A closing reception for "Living in Limbo: Portraits from the Border" and Artist Talk with photographer Bill McLaughlin and author Jim McKeever will be held at the EOH from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 15. Admission is free and open to the public. (Submitted photo)

EARLVILLE — Earlville Opera House invites you to a Closing Reception for “Living in Limbo: Portraits from the Border," an exhibit by local artist Bill McLaughlin on Saturday, October 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. with an Artist Talk including special guest speaker Jim McKeever. This event is free and open to the public.

Bill is a local artist from South New Berlin who spent time in Tijuana, Mexico making portraits of asylum seekers and migrants that are currently stranded in one of the world’s most dangerous cities. His goal was to stay in the shelters and get to know the migrants as best as he could and share their stories through his profound photography, as exhibited in his “Living in Limbo” show.

Jim McKeever is a writer from Syracuse, NY, who travels regularly to the US-Mexico border to assist migrants and asylum seekers fleeing gang violence, drug cartels, poverty, environmental degradation, and government corruption. He volunteers with not-for-profit organizations and mutual aid groups in Tijuana, Mexico; San Diego, Calif.; and Brownsville, Texas. Stories of Jim’s travels from the border can be found at SenseofDecency.com/ and JimMcKeever.wordpress.com/

Come and hear first-hand witness accounts of asylum seekers and migrants as they wait. They wait on politicians. They wait on a deadly pandemic. They wait on diminishing resources and yet more charity. They wait while growing extremes of indifference and animosity further endangers them. They wait as their children grow older in shelters. And even now, after years since of Bill’s visit, they wait.

Copies of Bill’s original photographs and prints are available for sale, as is a book on the exhibit. To help advocate for human rights, immigration reform, and social justice with a special focus on issues related to the US-Mexico border, contact Border Angels at BorderAngels.com

Earlville Opera House is located at 18 East Main Street in the charming Village of Earlville, NY and is handicap accessible. Please check our website for the latest COVID protocol updates and for further information on our programs and services, and like us on Facebook.

Events are made possible, in part, with public funds from New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor of New York and the New York State Legislature, and through the generosity of EOH members. Special thanks to Golden Artist Colors for support of our Visual Arts Program.

-Information provided by EOH