The Albuquerque Museum announced today that it has acquired one of the award-winning and globally celebrated pink teeter-totters formerly installed at the U.S./Mexico border wall.
The Teeter-Totter, created by architect Ronald Rael and designer Virginia San Fratello in 2019, has served as a highly visual beacon of social commentary concerning the treatment of migrants, the connection among citizens of both nations and societal change. The work has been installed in the Albuquerque Museum’s permanent collection exhibition, Common Ground, which honors the artistic and cultural achievements of the U.S. Southwest.
When initially installed, the brightly colored teeter-totters allowed children from both sides of the border wall (between Sunland Park, N.M. and Ciudad Juárez), to play together and symbolically breach the division that the wall creates.
“The Teeter-Totter shook the world with its installation along the U.S./Mexico border wall, and we are honored to elevate that piece of international history at our museum,” said Andrew Connors, Albuquerque Museum director. “In a state where immigration is such a large, often discussed issue, it’s exciting to have this imperative piece of the conversation here in Albuquerque.”
“Children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides, with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” said creators Rael and San Fratello in a social media post in 2019, following the original installation of the teeter-totters.