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The Reunions Collection stands as a tribute to one of the most enduring pillars of Indigenous life across Latin America: the gathering of family and community. These reunions, whether sparked by celebration, necessity, or survival—form the emotional architecture of collective identity. In this series, I attempt to transforms memory into visual testimony, drawing from my lived experience in the refugee camps of Southern Mexico during the 1980s, where reunions were not merely social events but acts of resilience, healing, and cultural preservation.
Throughout the collection, my choice of colors and patterns radiates with the hues of celebration—ochres, reds, and earth tones that recall the landscapes of Mesoamerica and the vibrancy of Indigenous textiles. Yet beneath the color lies a deeper emotional register: the tenderness of recognition, the relief of safety, and the sacredness of gathering after hardship. These works do not romanticize reunion; they honor its complexity. They acknowledge the pain of separation while celebrating the joy of return.
At the heart of the collection is the understanding that reunion is both a return and a reawakening. The works honor the moment I often witnessed, when people who have been separated—by migration, conflict, or circumstance—find one another again. Figures emerge not as individuals but as carriers of lineage, their presence shaped by the traditions that bind generations. Patterns, textiles, and color fields echo the visual language of Indigenous communities, where clothing is not decoration but narrative: a record of ancestry, geography, and belonging.
Two Generations
From the Collection of Jim and Marlene Schillinger
The paintings evoke the warmth of intergenerational connection. In Two Generations, the embrace between elders and youth becomes a symbol of continuity—an affirmation that culture survives through touch, teaching, and shared presence. The composition suggests that reunion is not only about who returns, but about what is restored: stories, rituals, and the quiet strength of communal life.
The Reunions Collection ultimately becomes a visual offering to the communities who taught me that reunion is a form of survival. It is a testament to the human need to gather, to witness one another, and to reaffirm identity through shared presence. In honoring these traditions, the collection invites viewers to reflect on their own reunions—those moments when connection becomes a lifeline, and when coming together becomes an act of cultural endurance.
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