Category Archives: Previous Exhibits

La Spiritu

Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

La Spiritu exhibition in Pecan Library Rainbow RoomLa Spiritu, an exhibition by Leila Hernandez, will be on view May 1 through June 25, 2018 in the Pecan Campus Library Rainbow Room. There will be a reception for this exhibition, as well as the Ceramic Showdown and Art x Culture, on June 20, from 6-8 pm at the Pecan Campus Library. Hernandez is a native of El Salvador and received her MFA from the University of Florida. Hernandez draws inspiration in nature and art using re-purposed mixed media that she finds in her visits to ropas, pulgas, thrift, craft and art stores.

“The term La Spritu is drawn from the Spanish word Espiritu which means spirit. In the Spanish language the word espiritu/spirit is male (El Espiritu) which becomes incompatible with the portrait of the feminine matriarch energy represented in my work,” said Leila Hernandez. ”I use elephants to represent many concepts and ideas like knowledge, strength, healing, memory and even luck.”

About her process and inspiration, Hernandez continues, “The application of garments, largely used by women, applied on the mandalas are meant to create a social and political awareness on several issues such as enslavement, obedience, communion and spirituality. Through the use of clothes worn by women, an alliance is forged and hopefully an understanding is created among viewers—especially female viewers, that binds them through common experience, even if to some it is as simple as knowing how to weave or learning a “simple” craft.”

For more information contact (956) 872-3488, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/lag. This exhibit is free and open to the public.

Carol Fluekiger

Carol Flueckiger: Solitude of Selfie

Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits

McAllen, TX – South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery proudly presents “Carol Flueckiger” a 2-D exhibit of Cyanotype Prints by Artist, Carol Flueckiger.

Carol Flueckiger is an Associate Professor of Art at Texas Tech University in Lubbock.  She has developed a mixed media painting technique that uses the blistering West Texas sun to expose blueprints of historic handwriting and vintage graphics onto painted wood surfaces, paper and fabric.  She merges this cyanotype technique with feminist history, weather and geography.

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 Gina Otvos at 956-872-3488, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

Photo: Number 25, Educated, Carol Flueckiger, 18×12, cyanotype and sharpie on watercolor paper, 2017

ON DISPLAY: APRIL 26 – MAY 30, 2018

Cyanotype Demonstration: April 26, 2:30 pm
Art Talk/Reception: April 26, 6-7 pm

David McGee

David McGee: New Work

Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

“Ragnar” by David McGee, oil wire and glue on canvas, 60 x 48 in., 2016.

Houston artist David McGee exhibits at South Texas College
Talk by artist David McGee slated for Feb. 22

MCALLEN, TX (Feb 16, 2018 ) – The South Texas College (STC) Library Art Gallery has curated an exhibit entitled, “David McGee: New Work” featuring the work of Houston artist David McGee that will be on display until Feb. 25, 2018.

David McGee’s work explores identity and experience. This exhibition features McGee’s large-scale, heavily textured abstract paintings he made during a one-year sabbatical on the Bolivar Peninsula, a remote area near Galveston, and his signature watercolor figurative drawings. McGee recently finished a 20-year retrospective at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.

“My paintings are also heavily influenced by my love of literature and film. I seldom go back and forth from the style of abstract painting to that of the figure, but by all facts and vocabulary, everything is abstract. So the paintings adhere to no stylistic allegiance, but just the emotional weight of what is to be human,” said McGee.

The exhibit is located on the second floor of the STC Pecan Campus Library. The exhibition and lecture are part of the college’s larger annual Black History Month celebration.

The event is free and open to the public.

WHAT: STC’s Library Art Gallery Exhibition “ David McGee: New Work”
WHO: Houston Artist, David McGee
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at 1pm . A reception will follow from 5p.m.-7p.m.
WHERE: Pecan Campus library Rainbow Room
3201 W.Pecan Blvd McAllen, Building F

For more information, contact Gina Otvos at gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or 956- 872-3488. For a complete listing of events visit: http://library.southtexascollege.edu/LibraryArt.

Olga Alanis

STC Alumni Show: Priscilla Elizondo & Olga Alanis

Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits, Technology Campus

South Texas College presents the work of STC Alumni

McAllen, TX – South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery proudly presents “STC Alumni Show,” a 2-D exhibit of both drawings and paintings by former students, Priscilla Elizondo and Olga Alanis.

The exhibit opened Tuesday, January 23 and runs through April 23, 2018. There will be an artist lecture and reception on February 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Technology Campus Library Art Gallery. The exhibit is located at 3700 W. Military Hwy. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

Priscilla Elizondo and Olga Alanis both attended South Texas College before moving to UTRGV to complete their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Alanis and Elizondo’s work both lean towards 2-D figurative work with Elizondo primarily working in drawing and Alanis in painting. The technical skill, quality and stories of the former STC students’ progress will be inspiring to current students and public.

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 Gina Otvos at 956-872-3488, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

Photo: Ecology of Mind, Olga Alanis, 2014.

ON DISPLAY: JAN. 23 – APRIL 23, 2018
ART TALK/RECEPTION: FEB. 15 6-7 PM TECHNOLOGY LIBRARY

Sarah Castillo

Sarah Castillo: Art as an Embodied Practice

Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

Sarah Castillo

South Texas College Presents: Sarah Castillo | Art as an Embodied Practice: Artistic Expression, Conocimiento, and Identity formation. 

Sarah Castillo is the co-founder of the Chicana Art Collective, Mas Rudas, in San Antonio who create video, photography, painting, sculpture, fiber, performance, audio, and text installations since 2009. She is also the gallerist and founder of Lady Base Gallery whose mission supports women and LGBTQIA+ artists.  She recently received her M.A. in bi-cultural Studies from UTSA with the thesis: Art as an Embodied Practice: Artistic Expression, Conocimiento, and identity formation. 

ON DISPLAY: MARCH 1 – APRIL 20, 2018
ART TALK: MARCH 1, 1:00PM
RECEPTION: MARCH 1, 5-7PM (PECAN LIBRARY ART GALLERY)

Macarena Peña: Wings & Love

Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

Macarena Peña, known as Ma K Art was born in McAllen, Texas and started painting in oil in 1997 in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. Macarena became blind in 1999. She revived her artistic abilities as a blind artist in 2015 when she became the co-founder of Visual Challenges Art Project in conjunction with the National Federation of the Blind. Peña is an active advocate for the blind and visually impaired.

Macarena creates her work using vivid colors and different textures; the artist communicates through the canvas what the eyes cannot see but what the heart can feel. Macarena’s inspiration comes from life emotions that can only be seen with the heart.

Exhibit on view: Feb, 7 – April 20, 2018 

Paint in the Dark Workshop- April 10th, 10am Library Art Gallery 2nd Floor

“High Expectations with No Limitations” Lecture- April 10th, 12pm Library Rainbow Room 2nd Floor

South Texas College Pecan Library

 

Veteran Quilt Exhibit

Veteran Quilt Exhibit

Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

South Texas College Library exhibits military quilts for the second year.

South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery and the college’s Communication Dept. proudly present a special Veteran’s Day exhibit by the Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild. The exhibit opens Wednesday, November 1 and runs through Thursday, November 31, 2017.  STC Veteran’s Affairs will be having a Veteran’s Fair at the same location from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with Texas Veterans Commission, Employers seeking Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Family Endeavors, VIDA, UTRGV Transition, and more. The exhibit and event are located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Rio Grande Valley Quilt Guild’s Military Service Quilts Program creates quilts with military designs and then gives the quilts during a ceremony to recognize veteran service. The Quilt Guild intends to increase awareness and recognize veteran service in our community. The RGV Quilt Guild offers programs and workshops as well as opportunities to exhibit.

For more information, contact Gina Otvos at (956) 871-3488 or gotvos@southtexascollege.edu.

 

Place Exhibition

Place: An Interactive Exhibit about Surroundings

Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery proudly presents “PLACE,” a mixed-media, interactive exhibit. The exhibit opens Thursday, October 26 and runs through Friday, December 8, 2017. There will be an artist lecture and opening reception on October 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery.  The exhibit is located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

Three artists explore the psychological, political, and environmental aspects of surroundings. Chavez (BA St. Edwards, Photocommunication) works with dyslexia to create a visual language of her surroundings. Freeman (MFA UTSA, Printmaking) looks at the shadows cast by the US Border Wall and examines how a political barrier in the landscape becomes part of resident’s consciousness. Nicol (MFA UTSA, Drawing) uses minimally altered natural materials to create ecological sculptures that embrace the integrity of the environment and reflect the abstract inner spaces of consciousness.

The exhibit will also be a “makerspace” for students and community to create their own ideas and join the exhibit.

For more information, contact Gina Otvos at (956) 871-3488 or gotvos@southtexascollege.edu.

Jenelle Esparza

Yo Solita Me Enseñé

Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

South Texas College presents the work of Jenelle Esparza ‘Self-Taught’

McAllen, TX (September 27, 2017) – South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery proudly presents “Yo Solita Me Enseñé,” a multi-media exhibit with photography, handmade paper, bronze sculpture, fabric, and found objects by Jenelle Esparza.

The exhibit opened Monday, September 11 and runs through October 11, 2017. There will be a closing artist lecture on October 11 at 1 p.m. and a reception to follow from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery. The exhibit is located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

Esparza is a San Antonio-based artist who works primarily as a photographer. She was awarded the 2015 NALAC (National Association of Latino Arts and Culture) Artist Grant for her project El Color de la Obra about the interconnected histories of South Texas cotton fields. Esparza will be the Texas Artpace International artist in-residence for 2018. She is currently an Education Coordinator at the McNay Art Museum.

“We are excited and honored to work with Jenelle Esparza. Her dedication, thoughtfulness and ability to bring together under told stories of South Texas is exceptional,” said Gina Otvos, STC Art Gallery Associate. “The skill with which she moves between mediums will be exciting to experience.”

Esparza’s work combines her own history as well as the collective history of South Texas with artwork such as hand-cast bronze cotton burrs and a photo of a vast cotton field titled, “Si La Tierra Podría Hablar.”

“The exhibit title, Yo Solita Me Enseñé, comes from women, Tejanas, from the early twentieth century in South Texas as they describe how everything in their environment was made themselves or was self-taught including deshilado, bailes, caseros, food, music and artwork,” Esparza said. “I like that meaning because everything in this show was not only made by me, but it represents a community and a history of people who made things in their own way.”

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 Gina Otvos at 956-872-3488, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

Photo: Si la Tierra Pudiera Hablar, Archival pigment print, 2016.

Mexican Map

Mapping Mexican History: Territories in Dispute, Identities in Question

Library Art Gallery, Mid-Valley Campus, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

STC exhibits maps from the University of Texas Austin rare documents collection

South Texas College’s Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery presents “Mapping Mexican History: Territories in Dispute, Identities in Question,” a traveling exhibit featuring reproductions from UT’s Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Rare Books and Manuscripts Collection.

There will be a free digital map workshop on September 19 at 10 a.m. at the Pecan Campus Library, room F220 and at 1 p.m. at the Mid-Valley Campus CLE, room A105. Parking will be available on campus and no citations will be issued for guests. Lunch will be served. Space is limited to 30 people. Registration closes Wednesday, September 13.

“The maps presented in this exhibition span from 1580 to 1847, and reflect the intertwined relationships between indigenous and European, secular and religious, as well as national and foreign identities in Mexico’s evolution from colonial territory to modern state,” said Julianne Gilland, director of the Benson’s Latin American Collection. “Taken together, the maps featured in the exhibition tell a story of Mexican territory as it was defined, redefined, and contested through three centuries.”

The exhibit will be on view from Monday, August 28 through Friday, October 27, 2017 at the Pecan Library. Admission is free and open to the public.

StoryMapJS, a web-based authoring platform will be introduced for the presentation of map and visual material analyses. Using historical Mexican maps held at the University of Texas at Austin’s Benson Latin American Collection, attendees will learn how to create a set of zoom-able images, host them on Github, and bring them into StoryMapJS to create a dynamic visual-based story. No prior knowledge is necessary, and students or faculty from any discipline are encouraged to attend.

STC-McAllen workshop: https://storytelling_mexican_maps.eventbrite.com

STC-Weslaco workshop: https://mapping_mexican_history.eventbrite.com

Workshops will be led by Itza Carbajal (Master of Science in Information Studies Candidate) and Albert A. Palacios (LLILAS Benson Digital Scholarship Coordinator) from The University of Texas at Austin.

For more information, contact Gina Otvos at (956) 872-3488 or gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/lag.