The UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art will host a symposium about Latino/a artists in the USA from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 13 in Centennial Hall.
Organized by Andrea Herrera, professor, Women’s and Ethnic Studies Program, the symposium will feature prominent Latino/a artists, art historians, and academics from across the country addressing contemporary aesthetic, artistic, and political issues.
The symposium is also offered as a one-credit course through UCCS Weekend University. Enrollment is not required to attend. The day-long event is one of many cultural and academic events connected to the We Are You Project International exhibit on display in the UCCS campus art gallery Sept. 5- Oct. 11. All events are free and open to the public. No reservations are required.
The exhibit and symposium are sponsored by UCCS Women’s and Ethnic Studies Program, the UCCS Center for the Study of Government and the Individual, and The Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion.
Herrera will moderate presentations by We Are You Project artists: Monica S. Camin, Quintin Gonzalez, Anthony Ortega, Raúl Villarreal, George Rivera, and José Rodeiro. The speakers will discuss We Are You Project ideas and examine the iconology of diverse works created by project artists. Brazilian filmmaker Duda Penteado’s documentary film “We Are You” will be viewed. The symposium will be immediately followed by a gallery tour at 3 pm and a public reception for the exhibit and artists from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
As part of the 2014 national celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, GOCA is featuring 30 world-renowned visual artists. Three artists work in Colorado. The unique transcultural project was coordinated by Herrera, Daisy McConnell, director, UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art, and Raúl Villarreal, chair, We Are You Project International exhibition/events committee.
According to We Are You Project International, the artists were motivated to participate in the Colorado exhibition to highlight inaction on U.S. immigration reform, the plight of 50,000 undocumented Central American child refugees awaiting entry to the U.S. and increasing violence in the U.S. against Latino/as. The dilemmas confronting 21st Century Latino/as are addressed by many of the artists.
Founded in 2005 by Duda Penteado, a Brazilian-American artist and filmmaker, Carlos Hernandez, a Puerto-Rican and former President of New Jersey City University, and Mario Tapia, a Chilean-American, and President of The Latino Center on Aging, the We Are You Project is a comprehensive Latino/a arts initiative. It focuses on current Latino/a socio-cultural, political, and economic conditions; and reflects the triumphs, achievements, risks and challenges affecting all Latino/as within and outside the U.S.
Led by Lillian Hernandez, president, the exhibit combines visual art, poetry, music, performance art, and film. For more information, visit http://www.weareyouproject.org/6201.html.
GOCA is a regional hub of contemporary art, culture, and conversation. By featuring world-class artists, hosting artist and expert talks, and offering meaningful events, GOCA engages UCCS students, faculty, staff and Pikes Peak Region community members in contemporary culture and life. GOCA has two galleries, one founded on the UCCS campus in 1981, and a satellite downtown location opened in 2010 in the Plaza of the Rockies building.
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GOCA to open We Are You Project as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month
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