Student enters art show as a nursing major

Originally a graphic design major, Andrew Delgadillo has since chosen to pursue a career in nursing. This hasn’t stopped him from submitting photography for exhibits, and on March 26, he was accepted into his first art show. 

The piece he submitted, titled “With Grace,” depicts a sole dancer in motion with a red hue covering her.

Juried Student Exhibition is an art show that features a variety of work done by UTRGV students.

This show aims to give students the platform to share their work with the campus community and to help them build an exhibition record.

Delgadillo first became interested in art when he was in middle school.

“In middle school and high school, I would draw a lot and I don’t know why,” he said. “It was kind of my hobby, so I guess it just kind of [transitioned] into college.”

When initially choosing his major, Delgadillo had considered nursing as an option, but ultimately decided against it.

“I had considered [nursing] from the start … but I was too worried, like, ‘What if I’m not smart enough for nursing? What if I just can’t do it and end up dropping it or something?’” he said.

It wasn’t until Delgadillo began taking art classes in the fall that he started to have doubts about his initial choice of major.

“Graphic design just wasn’t for me anymore,” he said. “I wasn’t really fully committed to doing art. I got tired of drawing. [I] couldn’t really find a style I really liked and it wasn’t until my last semester as a graphic design major, but I realized that I really liked photography and … that was the only thing that stuck with me, anything that was art related.”

Delgadillo uses digital photography to capture movement and action.

“I hate taking pictures of models and stuff like that, because I like taking pictures of [things] that are spontaneous, that you can’t really plan for,” he said. “You know, like going to concerts or going to dance recitals or photographing an event.”

He hopes to be able to keep doing photography as a hobby into his post-college life.

His friends are his main driving force to continue taking pictures.

Biomedical sciences freshman Yubizdely Tanguma met Delgadillo when they joined the Alpha Psi Lambda fraternity together. He was one of the first friends she made when she moved to Brownsville from Rio Grande City.

She admires the way he tells stories with his photos.

“I saw his pictures, his photography and everything,” Tanguma said. “You can totally tell that he’s not just capturing someone, he’s capturing their story. He’s capturing the people’s talents, what they’re into and I really like [his photos] because you can see not just someone, you’re seeing who they are and what they can do.”

Tanguma said that Delgadillo’s photos capture the dedication and strength of a person being photographed.

“If he photographs someone who’s dancing, you can see how much talent is behind that picture and how much time, dedication [that person has],” she said.

Going forward, Tanguma hopes that he stays focused on his goals and to keep up what he’s doing.

Delgadillo recommends that students who find themselves torn between majors take the plunge and trust their gut.

“Don’t be scared to switch, because I am very happy I switched,” he said. “When I was doing drawing and design classes–I hated [them] in all honesty. I liked art, but I wasn’t really having a fun time with them, not as much as I should’ve.”

The Juried Student Exhibition will remain on display until April 18 in the Art Gallery at Rusteberg Hall on the Brownsville campus.