Field Notes: High Iron Joins Fall of Freedom
On Saturday, October 3, High Iron opened its doors in Rawlins as part of Fall of Freedom, a national weekend of creative resistance. The initiative calls on the arts community to stand together against the authoritarian forces spreading across the country. In its second year, it brought hundreds of events to communities across the United States from October 2 through 4, from public artworks to concerts and exhibitions. Organizers invited artists and venues to bring their existing work into the weekend, and for us the fit was obvious. A boxcar that carries the stories of immigrant and migrant workers is already an argument about who belongs in the American story.
High Iron honors the people who laid the tracks across Wyoming: Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Greek, Mexican, Black, and Indigenous workers, among many others. Their freedom to move, to work, and to stay was never guaranteed. Telling those stories in public, in a small railroad town, is our part of the national work of keeping expression free.
Thank you to our Boxcar Steward Jamie Mensik, and to everyone who came out to Rawlins. High Iron is open in Rawlins through summer 2027. Visit highiron.org for hours and upcoming events.
