UTRGV student and graduates earn honors at art show

Juan Velez, one of the 37 artists in the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art’s 48th International Art Show, explains his art piece “Another Boot in Wardrobe.” Velez, through his painting, tries to answer the question, “To what extent can I be a Texan?” “Naturally, I feel very proud, so it is a representation that attempts that the viewer has the maximum possible interpretations with an element that is supposed to represent Texas,” Velez said in Spanish “… From there, I let the viewers react and feel whatever they can feel.”
**Eduardo Cortez/THE RIDER**

A UTRGV student and a recent graduate each placed third in separate categories in the 48th International Art Show at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art among 100 artists and 330 submissions from across the United States.

Studio art senior Karla Cruz earned her award for “Ven y quítale los zapatos a tu papá,” which represents the machismo ideology in Mexican culture, in the painting oil and acrylic category.

In the painting, Cruz’s father sits on a chair with his arms crossed, and two hands are seen reaching for his feet and taking a sock off his foot.

“I was raised in a way that we had to respect [men], attend to them and help them in any way that we can,” Cruz said. “So that is where the ideology of machismo comes from.”

She explained the piece was inspired by the chiaroscuro techniques and colors used during the Baroque period (1600-1750).

“First, I did a monochromatic underpainting on the gray scales and then, once I was done with that, I added color where the light source hits to create a more dramatic narrative scene,” Cruz said. “ … I wanted to create a dramatic scene, a strong scene.”

Brownsville resident Jose Angel Lozano, who graduated from UTRGV with a bachelor’s of fine arts in studio art in 2021, placed third in the three-dimensional category with a piece titled “Asymmetrical Purity.”

Because asymmetrical rectangles were pieced together and primary colors were solely used for the sculpture, Lozano landed on the name for his artwork.

What started as a project done in school in 2021 and inspired by Art and Design Professor Stephen Hawks, turned into an award-winning work.

“I feel like the fact that the exhibit was in Brownsville, too, and me being around my community, that kind of helped me out a lot,” Lozano said about competing against more experienced artists. “I was just, kind of, happy and proud to be there.”

“Another Boot in Wardrobe” (watercolor on 300-pound handmade cotton and rag watercolor paper) by Juan Velez, one of the artists in the 48th International Art Show. Juror Christina Rees awarded Velez’s work second place in the water media category. Velez’s artwork is displayed at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art along with 57 other pieces selected among more than 300 entries by Rees.
***Eduardo Cortez/THE RIDER***

Kathy Bussert-Webb, a UTRGV studio art graduate and professor emerita in Bilingual and Literacy Studies, placed third in the mixed media (including collage) category with a piece titled “Sentient,” made from found objects and natural paint she made.

Hannah U, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, won the $1,000 Best of Show for “Light the Space in Between” in the category ink and pen on paper.

The International Art Show was the museum’s first since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This year we only had the opportunity to showcase artists from the United States, but we are focusing for the upcoming years to invite more and more artists,” said Deyanira Ramirez, executive director of the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art.

Ramirez said the nine categories encompass all techniques.

“This show is very complete and very balanced,” she said. “It has as much photography as printmaking and sculptures. … And, obviously, there are different tastes to all the pieces and techniques, but I think this year we shined.”

The competition consisted of nine categories: painting oil and acrylic, drawing, water media, mixed media, printmaking, fibers, three-dimensional, photography and digital media.

Christina Rees, who served as the show’s jurist, reviewed the 57 works and recognized 32 with awards. Rees, of Dallas, is a writer who covers art, the art market, design and entertainment, according to the museum’s website. She is an inaugural recipient of the Rabkin Prize, a national award for arts writing.

Lee Vang, of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, received the $250 Clara Ely Award for the piece “Nude Self-Portrait” in the painting oil and acrylic category.

For a complete list of winners, visit the museum’s website.

The museum’s next exhibit, “Zapotec Legacy: Three Generations of Alebrije Artistry,” opens Nov. 2 and will feature the works of Efrain Fuentes and Silvia Gómez, of Oaxaca, Mexico.