The western American landscape is in constant motion—a place of unbroken horizons, staggering views, and changing borders. Certain modes of transportation have become linked to the southwest and the surrounding region. Images of horses roaring across the land, cars cruising on busy streets and forgotten roads, and skaters gliding on pavement elicit feelings of freedom, power, and rebellion.
Desert Rider: Dreaming in Motion focuses on self-identified Latinx and Indigenous artists who express identity, pride, and a sense of community by transforming vehicles associated with southwestern states. These transformations both challenge stereotypes and embody hope. Customization and creation can tie together ideas of history, place, resistance, discovery, and empowerment in a single object. This exhibition acknowledges the urgent need to make space for voices deeply connected to and reflective of the region’s complicated past and its future.
Whether you are from Denver, Los Angeles, or Española, NM, your ride is not just an activity, it’s a way of life.
This video features Jesse Lopez, librarian of the Gene and Cathie Lemon Art Research Library at the Phoenix Art Museum, flipping through the following books and magazines:
Arte del Varrio, Fall 1980–Spring 1981
Lowrider Arte, June 1998–December 2009
Lowrider Magazine, January 1977–December 2019
Teen Angel’s Magazine, 1980–2017
Video courtesy Phoenix Art Museum
Desert Rider: Dreaming in Music
Music is powerful. It connects people and creates a sense of identity and belonging. It is moving, a source of joy and pride, and a means for protest and mourning. Through music we remember the past, experience the present, and dream of new futures.
The music in Desert Rider: Dreaming in Motion is a playlist of songs that the exhibition’s artists and community advisors felt embodied their different experiences and communities.
Exhibition Guide Sections
Desert Rider: Dreaming in Motion is organized by Phoenix Art Museum. It is presented with generous support from the Adolph Coors Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Christensen Fund, U.S. Bank, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS Colorado.
