What Divides US

Valentina Caballero

What Divides US

2026

Air Dry Clay, Paint, Glaze

The viewer is looking at a set of three ceramic pieces that represent the social and political divide that immigrants face within the United States. Through the use of clay, paint, and glaze, I created a melting pot, a constricted vase, and a cracked plate. Each piece symbolizes a different aspect of being an immigrant — the diversity and unity the United States used to boast about, the physical barriers of being placed behind barbed wire, and the fractures that have been caused by this divide in humanity. I primarily used the pinch pot method and etching techniques across all my pieces to display the tension within my pieces. My set is a response to the increasing “immigration crisis” and ICE raids within my community. To be forced to sit by and watch as people who share the same features as me become deported and labeled as “illegal” was heartbreaking for me. I was heavily inspired by the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, performed by Bad Bunny, whose message encouraged love over hate despite public controversy of him not being “American” enough. Similarly, I wanted to use my artwork as a form of resistance and awareness to the situation.