The Center for Latin American Arts will open “RGV X Art For Change,” a show focused on sustainability, at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the University Library on the Edinburg campus.
The center called on people across the Rio Grande Valley to contribute their art to display.
Katherine McAllen, an assistant professor of art history and director of the Center for Latin American Arts, said the exhibition focuses “on how our environment and culture is formed by the art we make, and bringing in different perspectives from the community is very important to see.”
The show was planned to begin at the same time as the unveiling of the Gloria Anzaldúa literary landmark since the exhibition was also created with the topic of border identity in mind; however, the unveiling has been postponed till April.
Keaton Mckeever, an art graduate student and recipient of a UTRGV Presidential Fellowship Research Grant, curated the exhibition in order to shed light on issues that spark up throughout the community.
“Arts and topics like border identity and sustainability aren’t separate ideas, but they coexist,” Mckeever said. “With this exhibition, people are able to understand that they can see these topics through a new, creative light.”
In late March, CLAA will host an exhibition, “Uncovered Spaces,” which will feature the works of women and women identifying as LGBTQ+ artists at the International Museum of Art and Science in McAllen. The show will include artist roundtables and in which the community is encouraged to come and view the work, as well as receive feedback to endorse a mentoring relationship.
Raheleh Filsoofi, curator of the exhibition and an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, said the IMAS exhibition was created using the initiative of a previous project, titled “FOLD: Art, Metaphor, and Practice,” in which the focus was to unfold connections between the different artists there.
“Uncovered Spaces” was made in collaboration with Filsoofi and McAllen.
“The enhancement of community engagement and cooperation with local, regional, national and international artists and scholars outside of the Rio Grande Valley has high priority,” Filsoofi said. “My story, along with many others’ stories from here, gave me a pivotal perspective on the political landscape of this country. The main concern is to make sure that the exhibition and its many events open a space through art which engages the community of artists and audiences and offers a critical re-thinking of current social and political issues.”
The CLAA updates information on exhibits and various projects on its website at www.utrgv.edu/claa/.
