Gesticulaciones de la Vida

Library Art Gallery, Pecan Campus, Previous Exhibits

3228591South Texas College’s Pecan Campus Library presents “Gesticulaciones de la Vida (Life’s Gesticulations),” an exhibit featuring artworks by Beatriz Guzman Velasquez. The exhibit opens Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. and artist talks are scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the library’s Rainbow Room. The exhibit will remain on display through Dec. 9. The gallery is located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

Through her brightly painted images of local cemeteries, Guzman Velasquez seeks to cherish and understand the role death plays along the Mexico-Texas border.

In her works, life and death co-exist in the same place, just like in the Mexican holiday, el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). This popular celebration holds many traditions including building private altars called ofrendas, and honoring the deceased by leaving gifts of sugar skulls, marigolds, favorite foods, beverages and possessions at their grave sites.

Guzman Velasquez earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from the University of Texas Pan-American and participated in the San Miguel de Allende Study Abroad Program in Guanajuato, Mexico.

“Guzman Velasquez’s breathtaking use of color is what initially draws viewer’s in,” said STC Art Gallery Associate Dawn Haughey. “It is then the movement and play of the medium that holds our attention. We are so excited to be able to share her work with all of our students, faculty and community members during el Día de los Muertos.”

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 Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488 or via email at dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

In the Moment

Library Art Gallery, Mid-Valley Campus, Previous Exhibits

dressThe South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus Library presents “In the Moment,” featuring the student artwork of Anita Rodriguez. The exhibit will open Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 and continues through Dec 9 at the Mid-Valley Campus Library (Bldg. E), located at 400 N. Border in Weslaco.

A reception will be held on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. at the same location. Admission to both events is free and open to the public.

“Anita Rodriguez will transform a portion of the library into an otherworldly space, with artworks covering the walls and descending from the ceiling,” said Scott Nicol, STC assistant professor of visual arts. “Striding into the center of her installation will be a figure wearing garments that she has painted, with the image of a white rose on the hem of its dress. I encourage the entire Mid-Valley community to come out and experience Anita’s work.”

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 Lillian Carrillo at (956) 447-1288, lillianm@southtexascollege.edu or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488, dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

New Database: JoVE: General Laboratory Techniques

Databases, Our Collections

JoVE database

The STC Library has added JoVE’s General Laboratory Techniques streaming video collection to its research databases. The General Laboratory Techniques collection was created by JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), a PubMed/MEDLINE-indexed, peer reviewed, scientific video journal that intends to make it easier to learn and reproduce scientific techniques by viewing them.

The JoVE General Laboratory Techniques collectioncan be accessed by selecting JoVE from the Library’s Online Library page at

http://library.southtexascollege.edu/resources/databases/?libpage=J

Contributed by Jesús Campos, Director of Technical Services.

WWI Centennial – Emilio Zamora “The WWI Diary of Jose de la Luz Saenz”

Author / Scholar Visit, Library Events, Pecan Campus, Previous Events

JDLS-VetDay-EmilioZamora2014

The year 2014 marks 100 years since the start of World War I.  Join us in commemorating the Mexican-American participation in the Great War.

Dr. Emilio Zamora will join us to discuss the WWI diary of José de la Luz Sáenz and help us commemorate the centennial of WWI. He is a Professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin.

Published in Spanish in 1933 and now edited and translated by Dr. Zamora, the diary recounts the author’s war experiences and those of his fellow Mexican Americans. The book is the only WWI diary ever published by a Mexican American.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

6:00 PM –
Pecan Library
Build – F   Rainbow Room
3201 W. Pecan Blvd., McAllen, TX

For more information contact 872-6485 or egarcia10@southtexascollege.edu.

Family Reading Night – Oct. 22 @ 5:30

Library Events, Mid-Valley Campus, Previous Events

Family Reading Night 2014

Want to find some fun entertainment for the entire family? Your local library is a good place to start. And you can get to know your South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus Library at its annual “Family Reading Night” on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The free event, which is open to the public, is held in conjunction with Reading Week.

“We want to help children develop a love of reading and to encourage Valley parents to read with their children,” said Lillian Carrillo, Mid-Valley Campus Librarian. “Our college’s libraries are a gateway to the community, and we hope that participants will not only take advantage of these fun activities, but also learn more about some of the great services that the college has to offer.”

The night’s festivities include South Texas College Ballet Folkórico, book distribution by South Texas Literacy Coalition, entertainer Teensy Weensy the Clown, face painting and a variety of arts and crafts activities for the entire family offered by The Storybook Garden, and Mayor Sánchez Public Library. As an added bonus, fun opportunities will be featured by the college’s Library Art Gallery, Center for Mexican American Studies, CADD, Civil Drafting, & Construction Supervision Program, Design & Building Technology Department, Mid Valley Psychology Club, Jerry the Jaguar, and a special photo booth.

While on campus, attendees have the opportunity to use the library’s free services, view artwork on display in the Library Art Gallery, or sign up for a Community Library Card, which allows community members to check out books at any of STC’s libraries for free.

The library is located at 400 N. Border in Weslaco. For more information about the event contact Lillian Carrillo at 956-447-6663.

“Cesar’s Last Fast” screening with director – Nov. 3

Library Events, Previous Events

Flyer-CeasrsLastFast

Join us for a special screening of the film Cesar’s Last Fast with the director of the film Richard Perez.  The director and film screening will be on Monday, November 3rd at 1:00 pm at the MidValley campus, and at the Pecan campus library at 6:00 pm.

Cesar’s Last Fast is a multi-platform feature documentary film about the private sacrifice and spiritual conviction behind Cesar Chavez’s struggle for the humane treatment of America’s farm workers, and the impact Chavez’s legacy has on today’s generation of organizers fighting for farm worker rights. The film is built around powerful, never-before-seen footage of Chavez’s 1988 “Fast for Life,” a 36-day act of penance for not having done enough to stop growers from spraying pesticides on farm workers. The story of this water-only fast is the film’s dramatic arc into which the filmmakers interweave the historic events that defined the life mission of America’s most inspiring Latino leader and the struggles confronting today’s farm workers.

Monday, November 3

1:00 PM –
MidValley Library
Auditorium
400 N. Border, Weslaco, TX
6:00 PM –
Pecan Library
Build – F   Rainbow Room
3201 W. Pecan Blvd., McAllen, TX

For more information contact call 872-2070.

Tim Z. Hernandez to visit STC – Oct 2

Author / Scholar Visit, Library Events, Pecan Campus, Previous Events

TimZ-Headshot TimZ-book-mana

South Texas College’s Center for Mexican American Studies and Library will have a special visit from author Tim Z. Hernandez on October 2nd, 2014 at 4pm in the Pecan Campus Library Rainbow Room, which is located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd in McAllen. There will also be a book signing immediately following the event. Admission to each event is free and open to the public.

Tim Z. Hernandez is an award winning author and performance artist.  He teaches at the University of Texas – El Paso and has been featured on NPR and other news outlets.

His novel Mañana Means Heaven is a love story of impossible odds. It tells the story of Bea Franco, the real woman behind famed American author Jack Kerouac’s “The Mexican Girl.” Set against the backdrop of California in the 1940s, deep in the agricultural heartland of the Great Central Valley, the book reveals the desperate circumstances that lead a woman to an affair with an aspiring young writer traveling across the United States.

“We are honored and fortunate to be able to host such a celebrated author as Tim Z. Hernandez at South Texas College,” says CMAS coordinator Victor Gomez.“His book is inspired by the Jack Kerouak story from On the Road however, it is also the sweeping story of sacrifice and love.”

For more information call 956-872-6485.

Flyer_TimZHernandez

Constitution Day – A Book Display

Book Displays, Our Collections

Celebrate Constitution Day with one of the terrific books from our library collection. Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17th throughout the United States.  It was September 17, 1787 that the Constitution was signed in Philadelphia.

And think about attending the STC Constitution Day event!  Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014 | 11:30am-1pm at the Pecan Campus Courtyard! Click this link for more information!

America’s constitution : a biography – Akhil Reed Amar

Call number – KF 4541 .A87 2005

The writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution : practical virtue in action – John R Vile

Call number – KF 4541 .V555 2012

A companion to the United States Constitution and its amendments – John R Vile

Call number – KF 4550 .V55 2010

Plain, honest men : the making of the American Constitution – Richard R Beeman

Call number – KF 4510 .B44 2009

The words we live by : your annotated guide to the constitution – Linda R Monk

Call number – KF 4550 .Z9 M66 2003

Contributed by library specialist Rick Rosales.

Birds & Flowers

Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits, Starr County Campus

IMG_3780South Texas College’s Starr County Campus Library Art Gallery presents “Birds & Flowers,” an exhibit featuring paintings by Minerva Hinojosa Ritchie. The exhibit will go on display from Sept 5 to Dec 4, 2014, with an artist talk featured on Wednesday, Sept 17 at 1 p.m. at STC’s Starr County Campus Library (Bldg. F), located at 142 FM 3167 in Rio Grande City. Admission is free and open to the public.

Ritchie is a La Grulla native and Brownsville resident who has been painting for over 50 years. She has studied oil and watercolor techniques under teachers from Raymondville and Corpus Christi, and has been a member of the Brownsville Art League since 1951.

“Minerva Ritchie has a very keen eye on the natural world around her,” said Dawn Haughey, STC Library Art Gallery associate. “She specializes in painting birds and floral subjects and does so with such precision and sensitivity. Ms. Ritchie continues to be an inspiring member of our local valley artist community.”

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 Terri Rosalez at (956) 488-5822 or mtrosalez@southtexascollege.edu; or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488 or dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.

Rostros de mi niñez

Library Art Gallery, Previous Exhibits, Technology Campus

10528755_769122633111232_293728390_oSouth Texas College’s Technology Campus Library presents “Rostros de mi niñez (Faces of my Childhood),” an exhibit featuring photography by Verónica G. Cárdenas-Vento. The exhibit opens Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 and will be on display through Dec. 4. An artist lecture will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 2 at the Technology Campus Library, located at 3700 W. Military Hwy. in McAllen. Admission is free and open to the public.

In this exhibit, Cárdenas-Vento focuses on the many faces of childhood and has chosen to specifically highlight the children of Mexico.

“Through this selection of photographs I want to bring you the raw faces of childhood as I see them,” Cárdenas-Vento said. “It is a collection that ranges from the serious, mad and silly facial gestures that makes this phase of life so unique to photograph for me.”

Cárdenas-Vento earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from the University of Texas at Pan American and an associate’s degree in architectural drafting from South Texas College.

“Cárdenas-Vento’s photographic work speaks of the innocence and intrigue of being a child,” said Dawn Haughey, STC Library Art Gallery associate. “Most of the time our busy lives and schedules take us far away from being able to see anything through the eyes of a child. This exhibit allows us a few minutes to jump back into this exciting and carefree state of mind.”

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 Max Garcia at max@southtexascollege.edu or (956) 872-6207; or Dawn Haughey at (956) 872-3488 or dhaughey@southtexascollege.edu, or visit http://library.southtexascollege.edu/newsevents/libraryartgallery/.