By Kendra Wilkerson/@KendraSATX
A free bilingual exhibition is on display just in time for those without Valentine’s Day plans.
Arte y Tradición de la Frontera: The U.S.-Mexico Borderlands, which opened last week, features 68 art pieces from contemporary artists Santa Barraza and Carmen Lomas Garza.
The exhibition runs 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday, and 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday through May 24 at the Texas A&M University-San Antonio Educational Cultural Arts Center.
Both artists, raised in Kingsville, have “used art as a means of validating their culture, finding meanings, healing wounds, understanding and helping their communities,” according to the exhibition summary.
Alicia Viera, director of cultural programs, curated the collection of paintings, prints, paper-metal cutouts and digital films that explore issues ranging from immigration to economic development on the U.S.- Mexico Border.
During the Jan. 29 exhibition, interim president Cynthia Matson said she hopes the exhibit inspires the community.
“As you go through the exhibit I hope that you are inspired and that you discover something that helps you develop as a person and a professional in our community,” Matson said to a crowd of more than 75 people.
Following the ceremony, paintings with flowing brush strokes of acrylic paint in vibrant hues of red, blue, green, yellow, purple and 24-karat gold lured guests to view the unique pieces.
Visitor Jessica Garcia gazed as she walked from painting to painting.
“The colors of the artwork grab my attention and make me stare to discover the true meaning of the pieces,“ she said.
Through their paintings, Garza’s fine lines show intimate family celebrations around the dinner table, while Barraza’s abstract images embrace the indigenous Mestizo spirit.
“Their art reflects their personal responses to their own experiences growing up in South Texas,” Viera said. “It shows their commitments to their communities; their efforts to validate Mexican-American culture; to find meanings, to heal wounds; to understand and to help others understand and grow proud of their identity and heritage.”
The university’s Educational Cultural Arts Center, which opened in 2014 following the closure of the Museo Alameda, aims to facilitate understanding and appreciation of Latino arts and cultures and their influences on the United States.
The exhibition’s educational component includes four workshops that will educate on issues of immigration, education, economic development and the medium on the United States and Mexico border.
Dr. Rosario Torres-Raines, sociology professor and the Center’s educational coordinator, said the art exhibition and educational workshop are opportunities to educate attendees about the contemporary issues of the border.
“Arts plays a role in personal development,” said Marilu Reyna, associate vice president for university communications and special projects.
“I also think that it is very important that our students, employees and citizens are culturally competent,” Matson said. “You don’t become culturally competent overnight, it is a state of being and these exhibits provide us an opportunity to enhance our own cultural awareness.”
The university’s first educational workshop is scheduled for Feb. 28 and will focus on immigration issues. The Mesquite will release more details for students when available.
