Though the exhibit includes far too many works for me to discuss or even describe, the three I've mentioned exemplify the kinds of border-crossing gestures that comprise it. Virtually everthing in the exhibit is concerned to transgress or transform boundaries and to resist all efforts at containment. These are not trivial questions, yet nor are they easily decidable. We must bear in mind that cultural syncretism is an ongoing process whose effects, or lack thereof, cannot reliably be extrapolated from current arrangements. I don't want to go too far here.
Undocumented workers provide cheap labor which is essential for many United States industries.
Despite political posturing and an ever increasingly abusive immigration system, employers rely upon, and are secure in their ability to maintain access to, this labor pool. The artists applied for an NEA grant, and used the money to print up certificates for undocumented workers to sign. When workers signed the certificates, they received the money. The idea I think, was to give back some of what was due, and to point out that, rather than an economic drain, these workers were actually vital parts of the U.S. economy. Needless to say, the NEA was not very pleased with this use of their funds.