Down to a fine art

The UTRGV School of Fine Arts will host the “Collective Wisdom” art show, which will feature the work of Brownsville sculpture students that was created during the spring semester.

“Collective Wisdom’s” opening reception will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday in the Carlotta K. Petrina Cultural Center, 1452 E. Madison St. in Brownsville.

The show was organized by art education senior Miriam Casarez as part of the School of Arts’ initiative to have students plan and host a gallery show on their own to prepare for their artistic careers after college.

“Every semester, sculpture students put their best work in a show and it’s sort of an assignment given to us by the professor where we have to conduct everything,” Casarez said.

Julian Rodriguez, a lecturer of sculpture and ceramics on the Brownsville campus, said the assignment aims to act as an outlet for the students to gain experience.   

“The idea behind [the project] is to get the students experience in mounting their own shows,” Rodriguez said. “So, the whole class, as a group, they have to work together and find the venue, make the invitations and put up the show, including the reception.” 

Some of Casarez’s responsibilities included finding a venue and planning and reserving a time slot there.

“We have to find the space, the exhibition time, show–everything,” she said. “We have to do it ourselves as, like, a way to sort of get ready for the real world, as artists, [so] when we have our own [show], we’ll know what to do.”

Twenty students are participating in the exhibit.

Casarez is entering surreal-styled sculptures, including a piece depicting a fetus in a pomegranate.

Preparations for the show began early this semester, and as the show date approached, the students were given feedback to help
enhance their sculptures.

“When it’s closer to the show date, like, [last] Friday, Mr. Rodriguez, our professor, will gather [us] around and will judge them critique-style,” Casarez said. “We’ll say, ‘This one could use a little bit of work, so we won’t put it in this show.’ We give feedback to one another and try to put the best pieces in the show.”

Art senior Daphne Escarieses will feature her work in the gallery.

Her piece, “Revelare,” is inspired by the classical bust, “The Veiled Virgin,” by Giovanni Strazza, and depicts a face with a veil covering it. 

“I got inspired by the bust that’s been made by, I forgot the name of the artist, but it’s called ‘The Veiled Virgin,’” Escarieses said. “It has a veil on it. So, I’m trying to copy that. It’s like a study.”   

The campus community can expect to see a show full of unique pieces the students worked diligently on, as well as to meet the artists who made them, according to Casarez.

She hopes this art show will help spread awareness of the Rio Grande Valley art scene and get more people involved in the art community in general.

“Here in the [Rio Grande] Valley, there is not many people who support the arts or they’re not aware of it,” Casarez said. “It’s just a way to get more people involved in the [art] community and to show them, ‘Hey, look, we’re here,’ even though we’re far away from the campus.”

The Carlotta K. Petrina Cultural Center is open from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday and Thursday, 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, 4 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, 4-7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

“Collective Wisdom” will continue to be on display until May 3. Admission is free.