Artist's Statement

Randi Lynn Beach

An activist hikes the desert north of Nogales, Mexico hoping to bring water to migrants. A proud Honduran dairy farmer is forced to leave the land he owns because he can’t sell his milk. A blonde Dutch woman is preparing to leave her children on a mission to mars with the expectation of no return. A Portuguese bullfighter migrates to California to entertain crowds from the Azores. Countless cultures experience diaspora. It’s as unique as it is universal. Often we are not in control of our own path, giving us the sense that we must leave or get left behind. This causes a collective craving. A need to survive combined with a longing for a homeland. I’m drawn to scattered populations whose sense of home and place doesn’t fit in a specific geographic locale. These images memorialize the movement we all share. Exploring the daily routines and humanizing migrants as they struggle with global competition and urban migration. Issues that threaten their independence.