Feminist Border Arts 2024

Join us in exploring the intersections of social change through film/video, media art, and zines this June 28-29 at the University Art Museum at New Mexico State University, international Pride Day weekend. Join our collective quest for transformative narratives—free and open to the public. Your space in this movement awaits.

Featured Guests:

• Allyson Mitchell - Featured Media Artist: Engage with the "uncanny" world of queer feminist media and craft through Mitchell's exciting work, including the iconic "Ladies Sasquatch" and the immersive "Kill Joy's Kastle." An advocate for using art as a form of social critique, Mitchell's installations invite viewers into a conversation on gender, sexuality, and identity, challenging social norms with her maximalist style. Join us in person as Mitchell discusses her creative journey, blending sculpture, installation, and film to formulate new narratives in contemporary media arts and culture. Instagram.
• Perrin Ireland - Featured Media Arts and Video Storyteller: Enter the fascinating intersection of art and science with Ireland, a visual storyteller who brings complex science events to life through a combination of research and creative expression in media arts and digital storytelling. From illustrating marine biology research at Brown University to creating impactful watercolor animations for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Ireland’s work bridges the gap between scientific insight and artistic expression. Join us in person as Ireland shares her journey and insights, offering new perspectives on storytelling at the nexus of art, science, gender & sexuality studies, and environmental advocacy. Instagram.
• Ryan Rox - Featured Filmmaker and New Mexico Premiere: Dive headfirst into a world crafted through Borderlands Latine nonbinary, trans, and queer storytelling with Rox's groundbreaking full-length feature debut, Hidden Flora, marking a significant milestone in regional filmmaking. Join Ryan and the film's cast for a live Q&A and reception following the screening.
• Dr. Julia Smith - Featured Interdisciplinary Video Storyteller: Engage with a hybrid digital storytelling and video essay that reimagines gender and feminist digital media through a mesmerizing narrative fabric, challenging conventional tropes through filmic intervention.
• Dr. Vanessa J. Aguilar - Featured Scholar in Speculative fiction, Bruja/Conjure Feminisms, Chicanx/Latinx Knowledge Production: Dr. Aguilar’s interdisciplinary background informs her approach to research and pedagogy. Her primary research centers on Chicanx/Latinx knowledge production in literature. Her role as co-curator for this year's festival draws on her multilayered expertise in South American, speculative, anti-colonial, and indigenous creative expressions. Professor Amanda Cuellar, a film scholar at Doña Ana Community College, will be joining Dr. Aguilar in this collaboration. 
• Dr. Héctor Iglesias Pascual - Featured Scholar in Transnational LGBTQ+ Film and Media: Dr. Pascual's role as a co-curator focusing on transnational LGBTQ+ migration and experiences in film and media, with a particular expertise in documentary filmmaking, adds a critical and insightful dimension to the festival. His work will feature emerging Venezuelan filmmaker, Maria Millan and her documentary on global queer parenting. 
• Jillian Sandell - Featured Media Artist in Graphic Memoir: During cancer treatment in 2016, she was inspired by Lynda Barry’s daily journal activity and began drawing as a way to process her experiences. Before becoming an artist, Jillian taught gender studies for two decades and her work is shaped by a feminist sensibility – focusing on the politics of everyday life, including the aftermath of cancer treatment, living in the desert, environmental and food justice, grief, and love. 
• Jaimie Lee Peterson - Featured Media Artist in Graphic Memoir: Peterson is an art therapist, educator, artist, and graphic memoirist in Hunt, TX. She has a BFA in Painting from Art Institute Kansas City and MAAT from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

The festival will also feature a concurrent zine fest on day 2, June 29, showcasing a variety of creative publications alongside film screenings.

Zine Fest:

• Workshop: Participate in a hands-on media arts learning experience with UAM's OutsmART, an interactive workshop exploring the power of art to impact children’s everyday lives.
• Panels: Join practitioners for engaging discussions. Explore the transformative roles that art and media play in shaping public consciousness and social movements.
• Tabling: Discover an array of zines and related media. Engage directly with creators, get to know their work, and take home a piece of the festival. Click here for exhibitor application.

In addition to these highlighted projects, FBAFF 2024 will also feature curated programs of both U.S. and international short films, alongside a selection of feature films, further showcasing our commitment to a broad spectrum of perspectives and narratives.

Join us at FBA festival in 2024. Be a part of the experience – be part of the change.

Celebrate International PRIDE Weekend with Independent Film & Media in Las Cruces, NM

Las Cruces is situated in the Mesilla Valley, flanked by the Organ Mountains to the east and the Rio Grande to the west in the southern part of New Mexico. Visitors to Las Cruces often choose to fly into El Paso International Airport, located just 50 miles south, or Albuquerque International Sunport, which is about 225 miles to the north. Both locations offer convenient car rental options. Las Cruces Shuttle offers reliable transportation to & from El Paso Airport & Las Cruces.

The event takes place in the University Art Museum, located in Devasthali Hall, near the intersection of University and Solano Avenues in Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA, on the campus of New Mexico State University. It is free and open to the public.

The building is equipped with disability-accessible features, including automatic doors, curb cutaways, elevators, and designated parking spaces for individuals with disabilities displaying a valid disabled placard or plate.

UAM Phone: 575-646-2545 

Free Parking Information: Free 1-Day & 1-Week E-Permits Get yours now. You can print out a new permit up to 5 times per year. 

Attendees can also enjoy free parking on campus, including the spacious Lot #30 located east of the Pan American Center. These complimentary parking areas are designated in brown on the campus parking map.

Remember, parking is free accross campus after 4:30 pm. For or any additional questions, email parking@nmsu.edu.

Gender Neutral Restroom Available: For your convenience, a gender-neutral restroom is located in Devasthali Hall on the main floor.

Nursing Privacy Pod: A nursing parent's privacy pod (Mamava pod) is located on the main floor, to the left of the main entrance.

Accommodations Near NMSU: For those traveling from out of town, here are some nearby hotel options: