Join TechArtista for an artist talk and discussion with Josh Rowan about his current exhibition BORDERLANDS. Josh will talk about his work and then open the floor for questions and discussion.

There will be a *print giveaway* which attendees of the event can enter at check-in. There will also be prints for sale. The prints in the show can be reserved for $250. Proceeds go to the artist and to cover the cost of the event.

Light refreshments will be served.

About Josh Rowan and BORDERLANDS:

Josh Rowan traveled the length of the Mexican-American border from the Gulf to the Pacific Coast, where he stayed as close to the border as possible, taking photos, meeting people, sharing stories and experiencing life in the Borderlands.

BORDERLANDS is a collection of photos taken along Rowan’s two-part ten-week journey through Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Northern Mexico during a tumultuous time between the two sides. These photos are a glimpse into a part of the country hotly fought over, bringing up issues of race, immigration policy, and the ongoing “war on drugs”.

The first leg of the borderland expedition was in May and June of 2017 when Trump came into seat, where the general question was, “What will some of these landscapes look like once the wall cuts through them?” Rowan took his second trip (funded by a RAC grant) to the border November through December of 2018. This leg was more recon-oriented, holding in mind what he had learned from doing the first pass. Rowan documented the cultural differences and the part of the land that is a gradient of these cultural shifts, languages, and landscapes.

While Rowan was on the trip, he would ask people to look at a photograph that he has taken and point out which side was which. Most times people were wrong. There is life on both sides of this line culture does not stop there, it’s deeply integrated and part of America’s Southwest history. In this exhibition, you will experience the interconnectedness of the two countries and the culture that is created there.

Josh Rowan is originally from Southern Illinois but has been living in St. Louis, MO for over 25 years. Rowan has been designing and illustrating for most of his adult life, some of his most recognized work can be seen on the cans of 4 Hands beers, 1220 Spirits Origin Gin, Saint Louis Magazine, Sump, Pi, Tower Classic Tattoo, The Lion’s Daughter and Indian Blanket, and more. Rowan has been an avid photographer of over 20 years. Rowan wishes to develop a photography book out of this collection, which would be his first publication of the sort.

Questions? Email info@techartista.org.