fratello in a social media post in 2019, following the original installation of the teeter-totters.
