Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts - 6760 Painter Ave, Whittier, CA 90601
PARA/normal Borders is the 2026–27 edition of the MexiCali Biennial, a multidisciplinary exhibition and public humanities initiative exploring the borderlands as a space where visible and invisible histories converge. Rather than treating the border solely as a geopolitical boundary, the project approaches it as a cultural, psychological, ecological, and technological condition that shapes contemporary life.
The PARA/normal Borders Conversation Series brings together MacArthur Fellows whose work expands our understanding of borders across literature, film, visual art, music, and critical scholarship. This event is free and open to the public.
This program is co-presented by the MexiCali Biennial and the University of California, San Diego Department of Literature’s New Writing Series, in partnership with the University of California, San Diego Department of Visual Arts and the Archive for New Poetry.
A public reception will immediately follow the conversation, featuring a Punk Patch printmaking workshop. Attendees are invited to take part in a hands-on printmaking demonstration and create their own punk-inspired patch to take home. No experience necessary—all materials will be provided.
