Sixty-two artists showcased their work last Tuesday at the Art Gallery at Rusteberg Hall on the Brownsville campus.
Titled “Icons and Symbols of the Borderlands,” the exhibit features the emotions, patterns of behavior, philosophy and ideas in the landscape and culture of the U.S.-Mexico borderland.
Gallery Coordinator Alejandro Macias said he saw this show in Austin and thought it was relatable to Brownsville.
“It does have the word ‘borderlands’ in it and we live in a border town and I figured, ‘Well, this is perfect for exhibiting here,” Macias said.
Diana Molina, curator of the show and art director of Juntos Art Association, said she hopes the artwork will address the issues in the Rio Grande Valley. The association makes the art experience more accessible along the southwestern borderland, according to its website.
“We need to come together and find those meeting points,” Molina said. “Even though we have differences in opinion, we have to say … these things we all enjoy, from the food and the space and the serious aspects that are also the bounds like the Border Wall, the water issues, the endangered species, that is very important [to address].”
César Martínez, an artist from Laredo, came to the gallery to show his piece, “Cabeza de Vaca Stele.”
“The whole thing is based on Native American pictograph, like what you find on [rocks, cave walls and buffalo hides],” Martínez said. “It’s kind of, like, that language, all of those different images that we find.”
Troy Sosa, a visual arts junior, said his favorite piece was “Orale Chicanics” by Roberto Salas because of the bright neon blue lights and it reminds him of artwork he’s done relating to it.
“It’s almost nostalgic to the neon signs you’ll find [in] a restaurant or some stores that say ‘Open’ or some [that] would have some kind of elaborate design,” Sosa said.
The exhibit will run until March 23. The gallery hours for Spring 2018 are as follows:
–Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
–Tuesday and Thursday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Other works by the artists will be on display from 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, located at 660 Ringgold St., to April 13.
An artist panel discussion will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Art Gallery at Rusteberg Hall and a community event will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.
Admission is free at all of the events.
For more information, email Macias at alejandro.macias@utrgv.edu or Deyanira Ramirez, of the museum, at dramirez@brownsvillemfa.org.
