SITE SANTA FE's Billboard Project is a public art initiative expanding exhibitions beyond the bounds of the traditional gallery space. Come walk in my shoes Billboard Project is shown in tandem with Deborah Roberts' solo exhibition of the same title, on view in SITE SANTA FE's Project Space August 11 through November 6, 2023.

These three billboards feature enlarged reproductions of recent mixed media figurative collages (2018-2020) centered on the subject of Black childhood in the United States. Through these works, Roberts questions stereotypes and creates space for more nuanced and empathetic understandings of the experience of Black children in America. Roberts offers a powerful critique of systemic injustices, society's expectations, and the many biases that continue to impact their lives.

Deborah Roberts (American, born 1962 in Austin, Texas) is a mixed media artist whose figurative works depict the complexity of Black subjecthood and explores themes of race, identity, and gender politics. Her work has been exhibited internationally across the US and Europe.

Billboard images from left to right:

That one, 2018
Collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Edmund Hayes Fund, by exchange, 2019 (2019:13.1).
Copyright Deborah Roberts
Photo: Brenda Bieger, Buffalo AKG Art Museum

Fighting the ISM, 2019
Copyright Deborah Roberts
Courtesy of the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC.
Museum purchase with funds provided by The Basil Alkazzi Purchase Fund, 2021
Photo: Paul Bardagjy

The duty of disobedience, 2020
Copyright Deborah Roberts
Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman Gallery, Collection of Amira and Dean Amro
Photo: Paul Bardagjy

These billboards are reproductions of original mixed-media and collage on canvas.

Thank you!

Support for Come walk in my shoes is generously provided by SITE SANTA FE’s Board of Directors, the SITE SANTA FE Annual Exhibitions Fund, Elizabeth and Jamie Baskin, Suzanne Deal Booth, Kathleen and Chris Loughlin, Dana and Jim Manning, Marti Meyerson and Jamie Hooper, Stephen Friedman Gallery, and Vielmetter Los Angeles.

Come walk in my shoes is curated by Brandee Caoba and organized by Jakia Fuller, Max Holmes, and SITE SANTA FE.

Special thanks to the Exhibitions Department:

Max Holmes, Exhibitions Manager and Registrar

Hank Cooper, Exhibitions Coordinator

Jakia Fuller, Executive Associate

Preparators: Patrick Boyles, Kevin Freitas, Damon Griffith, Sabrina Griffith, Daniel Mullins, and Kody Noble