17th Annual South Texas Ceramic Showdown: Finding the Right Combination

Current & Upcoming Exhibits, Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus


South Texas College invites students and the community to the 17th annual two-day ceramics event: June 10 & 11

The South Texas College Art Department and Library Art Gallery will present the 17th Annual South Texas Ceramic Showdown: “Finding the Right Combination,” featuring the work of ceramic artists Laura Caroline Casas of Youngsville, North Carolina, and Andy Rangel of Brownsville.

Event schedule
Wednesday, June 10

  • 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Clay demonstration, STC Ceramic Studio, Building B, Room 115
  • 4 to 6 p.m.: Opening receptions, STC Library Art Gallery and STC Art Building B Gallery

Thursday, June 11

  • 9 to 11 a.m.: Artist talk with Laura Caroline Casas and Andy Rangel, Building D Auditorium
  • Noon to 4 p.m.: Clay demonstration, STC Ceramic Studio, Building B, Room 115

“We are excited (and the right kind of nervous with anticipation) as we set off to do the combination and collaboration in clay once more,” said Chris Leonard, STC ceramics instructor and Ceramic Showdown organizer.  “This year, our featured artists are Andy Rangel, who is throwing big pots with personality and making things work well locally, and Laura Caroline Casas, with her hand building fun and functional and consistently well-crafted work that finds audiences near and far.”

10 institutions will submit collaborative ceramic works, representing schools from well beyond the valley.

Participating institutions include Arizona Western College, Central Arizona College, College of The Sequoias, Lawrence University, McClennan Community College, Mesa Community College, PennWest University, Southeast Missouri State University, South Texas College, Texas A&M University Kingsville, University of Texas San Antonio and Weber State University.

“We’re setting the stage not only for technique-sharing, but for artists to share the stories and experiences that have shaped their work,” Leonard said. “The exhibitions will reflect voices ranging from beginners to seasoned professionals, alongside emerging artists right here at STC.”

The Library Art Gallery exhibition featuring Casas and Rangel will be on view June 10 through Sept. 10. The Art Building B Gallery exhibition will run June 10 through Aug. 6.

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and educational programming designed to deepen students’ understanding of art and its cultural significance, support the academic curriculum, and inspire lifelong learning through engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/lag.

Call for Artwork Inspired by Stories & Memories of Food

Call for Art, Current & Upcoming Exhibits, Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus

Deadline to submit and deliver artwork: August 11 & 12, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Through its annual call for artwork, the South Texas College Library Art Gallery provides community artists, students, alumni, faculty, and staff the opportunity to professionally exhibit their work for the enjoyment of library visitors of all ages.

This year’s annual call aligns with the 6th annual Art & Memory Conference and focuses on the theme of food. The theme ranges in topics which include stories and memories connected to food, farmers and labor as well as the communal gathering experiences and memories formed through shared meals. Participants may submit one artwork per person in any medium. Due to limited pedestals, artwork should be 2-D or 3-D wall-mountable. All artwork should come with a wire on the back and be ready to hang.

How do I participate in the Call for Artwork?

1. Complete an entry form.
2. Deliver your themed artwork August 11 or 12 to the STC Pecan Campus Library, Bldg. F, Rm. 235.

Important Dates:

Artwork Drop Off  
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.   

Reception & Awards 
Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.   

End of Show Pickup 
Wednesday, December 2, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Thursday, December 3, 2026 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
*Artwork must remain on view through the entire exhibit.

Uncollected Artwork Disposal Date 
Monday, December 14, 2026 | 5 p.m.

Jurors: 
Dr. Andrés Molina Ochoa, STC Art & Memory Organizer and Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy
Joe Peña, MFA, Professor of Art at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi

The exhibition runs from August 24 through November 30, 2026 at the STC Pecan Campus Library.

The gallery will also be accepting recipes that will be printed and shown alongside artwork in the exhibition.

How to Participate in the Call for Recipes:

1. Complete the entry form.
2. Email your recipe as a PDF to bmonteja@southtexascollege.edu by August 12.

Your recipe must fit on a single 8.5 x 11 inch page and use a minimum of 12-point font. Creativity is encouraged–you may include photos or drawing, write your recipe as a poem, add humor, or use any other creative format you like. All recipes must be original. Please do not print, copy, or reproduce recipes from websites, cookbooks, or other published sources.

For more information, visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/lag or email gotvos@southtexascollege.edu.

Welcome to the Library

Current Announcements


Welcome to South Texas College Library! Join us as we highlight some of the services that we offer students, faculty, and the community in this short video.

Whether you need a quiet place to study, print out a research paper, or even find an ebook, the South Texas College Library is here to help. Come visit us!

 

Semester Loans

Current Announcements


The Semester Loans Program provides academic support to students as they work to fulfill their educational goals by providing technology to access key tools and resources, including Library databases, eBooks, Blackboard, and other helpful online resources. Students wishing to receive one of these loans should review the eligibility requirements below before submitting an application.

Hotspots and laptops are available in limited quantities to eligible students. To qualify, students must be:

  • currently enrolled for at least 6 credit hours for a hotspot
  • currently enrolled for 3 credit hours for a laptop

Once supplies are exhausted, eligible students will be placed on a waitlist. When a resource becomes available, the next student on the waitlist will be contacted.

Eligibility Requirements

Available for students meeting the eligibility requirements.

 

Twenty Years in Retrospect: The STC Permanent Art Collection

Current & Upcoming Exhibits, Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Permanent Art Collection

South Texas College celebrates the 20th anniversary of the permanent art collection

South Texas College’s Library Art Gallery presents “Twenty Years in Retrospect: The STC Permanent Art Collection,” an exhibition showcasing both the earliest works and the newest additions to the collection. Since its beginning in 2006, each piece has been contributed by artists who have exhibited in the library’s galleries, reflecting two decades of artistic collaboration and community engagement.

An anniversary reception will be held on March 3 from 1–2 p.m. in the Pecan Campus Library, 1st Floor Gallery.

The collection includes works by Deborah Roberts, Carmen Lomas Garza, Luis Corpus, and Jerry Lyles, among many others.

The exhibition will be on view at the Pecan Campus Gallery from January 20 – May 15, displayed on the second floor and first floor south lobby.

The STC Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery, located in Building F at 3201 Pecan Blvd., McAllen, TX, offers free admission to both the exhibition and all related events.

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and educational programming designed to deepen students’ understanding of art and its cultural significance, support the academic curriculum, and inspire lifelong learning through engagement with artists, scholars, and original works of art.

For more information, visit: https://library.southtexascollege.edu/lag.

Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight

Current & Upcoming Exhibits, Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus

STC Library Art Gallery presents UTRGV CHAPS exhibition exploring 50 million years of geological and 15,000 years of cultural history

Lecture: March 3, 10 – 11 a.m. (STC Pecan Student Union, U-2.100)
Reception/Gallery Talk: March 3, 1 – 2 p.m. (STC Pecan Library) 

South Texas College Library Art Gallery presents “Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight,” an exhibition developed by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Community Historical Archaeology Project (CHAPS). The exhibition opens Jan. 20 at the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery and highlights the geological and cultural history of the Rio Grande Valley.

Exhibit coordinator Roseann Bacha-Garza and Dr. Juan Gonzalez will give a talk on March 3 from 10 to 11 a.m. in the STC Pecan Student Union, Building U, Room 2.100. 

The CHAPS exhibition traces a 40‑mile‑wide corridor from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Laredo—more than 200 miles of landscape shaped over 43 million years. The exhibition also documents 15,000 years of human presence in the region, illustrating how natural forces and human activity have shaped South Texas throughout time.

The display features material on ancient shorelines, volcanic ash deposits, mammoths, giant oysters, petrified forests, rare zircon crystals and thousand‑year‑old trees. It also examines how the Rio Grande has shaped life across the region and how modern activity continues to alter the U.S.–Mexico borderlands.

A reception and gallery talk will follow from 1 to 2 p.m. on March 3 at the Pecan Campus Library, Building F, as part of the Library Art Gallery’s 20th anniversary celebration. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore artifacts excavated throughout South Texas and learn about the natural landscapes unique to the Rio Grande Valley.

The exhibition’s documentary can be viewed at:
https://youtu.be/398URwHw8VU?si=6DVaUx9NSAabhE3g

More information is available at:
https://www.utrgv.edu/ancient-landscapes-southtexas/landscapes/index.htm

“Ancient Landscapes of South Texas: Hiding in Plain Sight” will be on view Jan. 20 through May 12, 2026, at the Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery, Building F, 3201 Pecan Blvd., McAllen, Texas. All events are free and open to the public.

The exhibition was developed by the UTRGV CHAPS team: Dr. Juan L. Gonzalez (Professor of Geology), Dr. Cristopher L. Miller (Professor of History), Dr. Russel K. Skowronek (Professor of Anthropology/History) and Roseann Bacha-Garza (Professor of Anthropology).

The South Texas College Library Art Gallery Program organizes exhibitions and educational events to deepen students’ understanding of art and its cultural significance, support the academic curriculum and inspire lifelong learning through direct engagement with artists, scholars and original works of art.

For more information, visit https://library.southtexascollege.edu/lag.

Addressing Hunger in a Disaster: Examples from the Ukraine, Venezuela, and the Rio Grande Valley

Library Events, Previous Events, Virtual Event

Addressing Hunger in a Disaster

Join us for a lecture on hunger in disaster situations with examples from the Ukraine, Venezuela, and the RGV presented by Dr. Elaine Hernandez, a humanitarian servant leader in search of local solutions to global issues such as poverty, hunger, illiteracy, health equity, climate change, and migration.

To be held on Zoom Webinar on March 24th, 2026 at 4PM. Register for the session here.

“We Want Better Education!”: The 1960s Chicano Student Movement, School Walkouts and the Quest for Educational Reform in South Texas

Mid-Valley Campus, Previous Events

Join us for a special event with author and STC faculty member James B. Barrera. His book We Want Better Education! explores the Chicano Movement in Texas, student activism, and the rise of La Raza Unida Party. Professor Barrera will share a reading and answer questions in a Q&A session.

This talk will be held at Mid Valley Campus in G191 at 6PM on March 3rd.

Will’n in Weslaco Public Lecture 2026

Library Events, Previous Events

As You Like It approves the old saying that in Shakespeare’s plays, tragedies end with death and comedies with weddings. At the play’s beginning the lives of the two lovers, Orlando and Rosalind, are threatened; at its end, the threat is averted and they, and three other couples, are wed. In between, Rosalind, the principal character, ironically and in disguise, plays the roles of teacher, judge, and physician of souls. This talk will explore how her performance in these roles relates to the outcome of the story, how the outcome relates to the title of the play, and what it means to say that comedies end with weddings.

Hosted by the Weslaco Museum, Thursday the 23rd of April 2026 at 6PM.

Join us in person or through Zoom Webinar. Register for the online session here.