Laredo on the Line, with special guest ***BRENDA TIJERINA***
Brenda Tijerina is studying Architecture / City Planning at the University of Houston. Originally from Laredo, Brenda is brilliant and bold and has contributed her time and energy to help the No Border Wall Coalition in their ongoing fight for justice along the border. Specifically, it was Brenda’s experience and expertise making digital blueprints for the street mural that allowed the coalition to produce something so professional and long-lasting when they painted DEFUND THE WALL in downtown Laredo. Everyone plays an important role in our march towards equity. Many hands make light work.
Also: Brenda produces an AMAZING online blog of her inspiring Laredo community.
Check it out here: http://www.traceofechoes.com
☛ Portrait of the Artist as a _______. What are you feeling like today? How would you fill in that blank?
As a student.
I’ve been feeling good, always trying to keep moving.
I picked “student” because I think it’s an important role. In every cycle or project, there’s always something to learn, adjust, and make better.
That’s usually my approach.
☛ What is the shape, color, and feel of your life in Laredo? What do you do there?
My life in Laredo morphs shape as new challenges arrive, it changes colors through every new personal interaction, and the feeling is very comforting because I know I’m surrounded by family.
I typically spend the day at the office working or doing schoolwork. I like to walk around downtown, visit local coffee shops, and dine with friends.
☛ What kind of art do you make? What inspires your work?
I started my exploration with photography. Through that work around the city, I was inspired by the efforts of artists, activists, and educators, who organize and empower their communities. Their stories helped me identify my interest in urbanism and public space, and to study it at a human scale, I enrolled in architecture school at the University of Houston.
Because of school, most of my current work is digital. I’m learning new softwares to analyze information and express ideas through 2D drawings and 3D modeling. Over the past year and a half, I’ve used these tools to design and layout the dimensions of three murals in the city of Laredo.
☛ How do you see the connection between the personal and the political?
Societies operate through a vast range of systems and one way or another we all play a role in them. In many different ways, the policies in which these systems operate directly affects people, and because of that, we should all participate in the conversations that shape it.
☛ Are you from Laredo? If so, can you tell us about what life was like when you were a child in Laredo, and how things have changed? If not, can you tell us where you grew up?
I was born in Laredo and raised in the sister cities. Both sides of the border have always been home and I’m grateful to live within two cultures. For my parents, it was important that I learned to speak, read, and write Spanish, so I started school in Nuevo Laredo. I had the best childhood and spent the days with my cousins playing on my grandma’s patio.
When I turned ten, my family and I moved back to Laredo. I started fifth grade in a new school, surrounded by new faces, and in another language. Luckily, I quickly adapted, except in history class, as it was a whole other story. I have lived on this side of the border ever since, with the privilege of crossing back and forth between the Rio Grande.
