"A Space in Which People Are Free To Move and Birds To Fly"
Mark Menjívar
Curated by Leslie Moody Castro

September 13th - October 25th, 2025
Members Preview: Saturday, September 13th, 6-7pm (Become a Member!)
Public Reception: Saturday, September 13th, 7-11pm (Please RSVP)
On view Saturdays after September 13th, 12-6pm
5419 Glissman Road, Austin, TX 78702

"A Space in Which People Are Free To Move and Birds To Fly" is a site-specific installation by Mark Menjívar curated by Leslie Moody Castro and brought to life with various collaborative partners. 

Based on a 1972 sound piece by John Cage, the installation uses the annual migratory patterns of birds in the Americas to invite visitors to reflect on the political nature of borders. A series of eight newly created sound pieces related to the migration and movement of both birds and humans will randomly flow between eight speakers located across the Co-Lab property. A game of chance performed by Menjívar with visitors will determine the composition. An accompanying publication with details about each of the sound pieces and collaborators will be available for visitors to take with them. 

"A Space in Which People Are Free To Move and Birds To Fly" will coincide with the fall migration of neotropical birds flying back to Central and South America, crossing entire continents and geographies on their return home. Programming during the installation will include artist-led bird walks, musical performances, DJ sets and more. 

Mark Menjívar is a San Antonio based artist and Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary School for Engagement at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His art practice primarily consists of creating participatory projects while being rooted in photography, oral history, archives, and social action. He attended McLennan Community College, holds a BA in Social Work from Baylor University and an MFA in Social Practice from Portland State University. Mark has engaged in projects at venues including the El Museo del Barrio, Rothko Chapel, Eastern State Penitentiary, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, FOTOFEST, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, Krannert Art Museum, The Puerto Rican Museum of Art and Culture, Sala Diaz, The Contemporary at Blue Star.

"A Space in Which People Are Free To Move and Birds To Fly" is part of Mark’s project, La Misma Canción (The Same Song), an ongoing, multi-sited project that uses drawing, textiles, research practices, bird walks, festivals, and installations to explore migration, ecology, sound studies, land ownership, culture, mutual aid and more.

Leslie Moody Castro is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. She has produced, organized, and collaborated on projects in Mexico and the United States for nearly two decades. She is committed to creating moments of exchange and dialogue within exhibitions, is a co-founder of Unlisted Projects Residency, and Co-Lab Projects, and in 2022 served as inaugural curatorial fellow and curator in residence at New Mexico State University and Casa Otro Residency, respectively. She has been awarded two grants from the National Endowment of the Arts for her curatorial projects and a fellowship from the Department of State for her research on borders. Moody Castro has participated in numerous residencies including the Narva Artist Residency, Estonia, The Galveston Artist Residency, Casa Lü Residency, Tepoztlán, MARSO CDMX, and Fountainhead, Miami. She has curated biennials including the Amarillo Museum of Art Biennial in 2021, The Texas Biennial in 2018, and was co-curator of the Aurora Biennial in 2024.  Moody Castro was guest editor of Glasstire Magazine from 2021—2024, is the founder of AtravesArte and believes Mariachis make everything better.

This exhibition has been made possible through the generosity of Dianne Garcia, Barry Stone, Paul Stautinger, Porch Swing Orchestra, Jerry and Norma Stillwell, Michael Moody-Garcia, Record ATX, the entire Co-Lab team, and funded by a generous grant from HEB.