Jennifer Cheng DesAutels
“Family Values Don't Stop at the Border”
Description
“Family Values Don’t Stop at the Border”
2021
11’’x17’’
Digital Illustration
‘Family Values Don't Stop at the Border’ was created as a response to the US-Mexico Border refugee crisis, as depicted in this “symbolic image with two families separated by metal bars,” as said by Jennifer.
Jennifer describes the digital painting, saying that “The refugee family in the foreground is excluded from the American Dream, symbolized by the family on the other side. The family in the background, oblivious to what is happening beyond the bars, sits down to a comforting meal in the spirit of one of Rockwell's Four Freedoms.”
The piece “Family Values Don't Stop at the Border" powerfully depicts the reality that many minority families and refugees face everyday on the border, and this sadly is an issue that is currently left unresolved.
Artist Statement
“Whereas in the past I had sought assimilation into cultural norms, I am now learning to strengthen my own voice. The only way to do that is to practice even when the timing isn't ideal, because the truth is, it never will be ideal.
One of my favorite words is 'Wonder' because it leads to ideas, which lead to discoveries and action. I teach and illustrate in order to make a positive difference in the community.”
- Jennifer Cheng DesAutels
Pandemic and Practice
“I am a first generation Taiwanese-American, public school teacher and illustrator. The events of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the countless tragedies that have occurred as a result of systemic racism, have clarified for me a responsibility to address injustice though my work and through my own privilege.
This has caused me to seek out resources and step up for anti-racism and wrestle with my own cultural biases as a child of immigrants.”
- Jennifer Cheng DesAutels