In this silkscreen print commissioned by the Weisman, Anissa Cavazos continues her exploration of the interplay between family bonds and political trauma through printmaking.  Here, Cavazos integrates her lived experience on the U.S.–Mexico border with her present experience as an artist and student living in the midst of anti-immigrant rhetoric and a federal occupation. Cavazos' work draws inspiration from her natural surroundings, often incorporating symbolic representations of Mexican and Tejano culture and regional iconography. 

The print—Mariposa Esperanzada / Hopeful Butterfly, 2026—depicts an everyday scene: a child and an adult, connected through the physical bond of clasped hands, walking in a Southwestern landscape. The child casts a butterfly-shaped shadow on the ground, imbuing the scene with connotations of the connectedness of the Americas and U.S. immigration policy. A butterfly alights on a cactus in the print's foreground, asserting the naturalness of migration.

75 copies of this print will be offered to visitors on a first-come, first served basis. The artist will be present to demonstrate silkscreen printing technique.

This event is free and open to the public.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Additional general operating support is generously provided by Ameriprise Financial.