We are all immigrants. We all come from somewhere. Godwin-Ternbach  Museum is proud to host this timely exhibition addressing themes of global  immigration, human rights abuses, and social justice. These forces are examined  in profoundly impactful works of art in painting, video, and works on paper by  Carnegie Mellon University Professors Johnson and Slavick. Getting There mines  art and history, literature and mythology, by exploring the notions of mass  movements of people displaced by war, famine, climate change, and political  repression, coupled with their own writings and contributions from novelists,  poets, anthropologists and journalists who have informed this exhibition. At  once, visually compelling and intellectually rigorous, these heady discourses  confront the viewer with a conundrum: how to think about contemporary life at  the boundaries of society and glimpse the possibility of hope within. 

Located at one of our nation’s most culturally diverse colleges, Godwin-Ternbach Museum is a teaching museum dedicated to presenting  exhibitions and programs that challenge our student populations. Out of 19,000  students, more than a third of our undergraduates were born overseas; they  come from 145 countries and speak 87 languages. The works and texts of  Getting There are particularly apt as they illuminate the plight of often invisible,  marginalized cultural groups who literally have no country to call home. Johnson  and Slavick’s practices demand our attention by changing our preconceived  notions of what it means to be outside the fold. And suggest what it is like to be  in search of beneficial living conditions under which to raise one’s family, and  thrive, not just subsist. 

We are thankful for our funders to the exhibition and educational programs:  Friends of Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation,  Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), Museum Association of New  York (MANY), Kupferberg Center for the Arts, and Queens College, CUNY.