Category Archives: Library Art Gallery

Call For Art Guidelines

South Texas College Library Art Gallery organizes exhibits to engage our community and support the curriculum. These calls for art are opportunities for everyone to be part of the art programming. The STC Library Art Gallery is committed to providing a welcoming and learning-centered environment. The purpose of displaying artwork at our libraries is to provide space for artists to display their works for the enjoyment and enrichment of our library visitors of all ages. This should be considered when creating and choosing artworks to exhibit. These guidelines are to ensure artwork can be showcased properly and safely. We reserve the right to deny any piece of artwork.

 When submitting, all artwork must be ready to display and hang. What do we mean by ready to hang?

For 2D traditional art,

  • Canvas and frames must have wire attached with D-rings or eyelets.
  • Lightweight frames can also be turned in with saw-tooth hangers. Plastic, damaged, table-top or flimsy frames will not be displayed.
  • Frames or poster-board wired with hot glue or any type of visible glue will not be accepted.
  • Fabric hanging art must be ready to hang with poles and wire, rods and casing, or stretched with a wooden frame, or it will be pinned to wall with nails or pushpins.
  • Pieces with special hanging requirements should include hardware and a clear, typed set of instructions, where appropriate.

For 3D art,

  • Freestanding sculptures should not need special mounting. Gallery has limited pedestals, providing a base or stand is ideal.
  • There is a weight limit of 10 lbs for 3D wall art and all frames.

General guidelines

  • Artwork will not be accepted without a fully completed submission form.
  • Work must have the artist’s name clearly written on back unless the nature of the work makes it impossible to do so.
  • Once exhibit is over, artists must pick up their works by the following week. If work is left, it will be discarded. Please contact gallery staff if special accommodation is needed. 
  • All artwork must be original and created within the past 3 years.
  • Artwork will be displayed as space permits; some work may be left out at the discretion of the gallery.
  • Artwork must be appropriate for all ages.
  • Restrictions on size, medium, or content of work will vary per exhibit call.
  • When entering a call for art show, it is agreed that you, the artist, owns copyrights and allow South Texas College to photograph and use for educational and promotional purposes.
  • STC will exercise due care when handling your work, STC will not be responsible for loss, damage, or replacement during exhibition and shipping.
  • Exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery organizes exhibitions and educational programs to engage student understanding of art, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For any questions, email bmonteja@southtexascollege.edu.

15! Angela Dominguez Has Something To Say

South Texas College Library Art Gallery presents “15! Angela Dominguez Has Something To Say,” an exhibit showcasing 15 years of bilingual children’s books written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.

Illustrator and Author Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and earned a Master of Fine Arts at the Academy of Art University in California. She recently illustrated the New York Times Bestseller, “Just Help! How to Build a Better World,” written by Sonia Sotomayor.

15! Angela Dominguez Has Something to Say opened February 6 and will be on view through June 6, 2023, at the STC Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery Building F.
 
All events are free and open to the public.
 
This exhibit is part of She Roars: A Series of Lectures, Workshops & Exhibitions that Celebrate Women’s Contributions to the Humanities.  The She Roars program is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
 
This program of exhibitions and educational programs are meant to engage student understanding of art and its role in culture, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.
 
For more information, email gotvos@southtexascollege.edu, or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

 

She Roars

She Roars: A Series of Lectures, Workshops & Exhibitions that Celebrate Women’s Contributions to the Humanities

South Texas College celebrates community partnerships in an arts and humanities series, She Roars.

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The South Texas College Library Art Gallery and Art Department, in collaboration with community partners at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – School of Interdisciplinary Programs and Community Engagement, International Museum of Art & Science, and the McAllen Public Library, collectively present She Roars: A Series of Lectures, Workshops, and Exhibitions Celebrating Women’s Contributions to the Humanities.

This four-day program starts with a self-defense class taught by STC Kinesiology Instructor Rodrigo Martinez and includes four exhibitions, a documentary, story-time, and workshops and lectures by founding member of the 1985-present artist collective, The Guerrilla Girls and illustrator and author Angela Dominguez.

The schedule for the event is as follows:

 

DAY 1 | Monday, March 6 Location: South Texas College
10 – 11 a.m. Self-Defense Workshop with STC Kinesiology Instructor, Rodrigo Martinez  (Pecan Plaza B-2511 Dojo Room)
12 – 1 p.m. Film Documentary: Finding Vivian Maier (Library F-102)
 
DAY 2 | Tuesday, March 7
 

Location: South Texas College

10 – 11 a.m. Talk: Angela Dominguez– 15 Years of Bilingual Children’s Book Illustration (Bldg. U – 2.100)
6 – 7 p.m. Talk:Guerrilla Girls w founding member Käthe Kollwitz (Bldg. U – 2.100)
5 – 8 p.m. She RoarsOpening Reception (Library Art & Bldg. B Gallery)
 
DAY 3 | Wednesday, March 8
 
 
Location: McAllen Public Library
11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Reading by Angela Dominguez
  Location: International Museum of Art & Science (Clark Gallery)
5 – 5:30 p.m. Poetry by Priscilla Celina Suarez
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Uproar! The Art of Social Engagement: A Community Workshop (Kollwitz)
6:30 – 7:30 Humanities Roundtable led by Kathe Kollwitz (GG), Dr. Silvia Solis (UTRGV Gender & Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies), and Guadalupe Pardo (Trucha Cultural Fellow)
DAY 4 | Tuesday, March 21 Location: The Gremlin, Downtown McAllen
6 – 7 p.m. Oh, How They Roar: Women in the Humanities with Dr. Friederike Bruehoefener, Dr. Linda English (UTRGV), Dr. Carolina Monsivais (STC), Dr. Cathryn Merla-Watson (UTRGV), Dr. Marisa Palacios Knox (UTRGV), Melissa Arjona (STC)

 

“We’re thrilled about the community partnerships we’ve built with other organizations in the valley as we celebrate Women’s History Month at STC,” said STC Art History Faculty and Co-Organizer of ‘She Roars’ Melissa Terry. “We hope the ‘She Roars’ series of events will inspire students and community members to think deeply about collaborative and creative solutions to social issues, locally and globally.”

The Guerrilla Girls are an anonymous collective of artists who, since 1985, have utilized humor and stark visuals to spread awareness about the bias within art film, and popular culture to ignite the sparks of social change.

Illustrator and Author Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and earned a Master of Fine Arts at the Academy of Art University in California. She recently illustrated the New York Times Bestseller, “Just Help! How to Build a Better World,” written by Sonia Sotomayor.

“When I saw the Guerrilla Girls speak years ago, while in graduate school, it struck me as an exciting example of critical thinking and performative art activism. We hope the exhibition, art talk, and workshop will do the same for our community,” said Terry.

15! Angela Dominguez Has Something to Say opens February 6 and will be on view through June 6, 2023, at the STC Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery Building F.

The Guerrilla Girls: The Art of Behaving Badly exhibit opens March 7 and will be on view until April 5, 2023, at the STC Art Department Gallery Building B.

There will also be a student and community poster exhibit inspired by the work of the Guerrilla Girls and civic engagement at the South Texas College Art Department.

All events are free and open to the public.

To register for this event, visit: Workshop registration link

The She Roars program is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

This program of exhibitions and educational programs are meant to engage student understanding of art and its role in culture, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, contact gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/sheroars.

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Life & Death on the Border 1910-1920

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The South Texas College Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery, History Department, and the Center for Mexican American Studies proudly present “Life and Death on the Border: 1910-1920,” a panel exhibit that includes photographs, postcards, court documents and rare artifacts that tell the story of daily life and re-examines Texas historical events of the early 1900s in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas.

STC History Professor and co-founder of the Refusing to Forget project Trinidad Gonzales, Ph.D., worked alongside colleagues throughout the state and nation to help research and put together this exhibit and event series. These histories inspired Tejano literature, art, and music and influenced the creation of the Mexican American civil rights movement.

“It is a historical exhibit that STC is fortunate enough to exhibit for the first time since 2016,” said Gonzales. “The legacies of these histories are intertwined with the local history of the Rio Grande Valley and are finally getting told to a wider audience.”

The exhibit will be on view from February 9 – June 6 at the STC Pecan Campus Library. A playlist put together by the Bullock Museum to accompany the exhibit, Música Tejana, is a “collection of musical forms, styles, and genres that evolved primarily in South Texas during the 19th century and narrated the lives and challenges of people living along the south Texas-northern Mexican border.”

“The exhibit of Life and Death Along the Border, 1910-1920 is important because it is the first attempt by the state of Texas to tell the tragic history of the Matanza of 1915 and the Porvenir Massacre of 1918 and the heroic efforts by ethnic Mexicans to have those killings addressed at the time and the present,” said Gonzales.

If you go:

Opening session: February 9th, BLDG. U, East Ballroom – 2.100

5:30 – 6:00 pm Opening Remarks
6:00 – 7:30 pm Roundtable: Landmark Exhibit
Margaret Koch, Bullock Museum Director
Monica Martinez, UT-Austin, Refusing to Forget
Sonia Hernandez, Texas A&M, Refusing to Forget
John Moran Gonzalez, UT-Austin, Refusing to Forget
Benjamin Johnson, Chicago Loyola University
Moderation by: Trinidad Gonzales, STC, Refusing to Forget

March 9th, BLDG. D, Auditorium

6:00 – 7:00 pm Family Resistencia: The Story of a Family That Survived Rinche Violences
Christopher Carmona, UTRGV, Refusing to Forget
Juan P. Carmona, STC, Refusing to Forget

Bullock Texas State History Museum is located in Austin, Texas, and works to preserve and exhibit Texas history and culture. Refusing to Forget is a multifaceted public history project that seeks to spread awareness of violence against Mexicans and Mexican Americans at the hands of both vigilante groups and state agents, such as the Texas Rangers.

“Life and Death on the Border” was originally produced by the Bullock Texas State History Museum in collaboration with Refusing to Forget. The “Life and Death on the Border” exhibit has been made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Sustaining Humanities through the American Rescue Plan in partnership with the American Historical Association. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the American Historical Association or the National Endowment of the Humanities.

Life and Death – List of Names: Life and Death on the Border list of names

If you were unable to attend in person, view the video on our YouTube page

For more information, contact gotvos@southtexascollege.edu

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Ximopanoltih Papalotl, Mi Amor (Welcome Butterfly, My Love) Exhibit

Leila Hernandez banner

STC’s Starr Co. Campus Library presents an installation of mixed-media artwork by instructor Leila Hernandez

Mandala workshop and exhibition reception: February 23, 2023, from 10 – 11 a.m.

The South Texas College Starr Co. Library Art Gallery presents “Ximopanoltih Papalotl, Mi Amor (Welcome Butterfly, My Love),” a mixed media art installation by STC Art Instructor Leila Hernandez.

Hernandez is a native of El Salvador and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Florida. Her international travels have influenced her artwork, where she echoes the color, texture, and compositions of the countries she has visited into images that honor her background and ideas of loss, transformation, healing, and love. Her environmentally sustainable artwork, composed mainly from repurposed used clothing, stems from her studies of Diseño Artesanal (Handcraft Design) at the Universidad Dr. Jose Matias Delgado, where Hernandez learned about ceramics, textiles, and metals.

Instructor Hernandez will lead a workshop on February 23 from 10 – 11 a.m., where participants will learn about and create mandalas, a geometric configuration usually representing a spiritual journey.

The exhibit opens on Monday, January 23rd, and will be on view until July 1, 2023. The display and event will be at the STC Starr Co. Campus Library Art Gallery, Building K, located at 142 FM 3167 in Rio Grande City, TX. The exhibition, reception, and workshop are free and open to the public.

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery organizes exhibitions and educational programs to engage student understanding of art, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, call (956)488-5820, email gotvos@southtexascollege.edu, or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

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Colorful Paradise Exhibition

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Reception: April 26
10 am -12 pm at the Mid-Valley Campus Library

The South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus Library Art Gallery presents “Colorful Paradise,” a mixed-media art exhibition by artist Gerardo Medina.

Medina earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Dallas in 1991 before returning to McAllen and starting an advertising firm. Medina creates art without boundaries, developing an emotional process with each piece and never sketching first. Using strong illustrative images, bold colors, and abstract backgrounds, each of Medina’s artwork is a puzzle piece that tells stories of his past and present.

There will be an exhibition reception on April 26 from 10 a.m. to noon during the library’s annual Open House. Medina will be present to discuss his artwork and answer questions.

The exhibit opened on Tuesday, February 21, and will be on view until July 21, 2023. The display will be at the STC Mid-Valley Campus Library Art Gallery, E-1.210, located at 400 N. Border in Weslaco. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery organizes exhibitions and educational programs to engage student understanding of art, support the academic curriculum and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, call 956-447-6663, email gotvos@southtexascollege.edu, or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

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Cultural Portrait Exhibition

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STC’s Technology Campus Library showcases the ancient art of metalsmithing with a modern narrative

Exhibition reception: April 25, 2023, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

The South Texas College Technology Campus Library Art Gallery showcases a University of Georgia Jewelry and Metals MFA graduate Guadalupe Navarro. He uses traditional Copper and Silversmithing techniques to create vessels, wall-hanging pieces, and sculptural objects that focus on his experience as a first-generation Mexican American. Navarro’s artwork was recently featured in a prestigious Craft in America exhibit.

Cultural Portrait flyerThere will be an exhibition reception on April 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the library’s annual Open House. Navarro will be present to discuss his artwork and answer questions.

The exhibit opens on February 13 and will be on view until July 21, 2023. The display and event will be at the STC Technology Campus Library Art Gallery, Building A, at 3700 W. Military Hwy. in McAllen, TX. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery organizes exhibitions and educational programs to engage student understanding of art, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, call (956) 872-6120, email gotvos@southtexascollege.edu, or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

Stained Glass Museum: Día De Los Muertos

South Texas College partners with Gelman Stained Glass Museum for a two-day Día De Los Muertos celebration.

The STC Library Art Gallery will kick off the celebration with a live webinar on Tuesday, November 1, at 11:30 am. The presentation will introduce the museum and the history of its stained glass collection, commemorating parishioners from over 100 years ago, and bringing their stories back to life. Admission is free and open to the public. If you missed it in person, view now on our YouTube:

The following Wednesday, November 2, at 6:00 pm, the Gelman Stained Glass Museum will host an in-person celebration and talk for Día de Los Muertos, a day in Mexican culture reserved for prayer and remembering friends and family members who have passed. Attendees may bring candles, flowers, and candies for this memorial. STC students can attend the museum event at a discounted rate.

For more information, email gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or visit https://www.gelmanmuseum.org/

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and programs to engage student understanding of art and its role in culture, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

Sequence in Print

STC Library Art Gallery showcases printmaking artists in the community.

South Texas College Library Art Gallery presents “Sequence in Print,” an exhibition showcasing two RGV-based printmaking instructors, Eduardo Garcia from South Texas College and Jesse Burciaga, an instructor at UTRGV Brownsville. The exhibit on the first floor also features an array of artwork with different printmaking techniques from community members who participated in the “Creatures of the Night” call for artwork inspired by fright and folklore. 

The exhibit’s opening reception will be held on Oct. 12, 2022, from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery.Sequence in Print” is at the STC Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery, Bldg. F, 3201 W Pecan Blvd. in McAllen, TX

Artist, Eduardo Garcia received his MFA from the University of North Texas and joined STC in 1997. “Printmaking allows for the creation of multiples from one matrix. I feel that this aspect makes printmaking the most democratic art form since prints can be shared with many,” said Garcia. 

Jesse Burciaga received his MFA from the University of Texas-San Antonio. He got his artistic beginning by making artwork of the people in his community and now teaches students at UTRGV. Burciaga says his artwork reflects his self-described fronteño culture (living on both sides of the Mexican American border).

Along with this exhibition, printmaking workshops will take place every second Wednesday of the month from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. with Eduardo Garcia, Jessie Burciaga, Melissa Terry, and Chris Leonard. The workshops will highlight the artists’ processes and methods. The exhibition and workshops are free and open to the public.

Sept. 14 – Screen print on Clay with Melissa Terry and Chris Leonard
Room B. 115 Ceramic Studio

Oct. 12 – Collagraph Printing with Eduardo Garcia
Room B. 101 Printmaking Studio

Nov. 9 – Monoprint with Jessie Burciaga
Room B. 101 Printmaking Studio

The exhibition will open Sept. 19 and run through Dec. 2, 2022.

Can’t join us in person? Register for the broadcast at 11:30 a.m via Zoom webinar here:
https://southtexascollege.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_48YaSkhiRPGJLbBeoocA1Q

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and programs to engage student understanding of art and its role in culture, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, contact the library at (956) 872-3488, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu, or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

 To view Eduardo’s and Jessie’s workshops, watch here:

Canción del Perro Exhibition

South Texas College Library Art Gallery celebrates folklore in new exhibit at the Mid-Valley Campus.

Artist lecture and reception: October 6, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Weslaco)

The South Texas College Mid-Valley Library Art Gallery presents “El Canción del Perro (Song of the Dog),” an installation featuring soft sculpture and painting by artist Angelica Raquel Martinez.

A reception with the artist will be held on Thursday, October 6, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., where she will discuss the inspiration and process that led her to create this exhibition. 

Can’t join us in person? Register for the live broadcast at 11:30 a.m. via Zoom webinar:
https://southtexascollege.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_48YaSkhiRPGJLbBeoocA1Q

Angelica Raquel Martinez is a Texas State University and the University of Texas San Antonio graduate and is now a high school educator. In her multi-disciplinary studio practice, Martinez uses narratives focused on folklore, familial storytelling, and her personal experiences to investigate the ideas of morality and the soul using animal imagery.

Canción del Perro is a celebration of the dog from stories and familial experiences I heard growing up in my hometown of Laredo, TX. A large installation of various soft sculpture techniques will conjure a terrifying moment from my late Grandfather, who told me how the dogs of his neighborhood kept a menacing spirit at bay one night while he was stargazing. Warnings, gritos, and cries appear in many of the works for this exhibition, centering on a leyenda I heard since childhood – ‘If a dog howls three times in a row, it means a spirit is approaching.’ The dog is a connection to our wild other, domesticated, but still, a thread tied to a spiritual side quieted by modernity. As familiar as we are with the dog, they have a mystery and magic that we seldom notice,” says Angelica R. Martinez about the exhibit.

The exhibit opens on August 22 and will be on view until December 9, 2022, at the STC Mid-Valley Campus Library located at 400 N Border, Bldg. E, in Weslaco, TX. The exhibition, artist lecture, and workshop are free and open to the public.

STC’s Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and educational programs to engage students’ understanding of art and its role in culture, support the academic curriculum, and inspire continued education through direct engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

Contact (956) 447-6663, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu for more information or visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/libraryart.

To view Angelica’s talk, watch here: