Performance/Readings: Navigational Points
March, 2020, Chicago Art Dept., Pilsen, Chicago
November, 2019, Houston Public Library—Stanaker, Houston, Texas
Future Dates, TBD.
Texas border towns like Brownsville, San Benito, Harlingen, McAllen, and Victoria have been key stops for many immigrants, including Drey’s grandparents, who traveled from Jalisco, Mexico, to Houston, Texas, as migrant farmers. These towns have played a crucial role in personal and social transformation. Growing up, Drey heard countless family stories of these migrational journeys, shaping her understanding of identity as a second and third-generation Mexican American.
With the support of the Idea Fund, Drey explored the sounds and sights of South Texas for her narratives. She experienced these border towns firsthand with her mother and daughter, who share this history. Together, they gained and shared their personal experiences of these environments.
From these experiences, Drey created performance-based reading presentations with three different generational perspectives. She combined live storytelling with multimedia elements in community spaces like libraries or community centers. Drey weaves vignettes and poetry that address the complexities of the political rhetoric surrounding migration.
This work explores migration, movement, location, and identity, questioning what it means to exist between two cultures and how these experiences shape the ethnic identity of subsequent generations.