Artist's Father, Featured in 'New American Gothic,' Detained by ICE
Artist Criselda Vasquez announced that her father was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last month while commuting to work.
Vasquez’s 2017 painting, “The New American Gothic,” reinterprets Grant Wood’s iconic piece, showcasing her parents from Mexico in front of a red pickup truck, holding cleaning supplies and a gardening hoe. This artwork reflects their immigrant journey and struggles.
“My paintings serve as visual comments on the hidden daily reality of the Mexican-American experience,” Vasquez expressed on social media in 2018. “These portraits reveal my family in their authentic environment, illustrating my life between two worlds.”
On March 31, ICE apprehended her father, prompting a wave of emotional distress within the family.
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“Our entire family is heartbroken; my mother is completely devastated,” Vasquez shared in an April 3 Instagram update. “My father has lived in the U.S. for 40 years. He is a devoted husband, father, and grandfather—the hardest-working person I know.”
Vasquez confirmed that they have established contact with him and are aware of his detention location, as she told the art publication Hyperallergic last week.
“He has become a role model not only to his four children, all U.S. citizens, but also to many others he has encountered,” she noted.
In response to the situation, the family initiated a GoFundMe campaign, which has raised over $75,000 as of Monday afternoon.
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“We are equal parts devastated and terrified. If possible, please consider supporting our family’s efforts to cover fees related to his case and the daily expenses his wages would normally cover,” the GoFundMe page states.
Vasquez has chosen not to disclose her father’s name publicly. Attempts to reach Vasquez and ICE for further comments have been made.
In her artwork “The New American Gothic,” Vasquez aimed to capture her parents’ expressions that convey “tiredness, resignation, and quiet acceptance,” as she described in a 2018 post.
“When my parents pose for these paintings, their faces reflect raw and vulnerable emotions,” she wrote. “Sadly, they strive to be invisible every day; they don’t need to pretend to illustrate the invisible.”
“They have faced constant rejection, suspicion, and fear for so long that it seems to come naturally now,” she added.
Vasquez hopes her work illustrates that “beneath all the politicization and undeserved labeling this community receives, these are regular people just like all of us.”
“In the long tradition of immigrants coming to the United States, they have built homes here and are simply trying to live a secure life with hope for their children,” she concluded.
