CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 2/2/2017

JR & Art Spiegelman: The Ghosts of Ellis Island

"America is a nation of immigrants," Jane Rosenthal writes in JR & Art Spiegelman's more relevant than ever The Ghosts of Ellis Island. "We came in waves; we came in trickles; we came in chains. Some of us were running away from oppression; some were dragged from our homes; many were chasing a better life. From the fin de siècle to the mid 20th century, millions passed through Ellis Island, including my Nanny Rose and my Papa Pete. As new generations were born on American soil, some of us forgot how America was made, and history proved an unreliable narrator. This is the area where art can fill the gap, illuminate the experience, and create the conversation." Featured image, based on a photograph of seven children being treated for Favus, a fungal disease, is from JR's Ellis Island installation, UNFRAMED.