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

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:

STC Library Art Gallery Program and community organizations to paint four murals at McAllen Historic Site 

Murals will be painted at McAllen’s Bethel Garden located at 1322 S. 16th Street on October 6th and 7th. An extra day has been added for Oct. 14 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

In coordination with the RGV Bethel Garden Mural Taskforce and Village in the Valley, the South Texas College Library Art Gallery and Art Department take pride in preserving McAllen’s culture. To honor this pride, four murals will be painted representing the themes of Hope, Faith, Love, and Unity at the Historic Bethel Garden.  

On October 6th & 7th from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., at 1322 S. 16th Street in McAllen, TX, South Texas College art students will assist in painting the murals while gaining experience in mural painting and connecting with leaders in the community.  

The mural painting days are open to the public, and supplies will be provided. Those looking to contribute will need to wear work clothes and shoes that can be painted on. 

According to Ray Howard, a community organizer, the history of “McAllen’s Bethel Garden is a tribute to its African American heritage and cultural influence. It is a continuous celebration of our inclusion and contributions to the city’s growth and development over time. Under former Mayor Darling’s leadership and now Mayor Javier Villalobos, coupled with interagency collaborations and a host of volunteers, the treasured memories of our McAllen ancestors and their vision for an even better future for all is preserved for generations to come”. 

In the 1930s, one of McAllen’s early African American families relocated to the McAllen community from Victoria, Texas. Mr. Eugene Hubbard, a World War I veteran, worked for The San Antonio & Aransas Pass Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railway. In 1941, the City of McAllen added the Booker T. Washington Addition, where those of African descent could buy property. In 1943 Hubbard and Williams purchased a property at the corner of S 16th Street and later Booker T. Avenue, where the center of the neighborhood began with Little Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and later Booker T. Washington School. 

The original building was condemned in the early 2000s after the congregation moved. In 2012, the City of McAllen requested help from the Hidalgo County Historical Commission to achieve state-recognized historical status for the former Bethel Church site. Today, the Bethel Garden is living and serves as a prominent reminder of how faithful resilience and hope can overcome the divisive forces of segregation and discrimination. Many community volunteers, area businesses, educational institutions, and the City of McAllen have helped preserve this site.  

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