Category Archives: Previous Exhibits

Evolution of the Soul

August 19, 2014Library Art Gallery, Mid-Valley Campus, Previous Exhibitsgotvos

South Texas College’s Mid-Valley Campus Library Art Gallery presents “Evolution of the Soul: Works by Pablo Peña,” an exhibit featuring paintings by Pablo Peña. The exhibit opens Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 with an artist talk held at 6 p.m., and will be on view through Friday, Dec. 4. The Mid-Valley Campus Library Art Gallery is located at 400 N. Border in Weslaco. Admission is free and open to the public.

Peña is a professional artist and native of Weslaco. Although he has experimented in working with a wide array of mediums including stained glass, copper sculpture and jewelry, the central element of his work is vibrant color.

His dynamic surrealist landscapes are bursting with vivacious color, extraordinary figures and symbolism. When beginning a new piece, Peña chooses colors that personify his mood.

“Pablo Peña’s artwork is a celebration and testament to his successful use of color,” said STC Library Art Gallery Associate Dawn Haughey. “While his skill in color usage and blending is truly spectacular, he is also able to ignite a variety of emotions through his bold style. This exhibition is sure to speak to a very large audience.”

STC’s Library Art Gallery Program exhibits regional, national and international artwork, explores new visions and theories of creativity, and introduces innovative artistic expressions to the South Texas region.

For more information contact Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488 or libraryart@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Ceramic Showdown 2014

June 7, 2014Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous ExhibitsCeramic Conference, South Texas Ceramic Showdowngotvos

South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery, together with the college’s Visual Arts and Music Department, brings the Rio Grande Valley its annual ceramics exhibition and workshop, “Calculated Efforts: A South Texas Ceramic Showdown.” All activities are free and open to the public.

The event includes a full display of ceramic works by art students and professors from regional universities and community colleges. The exhibit will be on view from June 2 to Aug. 8 at the college’s Pecan Campus Art Building Art Gallery, located at 3201 West Pecan Blvd. in McAllen.

A two-day ceramics workshop will take place on June 13 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1:30 – 4:30 p.m., and June 14 at 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at STC’s Pecan Campus Art Building (Bldg. B) Ceramics Lab, Room 113. Art talks will be held on Saturday, June 14 from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. at the same location. An exhibit reception will be held on June 12 in the Visual Arts and Music Gallery and the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery from 6-8 p.m.

“We are back in action for another round of ceramic collaboration. There are a number of variables that we are putting in place,” said Chris Leonard, STC ceramics instructor and exhibit/workshop organizer. “Actually, people across the state and even nation are putting things in place and into kilns in order to make the show happen in the summer.”

Participants will see clay demonstrations by nationally recognized and distinguished ceramicists Fred Spaulding and Jennifer Quarles.

“We are continuing with a paired show format; the institutional invite will be back along with a pair of visiting artists, Jennifer Quarles from Austin and Fred Spaulding, who at one time taught at UTPA and will be rolling down from Arlington,” Leonard said. “Their work should harmonize well while also providing interesting levels of contrast. In their ceramic work, which isn’t the entirety of all that they produce, both artists use aspects of printmaking, photography, and graphic arts in creating work that both touches and transcends tradition.”

Spaulding earned his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Connecticut. He is currently associate professor of art at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth and has completed further study through residencies at Kohler’s Arts in iron casting and Penland’s Winter Residency in Printmaking. Spaulding continues to work, exploring the possibilities of constructed structures of brick.

Quarles earned her Master of Fine Arts from Texas Women’s University. Since 2002, her work has been featured in both regional and national exhibitions. In addition, Quarles works with the Texas Clay Arts Association (TCAA), a non-profit organization that promotes ceramics in Texas. Her work explores our constant drive to record and share information, as well as our inherent desire to connect to one another.

STC’s Library Art Gallery exhibits regional, national and international artwork, explores new visions and theories of creativity, and introduces innovative artistic expressions to the South Texas region.

For more information contact Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488, or via email at dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu or Chris Leonard at (956) 872-2668, or via email at cpleonar@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Roma Annual Art Exhibit 2014

June 7, 2014Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits, Starr County Campusgotvos

South Texas College’s Starr County Campus Library Art Gallery is proud to present its “Roma High School Annual Art Exhibition.” The display features works of art by students, who have studied under the tutelage of Roma High School art instructors Monica Gillette, Mario Godinez and Gabriela Gonzalez.

The exhibit will be on display from June 12 to Aug. 8, 2014 at STC’s Starr County Campus Library (Bldg. F), located at 142 FM 3167 in Rio Grande City. Admission is free and open to the public.

“The STC Library Art Gallery’s collaboration with Roma high school is still going strong and is now entering into its 6th year,” said Dawn Haughey, STC Library Art Gallery associate. “Every year’s submissions are always different from the last, reinforcing Roma’s reputation as an incubator for highly inventive art students; many thanks to the students and teachers that make this exhibit possible each year.”

The exhibit features mixed media artwork by freshman, sophomore, junior and senior Roma High School students.

For more information, contact Terri Rosalez at mtrosalez@southtexascollege.edu or 956-488-5822; or Dawn Haughey at 956-872-3488 or dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy

June 6, 2014Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibitsgotvos

STC to display Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy

South Texas College’s Pecan Campus Library will present “Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy,” an exhibition created by the Wittliff Collections at the Texas State University-San Marcos Alkek Library and presented in partnership with Humanities Texas, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This exhibition is made possible in part by a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The exhibit will be on display from June 16 to July 28, 2014 at the Pecan Campus Library Rainbow Room, located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

In the early 1970s, noted Texas historian Joe Frantz offered Bill Wittliff a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit a ranch in Northern Mexico where the vaqueros still worked cattle in traditional ways. Wittliff photographed the vaqueros as they went about daily chores that had changed little since the first Mexican cow herders learned to work cattle from a horse’s back. Wittliff captured a way of life that now exists only in memory and in the photographs included in this exhibition.

The exhibition features photographs with bilingual narrative text that reveal the muscle, sweat and drama that went into roping a calf in thick brush or breaking a wild horse in the saddle.

For more information, contact Dawn Haughey at 956-872-3488, libraryart@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://lag.southtexascollege.edu.

2013 Additions

May 9, 2014Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits, Technology Campusgotvos

South Texas College’s Technology Campus Library presents “2013 Additions: Newly Acquired Pieces,” an exhibit featuring artworks by Lenard Brown, Noel Palmenez and others. The exhibit opens Thursday, June 19, 2014 and will be on view through Friday, Aug. 8 at the college’s Technology Campus Library Art Gallery, located at 3700 W. Military Hwy. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

The exhibit features works of art that have been donated to STC, during the 2013 school year, by various artists who have exhibited at one of the college’s five library art galleries throughout the Rio Grande Valley in Hidalgo and Starr counties. These artists include Lenard Brown, Delvis Cortez, Olga Escobedo, Adrian Luna, Imanol Miranda, Noel Palmenez and Travis Trapp.

“It’s always interesting to be able to bring together all of our recently donated works of art into one exhibit,” said Dawn Haughey, STC Library Art Gallery associate. “It creates a type of visual timeline of what we have exhibited over the past year. We are always grateful for all of our amazing donations and are happy to share them with all of STC’s campuses so that everyone has a chance to enjoy them.”

For more information, contact Maxmilian Garcia at max@southtexascollege.edu, (956) 872-6207; or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488, dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Harmony

May 9, 2014Library Art Gallery, NAH Campus, Previous Exhibitsgotvos

South Texas College’s Nursing and Allied Health Campus Library presents “Harmony,” an exhibit featuring digital artworks by Rolando D. Garza. The exhibit opens Thursday, June 19, 2014 and will be on view through Friday, Aug. 8. An artist talk will be held on July 3 at 3:30 p.m. at the college’s NAH Campus, located at 1101 E. Vermont Ave. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

Garza’s playful digital works are greatly influenced by science fiction, geometry, nature, movies and music. He says that his art is constantly evolving and believes that by promoting the arts he will help make the Valley a more beautiful place.

“Garza’s work is fresh, bold and fun,” said Dawn Haughey, STC Library Art Gallery associate. “Whether we realize it or not, digital art is a huge part of our everyday lives. We see it everywhere we go, on billboards, the internet, even on packaged food items. It is important to exhibit digital artwork, as well as more traditional painted or photographed works, so that it can be appreciated and recognized as a true art form.”

Garza received a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Texas-Pan American. His background includes work in engineering, computer science, psychology, sculpture and art.

For more information, contact Jose Noriega at josen@southtexascollege.edu, (956) 872-3189; or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488, dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Bit by Bit

May 8, 2014Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibitsgotvos

South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery, together with the college’s Visual Arts and Music Department, is proud to present “Bit by Bit: A Student Digital Art Exhibition.” The exhibit will be on display from June 19 – August 8, 2014 at the Pecan Campus Library, located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

“This exhibition showcases a collection of digital prints made by South Texas College art students. These prints show the diverse possibilities when limits in digital art are pushed, said Phyllis Evans, STC Assistant Professor of Art and Pedro Perez, STC Art Instructor. “Works range from minimally edited digital photography, to basic photo-manipulation and photo-montages, to works created almost entirely on the computer. Most works were created and/or edited using one or a combination of Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Lightroom.”

“Students enrolled in Digital Art and Digital Photography classes develop technical, visual, and conceptual skills that they may use as tools for creative problem solving,” continued Evans and Perez. “While some pieces in this show are considered graphic design and illustration and are thus intended for commercial uses, others were created purely for artistic and expressive means. Often traditional media such as drawing, painting, and film photography are combined with digital techniques to form unique images that would not have otherwise been possible.”

Evans and Perez add, “Although digital art and photography are fairly new genres in the realm of fine arts, they have gained popularity among artists and photographers because of the freedom and limitless possibilities they provide.”

For more information, contact Dawn Haughey at 956-872-3488 or via email dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Mexican American Women 2014

May 8, 2014Library Art Gallery, Mid-Valley Campus, Previous Exhibitsgotvos

South Texas College’s Mid-Valley Campus Library will present “Mexican American Women,” a black and white photo exhibition that features a series of images from the National Women’s History Project, and has been a collaborative effort between the college’s Pecan Campus Latin@s Club and the library. The exhibit will be on display from June 19 to Aug. 8 at the Mid-Valley Campus Library Art Gallery, located at 400 N. Border in Weslaco. Admission is free and open to the public.

The NWHP was founded in Santa Rosa, Calif. over 30 years ago as the top source for information and material about the roles of women in American history. The organization is a catalyst in promoting women as leaders and influential forces in society.

Among its objectives, the NWHP strives to inspire today’s women by having them draw strength from those that came before them by telling their story and how important women have been in American society over the course of history.

For more information, contact Lillian Carrillo at (956) 447-1288, lillianm@southtexascollege.edu or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488, dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Student Capstone 2014

April 23, 2014Library Art Gallery, Mid-Valley Campus, Previous Exhibitsgotvos

The South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus Library presents “Bear Hugs,” featuring the student artwork of Josue Amaro. The exhibit will open Wednesday, April 30, 2014 and continues through May 14 at the Mid-Valley Campus Library (Bldg. E), located at 400 N. Border in Weslaco. A reception will be held on April 30 at 6 p.m. at the same location. Admission to both events is free and open to the public.

“With ‘Bear Hugs’ Josue takes what had been small, comical creatures and allows them to expand and roam free, taking over part of STC’s Mid-Valley Campus Library,” said Scott Nicol, STC assistant professor of visual arts. “His oversized characters tower over the visitor, simultaneously inviting and frightening. Do you accept the invitation to hug a smiling, sweaty bear that stands seven feet tall, or keep a safe distance?”

For more information, contact Lillian Carrillo at (956) 447-1288, lillianm@southtexascollege.edu or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488, dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Portrait of a Poet

January 14, 2014Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits, Technology Campusgotvos

South Texas College’s Technology Campus Library presents “Portrait of a Poet,” an exhibit featuring photography by Ileana Garcia-Spitz. The exhibit opens Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014 and will be on view through May 9. An artist lecture will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Technology Campus Library, located at 3700 W. Military Hwy. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

Ileana Garcia-Spitz never set out to document the Valley poetry scene, but it beckoned to her to do so. After attending a performance, her love for sounds of words bonded her to the performing poets. As an English teacher, Garcia-Spitz is drawn to words and their smiths, and as a photographer she is drawn to the impact of words as they are spoken and heard.

“The portraits displayed are taken in passing moments that were never intended to be documented,” Garcia-Spitz said. “But it is within those stolen moments that the beauty, strength, and frailty of words and people are captured.”

Garcia-Spitz received her bachelor’s degree in English and works as a teacher and a local photojournalist. Being raised by a former migrant worker turned D.C. politician and a Catholic nun turned social worker, she has certainly been exposed to the dualities of life. Her studies in the humanities have also developed her appreciation for the differences between cultures. This exposure has made her sensitive to the human condition and its spirit, developing her eye and readying her for spontaneous opportunities to capture the story.

“This is an area of the arts that has yet to be documented in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Dawn Haughey, STC Library Art Gallery associate. “Garcia-Spitz’s keen photographic eye and quiet patience have allowed her to bring this culture alive to us all.”

For more information, contact Max Garcia at max@southtexascollege.edu or 956-872-6207; or Dawn Haughey at 956-872-3488 or dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://lag.southtexascollege.edu.