New exhibit explores mixed-media

ART TALK: 1 PM – February 22, 2017 (Rainbow Room)
RECEPTION: 5-7 PM – February 22, 2017 (Pecan Library)

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery, in collaboration with the college’s Black History Month Celebration, has curated an exhibit entitled, “The Unexamined Portrait” featuring the work of Los Angeles mixed-media artist Len Davis that will be on display until February 26, 2016. The exhibit is located on the second floor of the Pecan Campus Library.

The Library Art Gallery invites community and students to a special talk by Davis on February 22 at the Pecan Library Rainbow Room at 1 p.m.

 The talk will be followed by a reception from 5 – 7 PM in the Library Art Gallery. The Pecan Campus Library is located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd., Bldg. F in McAllen, Texas. All events are free and open to the public.

The exhibit will also feature local printmaker and mixed-media artist, Jessie Burciaga. Burciaga will give also give an art talk with Davis at 1:00 and 5:00 PM.

“The two artists create highly-skilled, layered work that evokes nuanced, overlapping meanings and metaphors; Len Davis through collage and Jessie Burciaga in his mixed-media paintings,” says Gina Otvos, STC Art Gallery Associate. “For centuries, artists have used varying motifs to conjoin real and fantastic to the interior and exterior world. Both Davis and Burciaga join in tradition to help us explore the layers of identity.”

Len Davis was born in Philadelphia, PA, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from East Carolina University in North Carolina, and later moved to Los Angeles. Since 2004, Davis has been exhibiting and lecturing across the United States and working on television and movie set designs for popular sets on Showtime, HBO, ABC, NBC and others. Davis works mainly in assemblage and collage where he uses found objects, drawings, graphite, gouache, and acrylic. About his work, he says, “My artwork is about the people we are, what we create, our capabilities and the issues with which we deal.”

Jessie Burciaga (Brownsville, TX) is a local printmaker and painter who received his degree from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Burciaga grasps the soul of his border town and imprints it through portraits of its hardworking people. The intention behind these portraits is to capture, immortalize, and display the level of resilience of each person. He says, “My subjects, often considered average by outsiders, are our local urban heroes.”

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

In collaboration with the Festival Internacional de Poesia Latinoamericana, the STC Library will be hosting “Unaccompanied: Youth Seeking Refuge,” 15 photographs by Oliver Contreras of Washington, D.C. Contreras will give a talk as part of a panel on Friday, Sept. 2 at 1:40 PM.

For more information about the event, visit: http://www.feipol.us/

The exhibit is available digitally: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2015/10/14/they-made-the-long-rough-journey-to-cross-the-u-s-border-alone-here-are-their-faces-and-voices/ 

South Texas College Library explores natural and urban environments through photography

Photography by Hector Astorga and Conrado Gonzalez

August 29 – October 15, 2016 [Starr Co. Library]

Art Talk: September 28, 1:00-2:00 PM [Starr Co. Library]

October 20 – December 1, 2016 [Pecan Library]

Art Talk: October 26, 1:30-2:30 PM Pecan Library

Reception: October 26, 5:00-7:00 PM Pecan Library

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery will host a photography exhibit entitled “Line of Sight” with two professional photographers, Conrado Gonzalez and Hector Astorga. The exhibit serves to explore two artists with disparate points of view and their connection through photography and a specific region. Astorga explores the medium in the natural landscape while Gonzalez photographs humans and their interaction with the urban environment. The exhibit will be on view August 29 – October 15, 2016, at STC’s Starr Co. Campus and Oct. 26 – Dec. 1, 2016, at STC’s Pecan Campus. Hector Astorga will give a talk about his work on Sept. 28, at 1p.m., at the Starr Co. Library and again on Oct. 26 at 1:20 p.m. at the Pecan Campus Library. Conrado Gonzalez will also give a talk Oct. 26 at 5-6 p.m. at STC’s Pecan Library in McAllen where light refreshments will be provided. The STC Starr Co. Campus Library is located at 142 FM 3167, Bldg. F in Rio Grande City and the STC Pecan Campus Library is located at 3201 West Pecan Blvd., Bldg. F in McAllen. All exhibitions and talks are free and open to the public.

Hector Astorga is a professional nature photographer and guide at Santa Clara Ranch in South Texas. Growing up in Honduras, Astorga was exposed to the rich biodiversity of a vast number of rare birds and mammals in a region that bridges two continents’ migratory paths. Working since 2008 as a professional photographer, Astorga has received national attention with Natures Best Photography, which is an exhibit that culminates at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. He also received first place in the National Wildlife Federation photo contest, in the “Connecting People with Nature” category, and continues to dazzle and win top prizes from Texas contests and conservation organizations.

Conrado Gonzalez is a photographer based in Brownsville, Texas, who received a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas-Austin and a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology from the University of Texas at Brownsville. Of photography, he says, “Light is king in photography, but without the emotional, story-telling aspect of a picture, even light tends to become devoid of any interest.” Gonzalez is an educator for the Brownsville Independent School District.

“Astorga and Gonzalez both have a very keen eye on the world,” explains Gina Otvos, STC Library Art Gallery Associate. “Highly meticulous and methodical, they pursue a style and way of thinking about art that make us feel as if we were behind the camera ourselves—in the Honduran rainforest or historic, downtown Brownsville.”

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

Images: (Left) Hector Astorga,Juvenile Margay, Rio Santiago Nature Preserve (Honduran Rainforest), Photograph from a Nikon digital SLR body, 2016. (Right) Conrado Gonzalez, Beach Scene #1, Photograph from 35 mm black and white film, 2014.