Raúl Gonzalez III

I’ve only come to truly appreciate parenthood and the inevitable sacrifices that come with it since I’ve left high school and my childhood home. From this farther viewpoint, every moment of love and selflessness comes more clearly into picture. It was a rewarding and exciting feeling to share what I saw in this artwork with the teens; it opened up a discussion on relationships with parents, gender roles, and immigration laws in the US. They were able to view Watchalo, Papa, Watchalo in a different light and realize new meanings, and I am overjoyed that it made it to this wall!

–Graciela Batista, RISD BFA 2024, Illustration 

I was convinced that we weren’t going to have this situation that we are going to be having for the next four years. And then suddenly Trump was elected president and the work felt so much more needed.

Yet, this stuff has been happening forever. We need to continue to make work that shines a light on things that have, for too long, been brushed under the rug. And I’m only making this work because I’m deeply connected to it because of who I am and where I’m from. . . . I was just so taken aback by how much was missing in terms of the stories that were being told in museums and in the American wings. And I kind of wanted to write in missing chapters with my pictures. -Raul Gonzalez III