Tribute to immigrants

Small Tribute to immigrant workers
Perhaps the most moving of the garden
installations, Small Tribute is a narrative that follows a path through the garden plot. We step onto a path constructed of the fragments of red terra cotta roof tiles, diffi cult if not painful to walk on. They are colorful and typically Mexican, like the Wall of Pain on our left. Constructed from cheap plywood, it reminds us of all the hardworking, family-oriented Mexicans who must leave home to find work. Here we read about the absence of Mexican agriculture, one reason for the country’s poverty. On the other side of the path is a wall of sheet metal, a symbol of the border that lies between Mexico and the United States where hundreds of illegal aliens meet their deaths. A bend in the path takes us into the Promised Land of California where planter boxes and a small vineyard represent the state’s agricultural bounty. This is where the immigrant workers find opportunity. If we wish, we can prune and water and weed the plants. We turn another corner to walk by the Pool of Tears on a path of rusted metal. The pool represents the loneliness and the fear of the immigrant workers. We see pictures of some of them on the wall above the pool. A shrine to the Virgin is adorned with artificial flowers.

Meet The Designer

On the other side of the path is a wall of
sheet metal, a symbol of the border that lies
between Mexico and the United States where
hundreds of illegal aliens meet their deaths.