I Define Myself: Undocumented and Unafraid
June 28th, 2012
I Define Myself: Undocumented and Unafraid was a portrait series and group action project made in collaboration between the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, the Centers for Cultural Understanding & Social Change, and members of the campaign Coming Out of the Shadows.
The exhibition featured 15 portraits of individuals who declared themselves unapologetically undocumented and cast off negatives labels and stereotypes, thus transforming their personal identities into a communal piece of artwork that closed gaps between viewer and subject. In the upstairs portion of the museum, the online culture magazine Gozamos arranged a story booth where visitors were invited to share their own experiences of identity. I Define Myself drew on the Hull-House’s rich history as a gathering place for immigrants to share knowledge and build community by amplifying the voices of undocumented communities.