Bronx exhibits show immigration from another side

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - A collection of photographs, videos and tapestries weave together the stories of the immigrant experience at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. The timely exhibition illustrates two sides of the immigrant experience as photographs capture the faces we rarely see: the family members who remain behind.

The exhibition looks at immigration from two different perspectives: from those who leave and those who stay. For example, one room features photographs of family members who stayed behind in Guatemala.

Guatemalan photographer Andrea Aragon documents the cultural ties between families in rural Guatemala and their relatives in the United States. They stay connected over the phone, through photographs and hand-me-downs, such as an American flag towel as well as remesas, payments an immigrant sends back to their native country from the states.

Museum visitors figuratively "cross the border" as a physical wall divides the two experiences. A bright yellow patchwork quilt by artist Andrea Bowers represents an emblem of hospitality. An interactive portion revisits the story of once-undocumented immigrant Elvira Arellano, who found sanctuary at a church and was ultimately separated from her American-born son.

The Neighbors is open through February 12 at the Bronx Museum of the Arts.