Ronald Rael LIMINAL 

Production | Exhibition Grant

Commissioned by the Harwood Museum of Art, Ronald Rael’s LIMINAL is a central commission of the exhibition Unearthing Futures/Desenterrando Futuros, which explores adobe as a material rooted in Indigenous knowledge and reimagined for ecological and social transformation. LIMINAL redefines the museum’s entrance with a massive 3D-printed adobe form. Built live by robotic fabrication in the month prior to opening, the work transforms earth-building into public performance. Through this architectural intervention, Rael activates adobe as both medium and message—inviting reflection on borders, climate, and belonging through immersive sensorial encounters with earth, sky, and alternative spatial passage. The installation is constructed using soil sources from both Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado, regions historically connected through Indigenous trade routes, Hispano Settlement, and shared land-based practices. These soils are combined through a twisting, interwoven formation that resists linear division, materially enacting Rael’s long-standing investigation of borders as lived, contested, and permeable structures rather than fixed lines.

The design of LIMINAL incorporates public seating as well as horno, adobe-built outdoor ovens. The installation is activated throughout the exhibition on monthly community days, offering a space of gathering and celebration for local publics.

For more information, visit https://harwoodmuseum.org/project/futuros/