Catalogue text by Kristen Drake, Colorado State University student:

Enrique Chagoya's 2006 print, "The Pastoral or Arcadian State: Illegal Alien's Guide to America," is a pastoral pastiche based on an Albert Bierstadt painting of the American West. In this commentary on current immigration issues, Chagoya populates the scene with a diverse mix of characters appropriated from various sources. He depicts Border Patrol officers with Indian headdresses, businessmen in turbans and Humpty Dumpty as the Lone Ranger. Many of the characters have cartoon balloons with 'artspeak' quotes from art books and reviews. In this context the quotes become a satirical self-criticism.