June 20^th we closed the exhibition Crossing Borders with another party, two bands playing music, more people attending, and many returning for the second time. Several of the pieces were sold. The feedback was overwhelming.

It all started with an idea. Giving young artists a space, and making it global. This was the beginning of Emergent Art Space, which in June transferred its first virtual international show into a live exhibition. 37 young artists from 20 countries brought their work and their voices to San Francisco. The theme of the show: Crossing Borders.

The crossing of borders was interpreted and expressed by the participant artists in various and diverse ways: physical, personal, figurative, and of course political and social, all of which interacted in the exhibition in interesting and open ended exchanges and dialogues.

Both the opening and the closing nights attracted crowds of visitors. The participation and enthusiasm exceeded all expectations. Seeing works by young artists from the around the globe in the same physical space was quite striking, and full of consequences.

The strong response to the call for an exhibition around this theme, as well as the response by the people who visited it, reflects the interest of young contemporary artists in engaging with issues of borders, boundaries, divisions, and connections. Our generation has access to travel in unprecedented ways. Distances have shrunk, both physically and virtually. Thinking globally is our second nature.

Crossing Borders appropriately expresses the ideas that animate Emergent Art Space and its mission. It informs our thinking about the potential of what we are doing, and it will inspire the planning of our future projects.

We are grateful to all the artists who submitted their works and believed in this idea, to the jurors who made the selections, to Meredith Robinson who wonderfully organized and coordinated the exhibition, to SOMArts who hosted it, to O Presidente and Metacomet who played at the closing event, and to all the helpers and volunteers who devoted their time and skills to make it happen.