UTRGV Fine Arts brings Oscar Cásares performance ‘Postcards from the border’
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
The UTRGV College of Fine Arts brought American novelist from the Rio Grande Valley Oscar Cásares, featuring photographer Joel Salcido and singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez, to a presentation Thursday in the Texas Southmost College Performing Arts Center in Brownsville.
Juan Munoz, event manager for the College of Fine Arts, told The Rider the college wanted to host events for people to enjoy in their hometown.
“It’s important to have events where art lovers can be able to see multimedia acts like this in their hometown, without having to travel to San Antonio, Austin, and bringing performers across the country closer to us,” Munoz said.
It first started as an essay for the Texas Monthly titled “The Other Side of the Border” in 2019, which turned into a collection of postcards for his 10-year-old daughter Elena. From El Paso all the way to Brownsville, he sent his travel stories with the purpose of sharing his roots with her.
The event manager added he expected the audience to feel connected to the performers’ storytelling and relate to the stories they told.
“We hope that this showcases these often overlooked stories of generations of families at the edge of the country,” Munoz said.
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
The event featured a five-piece band composed of Alex Marrero, David Jimenez, David Pulkingham, Greg Gonzalez and Sergio Mendoza, who also contributed to some of the compositions along with Rodriguez.
Cásares said he was inspired by Rodriguez’s work.
He decided to invite her to meet his hometown and ask her to participate in this project.
When asked why he thought his stories narrated during the event are relevant to share with the upcoming generations in the region, Munoz replied that not only did the community grow, but the university did as well.
“As we grow, the community is going to grow with it, and all of the facilities–the cancer center, [the] school of podiatry, the football program–we are bringing the community together as a campus that continues to flourish,” he said.
Karla Hernandez/THE RIDER
