Borderlands, an exhibition of about 50 artists from the southwestern U.S. and Mexico addressing the notion of borders, opens this Friday and runs through Oct. 18 at the Center for the Visual Arts. The CVA will host several special events in conjunction with the exhibition (see schedule below).

Borderlands explores issues of borders and the myriad interpretations the word brings to mind, beginning with geographical borders, in particular the familiar border between the United States and Mexico. However, artists did not limit themselves to geographical borders, expanding the concept as it applies to psychological, religious, gender, physical, sexual orientation, age, personal, community, national, race and ethnic borderlands.

Some of the artists included in the exhibition are Pedro Ascencio Mateos, Jerry Kunkel, Julio Chavez Guerrero, Merlin Madrid, Sandra Kaplan, Carlos Fresquez, Quintin Gonzales, Chuck Forsman, Mark Amerika and Luiz Del Carmen Vilchis. Media represented includes sculpture, prints, paintings, digital media and mixed media.

Luis Jiménez, one of the best-known Latino artists in the country, is specifically featured in Borderlands. He will speak about his work and his life at a CVA event and on the Auraria campus. Jiménez is an internationally acclaimed sculptor, painter and printmaker. The son of Mexican immigrants, he has dealt with border issues in his work for decades. His work has been shown at many major museums, including the Whitney and Museum of Modern Art, and he has produced many well-known public art works.

Special Events
Opening Reception: Thursday, Sept. 11, 7-9 p.m.
Access to Art Talk: Luis Jiménez
St. Francis Center. Friday, Sept. 12, 2 p.m.
Access to Art Talk: Luis Jiménez
CVA, Friday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public. The exhibition is sponsored by the Metro State Student Affairs Board. The Center for the Visual Arts is located at 1734 Wazee St. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 303-294-5207.