For inSITE2000 New York-based artist Allan McCollum created a multivenue project involving the participation of residents and institutions from the Imperial Valley and Valle de Mexicali region to the east of San Diego. Interested in participating in the establishment of a cultural identity and iconography for the region, McCollum was initially drawn to the area through learning about sand spikes, a unique natural geological concretion found in very few locations, among them at the foot of Mt. Signal/El Centinela. With the mountain straddling the US-Mexico border, it was already established as a physical landmark and identifying symbol for locals on either side of the border. During extended residency periods McCollum collected artworks by local residents depicting the mountain and performed extensive research on the sand spike and Mt. Signal, as well as the local culture surrounding both.
With his project Signs of Mount Signal/Signos del Cerro del centinela, McCollum brought together the work of thirty-seven local artists showcasing the mountain and forged a collaboration among four regional institutions. The project included over one thousand cast replicas of the sand spike and Mt. Signal, a sixteen-foot sand spike sculpture, a large-scale model of Mt. Signal, collected historical information about the area, local artwork depicting the mountain, as well as twelve booklets produced by the artist on the subject of concretions. The project was shown in parts at the Museo de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexicali, the Steppling Art Gallery at San Diego State University in Calexico, the Imperial County Historical Society Pioneers’ Museum, and combined at the University Art Gallery at San Diego State University.
Curators: Susan Buck-Morss, Ivo Mesquita, Osvaldo Sánchez, and Sally Yard
Venue: Pioneers’ Park Museum, Imperial County
Thanks to those who made this project possible:
John and Ginger Ryerson
Sheila Dollente
Georgina Walther Cuevas
Tina Yapelli
Anastasia Vellas
Joanne Dutton
Jim Strain
John A. Rubin
Lynn Housouer Bogdan
Michael Anderholt
Frank Miranda
Bibiana Padilla Maltos
Alejandro Espinoza
Jesús Armando Hernández Montaño
Claudia E. Schroeder Verdugo
Alejandro Márquez Hernández
Anita Williams
Nan Rebik
Randall Carson
Laura Brower
Eduardo Quintero
María Luisa Gómez Chacón
Fernando de la Cruz
Héctor Chavarín
Héctor Juárez
César Castro
José Nieto
Lori Palmer
Robert “Fritz” Clark
Peter S. Mozeley
Robertta Burns
Erika M. González
Eldon Caldwell
James E. Kuhn
Edith Storey
Ray Mouser
Christina Vogel
Kathy and Bill Brandenburg
Mary and Chuck Seitz
Courtney Ryerson
Frank Limon
Marvin Wieben
Douglas G. Detling
Rusty and Peggy Knippenberg
Richard (Rick) Mealey
Marian A. Long
Tim McCrerey
Kit Marks
Letty V. Rios
Scott McMillin
Charmaine Wheatley
Daniel Levinson
Ivan Díaz
José Luis Martín
Blanca Quiriarte
Araceli Alvarado
Artists in the exhibition:
Joanne Adell
Manuel Aguilar
Mary Alexson
Maricela Alvarado
Francisco Arias
Artist unknown
Douglas Bliven
Milton Brummett
S.V. Bunnell
José Castillo
Carlos Coronado
Enrique de la Cruz
Opal Eshelman
Jorge Estrada
Rubén García Benavides
Rosa María Gaxiola
Ruth Hernández Ortiz
Shelley Lannan
Gary Liggett
Celia López Arguilez
Bella Mancilla de Silva
Allan McCollum
Jordan Mora
Julio I. Morales
Rodrigo Muñoz
Kate Palese
Rogelio Pérez Cano
Cuauhtemóc Rodríguez Piña
Antonio Rodríguez Tapia
Julio Ruíz
Ginger Ryerson
Austreberto Silva
Tom Spradling
Anastasia Vellas
Patrick Waters
Marvin Wieben
Anita Williams
Lenders to the exhibition:
Sheila Dollente
Imperial Valley Art Association
Allan McCollum
Mr. & Mrs. John Pierre Menville
Participating artists
Ginger and John Ryerson
Mary and Chuck Seitz
Steppling Art Gallery, San Diego State University, Imperial Valley Campus
Andrea Zittel
In Imperial Valley:
Imperial County Historical Society Pioneers Museum, Imperial
Steppling Art Gallery at SDSU, Imperial Valley Campus, Calexico
The Imperial Valley Art Association, El Centro
The Imperial Valley Gem and Mineral Society, El Centro
Imperial Irrigation District, Imperial
The Imperial County Arts Council, El Centro
Imperial Printers, El Centro
The Laguna Inn, El Centro
The El Centro Kiwanis Club, El Centro
The U.S. Border Patrol
The Imperial Valley Community College
El Centro Regional Medical Center, El Centro
Imperial Valley Press, El Centro
Imperial County Administrative Offices, El Centro
Government Agencies Federal Credit Union, El Centro
Ceramics Etc., El Centro
Staples, El Centro
Sunscape Cards, El Centro
Special Memories, Holtville
Sierra Packing Co. Inc., Holtville
Computer Guru, Brawley
In San Diego, CA:
University Art Gallery at San Diego State University
The San Diego Natural History Museum
Attinasi Design
Seigan Design
A.E. Yale Plastics
The Map Centre
In Baja California, Mexico:
Museo Regional de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Mexicali
Instituto de Cultura de Baja California, Mexicali
Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI), Tijuana
Also:
The Gillespie Museum of Minerals, Deland, Florida
Eggers Lapidary, Golden, Colorado
Javelin 3D, Salt Lake City, Utah
Special thanks to:
Jerry Tomlinson
Si and Ann Frazier
Andrea Zittel
Ida Edwards Little
Beverly Fisher
Andrea Frazer
Ivo Mesquita
Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy
Bibiana Padilla Maltos
Lilian Tone