"El Centro"

Event: "El Centro": An exhibition of photographs by UTB students
Juried and curated by: Brad Doherty
Participants:
Ruby Campos
Adriana Cisneros
Analisa Garcia
Louise Goforth
Martha Del Pozo
Aide Escalante
Yareth Fernandez
Maria Garcia-De-Alba
Alejandro Macias
Miguel Roberts
Maria Rodriguez
Maria Valdez Gomez
Magallie Torres
Location: Richardson Art Gallery, Art Building, University of Texas Brownsville-Texas Southmost College
Dates: Opening Reception June 7@6:30pm
Continuing through June 28
Gallery Hours: Monday through Thursday 10:30am to 5pm
For further information or special accommodations: email gallery@utb.edu .
Admission $1.00.
Juror's Statement
During the 07 spring semester the photography students learned they would have an opportunity to participate in an all photography exhibit, at the Richardson Art Gallery. The exhibit would be the first strictly photography only exhibit. Along with all the with all the students' excitement the first consideration I had was what would the theme be. As I remember it, Yareth Fernandez immediately suggested downtown Brownsville, and Ruby Campos commented that she had always known downtown as El Centro. So in a matter of minutes a theme as well as a name was decided upon, not by the instructor, but by the students.
Downtown Brownsville is not just downtown Brownsville, to many people it is El Centro. As the name El Centro implies, the area is a wealth of activity with many people buying, selling and going about their daily lives, some in a rush and many content with a slower pace. El Centro is filled with historic buildings some restored to their original beauty and some cursed with a mid-century makeover. Block after block there is an eclectic mix of people, history, architecture and icons from both sides of the border, Elvis, Marilyn, Villa, Zapata and Coca-Cola.
For visual artists and especially photographers, El Centro is alluring. Thirteen UTB-TSC photography students spent time documenting the area during the Spring 2007 semester. All thirteen shooting black and white film. Some photographers shot by day and others chose to explore the streets at night to capture the ordinary as well as the extraordinary scenes that abound. Some of the photographers were equipped with 35mm cameras, some with Holgas, and one with a cardboard pinhole camera sought to capture the essence of El Centro.
Look closely at these images, spend some time with them and enjoy what the photographers saw. El Centro is like a stage where the scenes consisting of light and shadows are constantly changing, as well as the cast of characters. One of the students, Louise Goforth stated that once she was there photographing she was not merely observing or passing through, but had actually become part of the landscape. Observing for sure, but also interacting and taking her place there.
Brad Doherty, Photography Instructor.

409 SEEKS ART

409 Art Gallery
ARTIST OPPORTUNITIES
Mark Clark of the 409 Art Gallery is calling for artist for the following four upcoming art shows:
*DEAD
*HISTORIC BROWNSVILLE/HEROIC MATAMOROS
*FE / FAITH
*ROTULOS
Artwork should relate in some way to the show entered. Contact Mark Clark for more information: 956-455-3599.
Mark Clark will be closing the 409 gallery for the summer but is considering to stay open if there is enough interest by local artist and artwork to do an art show that reflects on controversial issues : border fence & immigration reform , oil prices, Iraq war, terrorism, local politics, social or economic issues. Artist wanting to exhibit artwork on these issue contact Mark as soon as possible..

SKATEBOARDING AS AN ARTFORM

"Skateboarding is an artform and our way of life" states Brownsville Street Skateboarders Emmanuel Avete and Farmer John. On Saturday May 12 I got a chance to take pictures of these two local skaters rippin it up at the Brownsville Edlestein Park which features a not to bad skate area located on 12th and Polk.
In Brownsville skateboarding has become part of an underground culture of sport, music, art and lifestyle since back in the late 80's early 90's. Its just something you do on the streets on your own. Its not pushed by society like football or soccer, its kept aside like, punk music or a weird hair style. Its a culture that has accepted all that was rejected. It was simple, you were freinds with everyone else who skated. You almost wanted to know everyone so you can find out where the next skateboard hotspot was at.
For me and several other skaters the Cameron County Courthouse was center of it all. The courthouse just had almost everything you needed and is practically downtown. Back then, my parents were renting a house in front of the Edlestein Park, of course back then the park had no skate area like it does now, and almost everyone down Polk was a skater. You just had to be, there was too much influence.
I think it all dates back to two local surfboarders Chucky and Jaime who built a quarter pipe ramp in there front lawn with a giant spray painted Misfits skull that got the attention of every kid down the block. I think every found there way to Bycle World the only placed that sold pro-skateboards that featured brands from Powell Paralta and Tony Alva. Skateboards were expensive for kids like me, about $100 for a complete skateboard. You had to either buy a used one from your freinds or wait until Christmas and hope you got it as a gift.
The scene was then undertaken by the punk music scene at the time. Everyone skated and listened to punk, it just made sense that way. Bands like Mental Disorder/ Cero Brains -The Rejected whom also lived and practiced in the neighborhood fueled the scene into an everyday lifestyle that would be unstoppable...
The skateboarding scene is still out there and is part of a new generation. Hundreds of local skaters are still waiting for Brownsville to accept it into the public parks as everything else. Brownsville is too big now and skateboarding is more dangerouse on the streets than it was back then. I support the idea of building a full on public skatepark. Its part of our lifestyle..

T.A.O.B POETRY UNDERGROUND

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TITLE: MARKET
BY: ROLLING TOMATO

WE ARRIVE IN METAL HORSES
EARS PIERCED AND ATTITUDES
HUNGRY FOR WHAT THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER
THE GOVERNMENT AND CORPORATE LABELS
WARNINGS OF NUTRITION AND OVERDOSES
WE ROLE THE DICE AND TAKE OUR OPTIONS

THE MASSES, THERE ARE SO MANY OF US I THOUGHT,
WE ACT, WE PLAY OUR PARTS
CONSUMPTION OF SUBSTANCE, OUR BODIES GROW BY DAY AND NIGHT
THE PRODUCTS OF BELIEF, THE CURE FOR OUR MORALITY
THANK THE DISTRIBUTORS FOR GETTING THEM THERE ON TIME

CHECK OUT THE NEWEST ITEMS
I SAW THE VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE
ON THE SHELVES AT THE WAL-MART



TITLE: THE TAQUACHES DOWN THE ROAD SEEM TO KNOW WHO I AM
BY: ARTISTICUS RIDICULUS

LET ME GO INSIDE YOUR HEAD , WALK YOU THROUGH
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE SEEMINGLY UNIMPORTANT

JUST WHAT HAS BECOME OF ME, US AND THE GOVERNMENT
MY THOUGHTS ARE ALL SCREWED UP BUT I CAN'T BLAME THE MEDIA

I CAN'T REMEMBER BEING A CHILD ONLY ONCE IN THIS LIFETIME
I FACE THE BIGGEST CHALLANGE TODAY AND EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE
MY FAMILY AND FREINDS HAVE GATHERED TO DRINK IN HONOR OF THE WEEKEND SEEMS TO HAPPEN EVERY SO OFTEN
THEY TALK OUT LOUD AS NO ONE IS LISTENING

I CAN REMEMBER LIVING AND DYING SIMOTANIOUSLY AS I WAS WALKING ACROSS THE BORDER MUST OF BEEN THREE MAYBE FOUR IN THE MORNING FOR I FELT THE DARKNESS AND THE HUMIDITY BURNED A HOLE IN MY NECK.

I HAVE TWO DOLLARS AND WALK BELOW THE MOON, HEY THERE MY GOOD FELLOW QUIET THE TAQUACHES DOWN THE ROAD SEEM TO KNOW WHO I AM.
HEY THERE FLACO WHERE YOU GOING NOW?
INTO THE DREAM WHERE I ALWAYS GO

I FEEL PLEASE TO ANOUNCE TODAY, TONIGHT MAY BE THE LAST TIME I SMOKE THIS CIGARETTE. EVER BEEN THERE, OF COURSE YOU HAVE.
AINT HAPPY TO BE BUT I CAN TELL THE TRUTH THE MATAMOROS, BROWNSVILLE BORDER AND DISORDER CAPTIVE AND REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT CONSISTENTLY WE CALL HOME AND CULTURE HERE BY EXCLUDE THE USE OF WELFARE AND FOODSTAMPS AS VICTIM OF THE LAST, WHAT MAY I CALL IT IF NOT INCLUSIVE MUMBO JUMBO MINUMUS WAGEIOUS,
NO THANKS FOR THE WARNING BUT YOUR STARTING TO SOUND A LITTLE BIT NAUSEOUS CATIOUS AND COWARDLY DIVINE.
THERE FOR SENTENCING EVERYONE TO FREEDOM , HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THINK WELL DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU TWICE , PUNK WAS THE WORD, AND ACCEPTIONAL IN THE ARTISTIC SEMICONDUCTIVE WAY OF EXPRESSING THE HERE AFTER AND THE SUBCONSIOUSNESS BITTERNESS OF THE WORLD ,
YET WE THANK AND HOPE TO GOD IN BECOMING SENSLESS FOREVER MORE , YATA YATA YATA...MUST OF HAPPEN SOMETIME THIS SOON.
FOR NOW I KEEP THE BRUSH IN THE SUIT CASE FOR I AM PACKING FOR MY NEXT JOURNEY AND TRIP INTO THE PLATFORM OF THE UNKOWN.........