A Vital Matters Perspective: AMBOS: Artmaking and Mutual Aid
AMBOS: Artmaking and Mutual Aid
Natalie Godinez outlines the development of AMBOS from a collaborative art project into an organization engaged in mutual aid, community-building, and arts programming at the U.S.–Mexico border. She recounts joining the project in 2017 to work on Border Quipu and describes how responding to urgent needs in Tijuana led to a shift toward mutual aid and deeper engagement with migrant communities. Godinez explains the creation of the AMBOS ceramics program in 2020 by Tanya and her sister Carla Aguiñiga, its ongoing operation in Tijuana, and the role of exhibitions, documentation, and public presentations in using art to open conversations about migration, border conditions, and immigration policy.

