October 12 marked the opening of Susan Harbage Page: Embodied Cartography in Territorial Disputes, the newest installation in the Van Every Gallery at Davidson College. The exhibit reflects artist Susan Harbage Page’s pilgrimages tothe U.S.-Mexican border and grapples with the messiness, confusion, and tragedy that marks this tumultuous place. From photographs to quilts to golden passports, Harbage Page utilizes a range of materials and media to juxtapose the struggles of border-crossers and the privilege of U.S. citizens.
The exhibition’s reception also included a performance by the Davidson College Chambers Singers. The choral ensemble is directed by Renata Berlin and features thirteen Davidson students: sopranos Gianna Colombo ’23, Ally Harvel ’23, and Hannah Kershner ’23; altos Emma Bazemore ’25, Abby Reardon ’25, Emma Jones ’23, and Sarah Booker ’23; tenors Duncan Bacon ’23, Prescott Breitling ’23, and Andy Nguyen ’25; and basses Joseph Santi-Unger ’23, Henry Chesley-Vogels ’25, and Malik Ramadanovic ’25.
The Chambers Singers performed three songs in Van Every Gallery, which can be listened to and viewed below. The first, entitled “Super flumina Babylonis”,was written by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525-1594). Completely in Latin, this psalm embodies a sense of hopelessness and despair, with woeful lyrics translating to “Among the willows on its banks, we hung up our harps.” The distress of this Renaissance piece, though hailing from a different era, resembles a similar sadness that surrounds the harrowing journey of border-crossers and all they have left behind, including loved ones.
The Chambers Singers then performed “La Barca de Oro” by Abundio Martínez (1875-1914), arranged by Ahmed Anzaldúa. This song, written and sung in Spanish, portrays a final farewell with translated lyrics stating, “I am leaving now” and “goodbye, my love, goodbye forever goodbye.” These tearful goodbyes echo the plight of the border-crossers from Mexico and Latin America that Harbage Page details in her art. This song likely mirrors conversations between those fleeing their country for a chance of greater freedom (with little chance of return) and those staying behind. The title itself, “La Barca de Oro,” translates to “the boat of gold,” signifying the path that promises to carry border-crossers out of their home to a potential, glittering realm of freedom. As Harbage Page exemplifies through her art, however, this ‘realm of freedom’ is sadly not often so golden and perfect.
The choir’s final song was “The Road Home” by Stephen Paulus (1949-2014). Sung in English, this song builds upon the prior compositions by highlighting the journey after the final goodbyes. The song questions if “there’s a road that will lead me home?” and calls listeners to “rise up, follow me, I will lead you home.” As opposed to the despair of the previous songs, “The Road Home” offers a sense of hope and a calling of home to motivate a weary traveler. The lyrics celebrate those who have suffered in their journeys and have succeeded in finding new freedom, which supplements Harbage Page’s work in recognition of those who have and have not reached this place.
The Chambers Singers’ beautiful performance helped add another dimension of art to Susan Harbage Page’s exhibition and encapsulated the mood of the artwork: poignant, heart-wrenching, and the slightest bit hopeful. The exhibit forces viewers to think and reflect on their own inherent privileges, preconceptions of the U.S.-Mexico border, and beliefs of how borders should be constructed and monitored. With the addition of the choral performance, Harbage Page further asks listeners to put themselves in the shoes of the border crossers and better understand their journey. As “The Road Home” says: “With love in your heart as the only song, there is no such beauty as where you belong.” Harbage Page in her exhibit has expressed such a beauty, overlayed with tragedy, and the Davidson College Chambers Singers have brought these concepts to life.