Fronteridades: Nurturing Collaborative Intersections in the U.S-Mexico Border aims to bridge disciplines, sectors, and communities to deepen our understanding of the U.S-Mexico border and diversify the perspectives and narratives that shape this region.
Fronteridades elevates historically overlooked narratives to form a more inclusive, accurate, and just portrayal of the communities on the U.S.-Mexico border. The project centers on borderland residents' stories, representations, and creativity through partnerships, fellowships, research, convenings, and collective action.
Since its inception in 2019, Fronteridades has collaborated with over 59 partners, including local nonprofit and grassroots organizations from the U.S. and Mexico, UArizona departments and programs, community members working on amplifying the voices of underrepresented people living in and crossing the U.S-Mexico border.
“The Fronteridades program seeks to promote and define an intersectional space where borders (fronteras) and humanities (humanidades) collide, coexist and give rise to Fronteridades (fronteras + humanidades).”
– Dr. Javier Duran
Director, Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry
Fronteridades was born of a need to challenge mainstream narratives and elevate the voices of the people living in and crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2019, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, interested in supporting "the visionaries and communities that unlock the power in the arts and humanities that help connect us all," granted the Confluencenter $800,000 to launch the project. In January 2022, the Mellon Foundation awarded the Confluencenter 1.5 million to continue and expand Fronteridades.
Building on the 2019-2021 Mellon Foundation grant, Fronteridades is developing new undertakings to
• Narrate the Border by collecting, understanding, and sharing the narratives, stories, art, and effects of marginalized groups at the US-Mexico border for local and non-local audiences.
• Expand Border Learning by creating opportunities for experiential learning in, on, and about the US-Mexico border for scholars and interested people across fields and disciplines.
• Cultivate the Fronteridades community by fostering fruitful, long-lasting relationships among Fronteridades partners while strengthening existing ties among scholars, artists, human rights advocates, and community leaders.
Fronteridades is working on three programs, including:
Border Scholars
The Border Scholars program supports interdisciplinary scholarship and creative activities by UArizona graduate and undergraduate students and faculty, aiming at expanding their professional and academic development.
Border Arts Collective
The Border Arts Collective program bridges border artists and storytellers across southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, with local community arts organizations and art institutions.
Migrant and Asylum Seeker Stories
The Migrant and Asylum Seeker Stories program supports the creation and dissemination of stories of people living in and crossing the border aiming at challenging the mainstream narratives about the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.