Border-crossing Quote by Terri Windling
““Border crossing' is a recurrent theme in all aspects of my work -- editing, writing, and painting. I'm interested in the various ways artists not only cross borders but also subvert them. In mythology, the old Trickster figure Coyote is a champion border crosser, mischievously dashing from the land of the living to the land of the dead, from the wilderness world of magic to the human world. He tears things down so they can be made anew. He's a rascal, but also a culture hero, dancing on borders, ignoring the rules, as many of our most innovative artists do. I'm particularly drawn to art that crosses the borders critics have erected between 'high art' and 'popular culture,' between 'mainstream' and 'genre,' or between one genre and another -- I love that moment of passage between the two; that place on the border where two worlds meet and energize each other, where Coyote enters and shakes things up. But I still have a great love for traditional fantasy, for Imaginary World, center-of-the-genre stories. I'm still excited by series books and trilogies if they're well written and use mythic tropes in interesting ways.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “Border Crossing in Art,” 2015
Explores how artists cross and subvert cultural boundaries, using the Trickster Coyote as a metaphor for creative transformation and the blending of high and popular art.
In simple terms: Artists break and remix cultural borders, inspired by the Trickster Coyote.
Embrace boundary‑blurring creativity.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- gallery exhibitions
- genre‑mixing literature
- cross‑media collaborations
- creative workshops
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does crossing borders reshape artistic identity?
- What challenges arise when merging high and popular art?
Risk of diluting traditions; audience resistance to hybrid forms.