A History of "Border Culture"
For Tijuana artists, the closest art market can be found in San Diego, located only 16 miles away, but in reality much more distant. San Diego has an active, contemporary art scene, including a substantial number of museums, cultural/alternative spaces, commercial galleries, and universities. Between Tijuana and San Diego there has been a good amount of cultural interaction and collaboration outside the private sector. Some examples contributing to this "border culture" are the Taller de Arte Fronterizo, established in San Diego in 1983; the International Festival of La Raza (later titled the Border Festival) organized by the Centro Cultural de la Raza in 1984; the well-known bi-national collaborative group RevArte that was invited to last yearí­s Bienal de la Habana; and finally inSITE, which has now achieved international reputation in the art world for the level of participating artists and curators, and as such, has brought much visibility to the area since its inception in 1984. Yet how do these international and bi-national events ultimately affect the local artists and art economy? Undoubtedly they create dialogue, communication, and increased cultural understanding that are critical for two nations that share a border to coexist in harmony, but are the needs of local artists being met?

In the form of artistic collaboration, "border culture" is important because it fosters respect and understanding for the other side through the creation of bi-national workshops, round-table discussions, study centers, and artistic programs. It may also raise visibility of the region to a national and international level, as in the case of inSITE. This form of collaboration is important because it is localized, and keeps both the artists and their work within the region. However, we all live in a free market economy and survive by the work we produce or the services we render, and as such, we cannot continue to ignore the basic need of artists to sell their work, whether they live in Mexico, the United States, or any other border region.