A few years ago a "contemporary artist" named Judi Werthein made headlines when she distributed specially designed and equipped sneakers to Mexicans waiting to cross the U. S. border. She called her piece "Brinco," from the Spanish word for "jump." Sneakers are also apt here. Ms. Werthein's shoes—equipped with a compass, map, flashlight, and medication—were intended to assist people engaging in illegal immigration.

Dipti Desai, who directs the art education program at New York University's Steinhardt School, thinks that "Brinco"...