What happened in Minneapolis and what is happening across the United States
After months of violence and threats by federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (known as ICE) January 7th marked one of the most dramatic moments of their operations: the killing of Renée Good in Minneapolis, a 37-year-old woman who was shot three times by agent Jonathan Ross for failing to comply with an order to exit her vehicle. Her death further fueled the anger of communities not only in Minneapolis but across the entire United States, where people expressed their opposition to these abuses through nationwide protests demanding the abolition of the federal agency. So far there has been no response to citizens’ demands, on the contrary, the President of the United States appears to justify their actions.
Protesters at Foley Square by the federal government building protesting the ICE killing of Renee Good hours earlier.
People spoke at the monument, before walking around 26 Federal Plaza, and ending back at Foley Square.
Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo SWinxy.
The art world responds
Following these events, the art world began to mobilize, both at the level of individual artists and through museums, art centers, and galleries that wanted to show their solidarity with the victims and their families. Beginning with street demonstrations and memorials in memory of Renée, the monarch butterfly became the symbol of a global solidarity movement toward migrants. This motif, stylized and typically rendered in blue, has come to identify all those who wish for a world without ICE, and who in the name of this cause have begun to express themselves publicly through the most varied forms of artistic communication. From prints to billboards, t-shirts, murals, performances, and site-specific installations, everyone has contributed to the movement in their own way. In Minneapolis specifically, the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) decided to strike by closing their doors on January 23rd, joined by numerous galleries and museums in what became known as the Day of Truth and Freedom.
Active or performative activism?
Regarding the actions taken by various art institutions on this issue, one might ask whether we are once again faced with a case of Performative Allyship, a term referring to the apparent support expressed toward a social cause or marginalized group that nonetheless provides no real help, and is moreover motivated by an underlying self-interest. Shortly after the international community’s widespread condemnation of ICE, numerous Minneapolis galleries announced their participation in the strike through their social media channels with carefully worded statements. However, this noble stance might appear to be more a matter of reputation than a genuine attempt to change things in the name of publicly professed ideals. The difference lies not only in intention but also in the actual effect produced by acts of protest. After the strike day, everything returned to normal, yet ICE continues to operate.
Protestors showed up at Foley Square. Wikimedia Commons, license CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo SWinxy.
Some notable examples of artistic projects against ICE:
WICKED WINTER at Art Shanty Projects
Art Shanty Projects is a popular annual event series in which artists build temporary installations atop the frozen Bdé Umáŋ (Lake Harriet). “We firmly believe that art is never neutral, connection is an act of resistance, and gathering is community care,” states Art Shanty Projects, which hosted an event called “ICE OUT!” on January 11th. On this occasion, performances and installations allowed the sorrow and anger of the targeted communities to be expressed. This is the case of the “Wicked Winter” project by Angela North, Clara Schiller, Sarah Honeywell, and Sam Granum, in which visitors were asked to smash small ice figures with a hammer. The gingerbread house-inspired installation hosted an “ICE crushing” ritual over weekends from January 17th through February 8th. The artists describe it as both a cathartic event and a healthy way to cope with the current situation and feel less powerless.
The Umbrella Project
Artist Maggie Thompson is the creator of this project, which aims to function not only as a creative activity but also as a mechanism of self-defense and community protection. The umbrella, an everyday object designed to protect from rain, is transformed into something closer to a shield, particularly useful in moments of civil unrest. It can protect against the effects of flash bombs, pepper spray, and the impact of rubber bullets. The artist shares her knowledge by providing accessible instructions for independently building a reinforced umbrella that can become not only a functional tool but also a symbol of resistance, one that ordinary people, armed with improvised objects, use to stand up against an armed system.
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