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Immigrant Status: Contributions

Artists

Betto Limón (México)

"One reason why I wanted to travel north
was to know the land that my ancestors once walked
and they lived without knowing that humanity one day
would know the word 'borders'."

They call me El "Betto" . . . I was born in Tlatelolco, a part of the city of México where large important archaeological monuments of my ancestors are found. My artistic life began when I was eight years old. I started making my own toys with empty boxes of chewing gum that we sold in the street. After that, I began to do sculptures out of carton for our school plays.

February 22, 2002 travel to the United States, a very long trip and emotionally and financially hard . . . The first months of my stay here were without color. For the majority of my day I was working something that made me depressed . . . I knew at that time I could be occupied to do what I liked most, art!!! It does not matter if you have the best job in the world, if it is something that in reality you do not like you will not feel complete with yourself.

In México, Limón was part of various "crews," the most important of which was one called "ek" which stood for "expanding the kulture." With this crew, he did a lot of legal graffiti art all over the city where building and store owners gave them permission to paint their properties. He also had a very good job doing body piercings, walking all over the city in the "tianguis" (weekly sidewalk markets) and plazas with his female friend whom he calls la "skrotz." They made bracelets, embroidered t-shirts and la "skrotz" taught him body tattooing.

Currently. Limón is working on a mural for a Mexican shop on Hennepin Ave. This mural represents the Aztec calendar and its principles. He is also part of a group devoted to continuing the dance culture of Aztec ancestors. ". . . the most important thing about art," says Limón, "is the message that the artist wants to express to the community, it is important to teach and to motivate the culture of the art toward the youths and Children (sic), you show them that art is done for love, for the feeling not only for money
alone . . . "

Exhibited works: Clay sculptures
Aztec Calendar (acrylic on wood)
Mundo Agrícola (pottery)
El pequeño betto (clay sculpture)
Movimiento Sobre La Tierra (clay sculpture montage)
Símbolo (pottery)