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A unique art exhibition is opening this weekend at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.
Artwork made by unaccompanied migrant children who were temporarily housed at the Long Beach Convention Center will be on display for a one-day showing Sunday.
The exhibition includes dresses the kids made out of paper, cardboard for a fashion show and campaign posters.
“The children had elections to see who would be the president of their own little group and they did some cardboard promotions for their own mini elections,” said Solimar Salas, MOLAA's vice president of content and programming.
“I would like the public that comes and visits to know that these are children that have lives, have dreams, have hopes — and that Long Beach was part of making those dreams come true,” she said.
More than 1,500 children — most of them girls — were housed at the convention center between April and July after they were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border. Their average stay was 19 days, according to the city of Long Beach.
The children have since been placed with family members or sponsors in the U.S. as they wait for their immigration proceedings to begin.
