In September 2002 MACLA—a San José-based Latino contemporary arts space—premiered Ties that Bind: Exploring the Role of Intermarriage Between Latinos and Asians in Silicon Valley. This exhibition was a photography-based installation of new work by artists Lissa Jones and Jennifer Ahn that reflected on the history of Asian-Latino intermarriage and contemporary perceptions of ethnicity in the San José area. Capitalizing on the groundswell of public interest in ethnic and racial hybridization trends borne out by Census 2000, the Ties that Bind exhibition and dialogues sought to engage a broad cross section of San José residents in civic dialogue about how Asian-Latino intermarriages in Silicon Valley are challenging the prevailing myths of ethnic identity. To propel the artistic process and spur dialogue around this timely and provocative civic issue, MACLA devised a “humanities-based” model of community intervention that integrated the ethnographic methodologies of oral history, archival research, and social science scholarship with the artistic development process. As part of that effort, MACLA collected and documented 45 case studies of Asian-Latino intermarriage and engaged 15 of those families to participate directly as oral history interviewees and subjects of the artist’s photographic process. 

This examination of the making of Ties that Bind offers insights into MACLA’s use of an ethnographic-based curatorial approach as a means of driving the project’s artistic development, and also reveals how the project team wrestled with ethical and aesthetic considerations in the process of rendering the participating families’ personal stories into art. It also chronicles challenges and insights gained along the way that prompted key changes in the design of the project, namely an increased role for the artists and a shift in the scope of the dialogue component. The project and case study also raise key questions about the nature of civic dialogue: Does civic dialogue necessarily need to be “public”? How does the intent to foster civic dialogue affect aesthetic choices? Finally, Ties that Bind also sheds light on MACLA’s own quest as a community-based arts group to embrace a long-term commitment to civic dialogue and to embed those practices in the organization.

In September 2002 MACLA—a San José-based Latino contemporary arts space—premiered Ties that Bind: Exploring the Role of Intermarriage Between Latinos and Asians in Silicon Valley. This exhibition was a photography-based installation of new work by artists Lissa Jones and Jennifer Ahn that reflected on the history of Asian-Latino intermarriage and contemporary perceptions of ethnicity in the San José area. Capitalizing on the groundswell of public interest in ethnic and racial hybridization trends borne out by Census 2000, the Ties that Bind exhibition and dialogues sought to engage a broad cross section of San José residents in civic dialogue about how Asian-Latino intermarriages in Silicon Valley are challenging the prevailing myths of ethnic identity. To propel the artistic process and spur dialogue around this timely and provocative civic issue, MACLA devised a “humanities-based” model of community intervention that integrated the ethnographic methodologies of oral history, archival research, and social science scholarship with the artistic development process. As part of that effort, MACLA collected and documented 45 case studies of Asian-Latino intermarriage and engaged 15 of those families to participate directly as oral history interviewees and subjects of the artist’s photographic process. 

This examination of the making of Ties that Bind offers insights into MACLA’s use of an ethnographic-based curatorial approach as a means of driving the project’s artistic development, and also reveals how the project team wrestled with ethical and aesthetic considerations in the process of rendering the participating families’ personal stories into art. It also chronicles challenges and insights gained along the way that prompted key changes in the design of the project, namely an increased role for the artists and a shift in the scope of the dialogue component. The project and case study also raise key questions about the nature of civic dialogue: Does civic dialogue necessarily need to be “public”? How does the intent to foster civic dialogue affect aesthetic choices? Finally, Ties that Bind also sheds light on MACLA’s own quest as a community-based arts group to embrace a long-term commitment to civic dialogue and to embed those practices in the organization.