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:

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery & the STC Mid-Valley Art Department present artwork inspired by the beloved opossum. Previously held in 2003-’06, this exhibition expands with pieces created by community members that visually describe the tlacuache (opossum) and what the idea, term, and animal mean to each artist.

¡Tlacuachismo! 2021 will be on display from October 28, 2021 – February 10, 2022, at the STC Mid-Valley Campus Library.

South Texas College Library Art Gallery thanks community members/artists for their participation in this exhibit. Artists featured within this exhibition are Linda Calderon, Azul Granados, Denise Santibanez, Irma Garza-Garcia, Amanda Gonzales, Gloria Lopez, Chris Leonard, Rachel F. Brown, Jessenia Herzberg, Jessie Rodriguez, Beatriz Montejano, Mariana Prado, Alexis Marie Ramos, Diego Gamez, Jessica Hogin, Mia Nuñez, Sophia Sarmiento, Jay Villescas, Diana L. Bryant, Kelsie Garza, Nashiely Soto-Garcia, Jessica Gutierrez, Angel Coronado, Isaac Segura, Alyssa Mendoza, Josue Puente, Miguel Angel Perez, Javia Cerda, Alondra Garcia, Jessica Gonzalez, Fatima Fuentes, Abigail Sanchez, Amber Quesada, and Elizabeth Hollenbeck.

For more information, contact (956) 872-3488, gotvos@southtexascollege.edu, or visit library.southtexascollege.edu/lag.STC’s Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and educational 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.

Featured image by Azul Granados, titled Fire Eater.

Deadline to deliver artwork has been extended to October 18, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. to either the Pecan or Mid-Valley campus libraries. 

Weslaco, TX– In partnership with the STC Mid-Valley Art Department, South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery presents a community art exhibition for tlacuache (opossum) themed artwork–expanding from a previous STC exhibit held in 2003-2006. The deadline to submit artwork is October 11th at 5:00 p.m. From October 18th through February 10th, 2022, attendees will explore various works from local artists at the Mid-Valley Campus library. Admission is free and open to the public, students, staff, and faculty.

According to blog writer Yure Pérez (2019), the tlacuache is considered an ancestral animal. Its name comes from the Nahuatl term Tlacuatzin which means “the little one who eats fire.” Britannica notes Mexico has around six species of opossum, with 103 species found from Canada, North, Central, and South America. Thoughtful to our ecosystem, the tlacuache name has gained popular track and is used by the Rio Grande Valley community for personal humor and quirky fascination. In this exhibit, we will see artwork that defines this and look at the many ways the artists approach the theme and engage the visitors.

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

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