‘Uncaged Art’ exhibit begins at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Barrington Feb. 14

Beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 14, St. Michael’s Church, Barrington, is hosting the “Uncaged Art” exhibit in the Community Room at the church, 647 Dundee Ave., Barrington. The exhibit is comprised of beautiful and inspiring artwork by the children held in the Tornillo, Texas, Detention Center that opened on June 14, 2018.

Over the eight months of its operation, 6,200 children were held in tents in Tornillo, a small border town. Tornillo came to symbolize the mass detention of migrant children. A group of teachers visited the youngsters, inviting them to express their pride in their countries of origin through art, and the children produced 200 pieces of art. When the Tornillo detention center closed, officials began throwing out the artwork. A local Catholic priest recovered 29 pieces, and later stated, “What came through in the art was the strong spirit of these young men and women - who, even under those conditions, were still inspired to do something beautiful.”

The exhibit is sponsored by the Sanctuary Task Force, Anti-racism Commission, Hispanic Affairs Committee and the Peace & Justice Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. It has appeared in the Southwest, California and is now touring the Midwest at churches, nonprofits, schools and libraries. The goal is to share the experience of immigrant detention, particularly of children, through art.

The exhibit is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Feb. 14 to Feb. 25, at St. Michael’s Barrington, except on the opening day of Feb. 14, Ash Wednesday, when the exhibit will be open from 1-2 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 p.m.

A reception will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, with refreshments. The reception includes a 12-minute video, and a speaker who is a representative of the Sanctuary Task Force and an immigrant who has been through the process and granted asylum. This art exhibit is part of the Episcopal Church’s efforts to replace immigrant detention and electronic monitoring with the use of community-based supportive services.

Please join for a moving and informative art show.