Exhibition “Equus Caballus” by Felix Anthony Trejo

UTPA MFA Exhibition “Equus Caballus”
by Felix Anthony Trejo

Felix Anthony Trejo presents a Masters of Fine Arts Exhibition featuring unique abstract expressionist paintings dealing with the memories of the past involving horses and other equine visualizations in an unbanal manner. Photography, computer imagery and wielded constructions will also be on display.

Exhibition May 02 - May 30, 2008
Opening Reception May 02 6pm-10pm
Artist Presentation 7:30pm-8:30pm

MFA Exhibition at Arts District Business Center, McAllen ArtWalk
813 N. Main Street, McAllen, TX 78501, 956.776.0100

For more info contact:
felixanthonytrejo@mac.com
956.572.0665

Call for Artists for Cinco de Mayo Festival

Fiesta Internacional
Call for artists..

Display your artwork at:
"CINCO DE MAYO FESTIVAL"
May 3, 2008 - Saturday (only)
Time:1pm to 10:30pm
(setup 12:30pm )
Across the street from the ITEC Building -formerly (Amigoland Mall)...

FREE MUSIC CONCERT ALL DAY , FOOD VENDORS, FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.....

Display your artwork, network, pass out your business cards, sell your artwork and support your community....

Artists are responsible for their own artwork (damages or losses) and set up display, bring your own tables and or easels.. (SET UP 12:30 NOON)

Artwork can be available for sale, 25% donation of sales during the festival will apply. Donations will go to local charity and or scholarships."Fiesta Internacional" is a non-profit organization. Donation details at the information office on site.

No participation or entry fee is required.

Interested artists simply show up for set up on time.

Outdoor festival and display if weather permits.

For more info contact:
George Castorena 956-551-2992
Gabriel Trevino 956-838-5519
brownsvilleartform@yahoo.com

"KALEIDOSCOPE" Senior Exhibit

The University of Texas at Brownsville
Texas Southmost College Presents:

The Student Senior Exhibit I

“Kaleidoscope”

Featuring Artwork from senior students:

Jose A. Guajardo, Silvia Murillo, Jennifer Rose-Segrest and Juan Ricardo Zamorano

Reception for “Kaleidoscope” will be on April 21, 2008 at
6:30 PM and will run through April 25, 2008
in the Art Gallery in the Rustberg Building • UTB/TSC • 80 Fort Brown • Brownsville, TX • 78520 (956) 882-7097 • gallery@utb.edu

Gallery Hours Monday thru Thursday 1:30 PM – 7PM
Saturday 12:00PM – 2 PM
Admission Fee is $3.00

“My art is influenced by people, music and events that happen around me. The subliminal energy whether it is positive or negative feed into my creative inspirations. The result is the expression of my passion exhumed by superfluities.” ~José A. Guajardo

“My art is best described as expressionistic in nature. I enjoy the task of accomplishing the simplification of form through the manipulation of line. Color, bright and bold, is one of my vehicles for the communication of emotion between the piece and viewer. My work contains a primitive, “childlike” quality, where shape is implied and secondary to the underlying emotion, be it joy, sadness, or distress.” - Jennifer Rose-Segrest

“The artwork that I create is fanciful at times and I enjoy exploring diverse techniques to render my artistic expressions finding inspiration via different medias.” —Juan Ricardo Zamorano

“ My artwork focuses on bringing together different cultures through religious icons.”
— Silvia G. Murillo

For more information contact:gallery@utb.edu or call (956)882-7097
Or visit the web site http://blue.utb.edu/artgallery/

" Dos / Two" Anniversary Exhibit ( TODAY)

GALERIA 409 Opening Tonight:

'Dos / Two', 409's second anniversary exhibit
of paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, and three dimensional work will open Thursday, 17 April at 6:00 pm with a reception for the artists. The artists represented include Cande Aguilar, Oscar Alvarez, Ramon Barela,
Brad Doherty, Chad Farris, Franchute, Philip Field,
David Freeman, Aleida Garcia, Susan Holtzman, Bret Lefler, Chris Leonard, Liza Longoria, Daniel Lopez, Guy Mattei, Tom Matthews, Puente, Jessica Salazar-McBride, Marcia Selsor, Paul Valadez, Ben Varela, Brian Wdgeworth and Cliff Welty.

The public is cordially invited to attend this free
event. The exhibit runs until 26 May.

Galerîa 409 is located at 409 East 13th Street between Elizabeth and Levee Streets, one block from the Gateway Bridge. Gallery hours are from 12:00 to 5:00 pm, Wednesday through Saturday and admission is always free. The works may also be viewed by appointment by calling 956-455-3599.

*******
On Saturday, 26 April the gallery will host the Valley International Poetry Festival. From noon until 2:00 pm five local poets will read from original work. The public is cordially invited
to attend this free event also.

On Friday, 2 May the Comedy Club from UTB TSC will hold a fundraiser at Galeria 409. More information not available at present time.

Brownsville City Limits

THE NARCISO MARTINEZ CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
Presents
“Brownsville City Limits”


Art Exhibit featuring: Juan Antonio Chapa, Rodolfo Castillo, Jorge Castorena, Francisco Garza, Carlos Mancillas and Evaristo Angel Valerio.

When: Second Weensday, April 9, 2008 @ 6:30 p.m. Opening Reception with refreshments; open to the Public, Donation $5.00

Where: The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center, 225 E. Stenger St., San Benito, Texas

Contact: Visual Arts Coordinator, Celeste De Luna @ 956-454-1809 or email litebluna@yahoo.com or Rogelio T. Nunez @956-367-0335 or email @ nrogelio@hushmail.com

Brownsville City Limits is the name of an art group made up of Brownsville natives who attended Texas A and I University during the years of 1978-1980. B.C. L. is made up of former art students of Jorge Truan, a T.S.C. Art professor who was instrumental in motivating these impoverished barrio kids to believe that they could attend college and succeed in any art career they chose. Mr. Truan was not only a mentor but more like a spirited leader who nourished and nurtured these students the love of not only their Mexicanidad, but also to respect and honor all other cultures. He also wanted for his students to learn to appreciate different art movements and styles throughout history.

The core members of B.C.L. that were part of the original 1978 group were Guadalupe Abete, Jorge Castorena, Rodolfo Castillo, Carlos Mancillas, Eddie Munoz, Teresa Tamayo, Juan Antonio Chapa, and Evaristo Angel Valerio. One founding member who started with the group and was adopted as an honorary Brownsville native was Francisco Garza who hailed from Kingsville, Texas. Unfortunately, not all members were able to participate in the exhibit and will be missed. Most of the members became art educators in the public school systems of Kingsville, Victoria, and Brownsville. Their artwork will be on display at Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center throughout the month of April.

To view The Brownsville Herald's Sunday, April 6 2008 article on this exhibition, CLICK HERE.
Above photo from The Brownsville Herald (courtesy photo).

TAOB Note: If anyone has any stories or insight on the Brownsville City Limits art group and their professor George Truan please provide some in the comments section of this post as its always good to share such good memories and to let them become a part of the fabric of Brownsville's art history.

UTB/TSC Mariachi Concert this Friday!

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS April 1, 2008-The UTB/TSC Mariachi Escorpión, Mariachi Luna Azteca and the University Estudiantina will present "Este Es Mi México" at 7 p.m., Friday, April 4, in the Lecture Hall of the Science and Engineering Technology Building.

The groups will perform pieces by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Lucha Villa, Vicente Fernandez, Alejandro Fernandez, as well as sones, paso dobles, rancheras and boleros.

“If this concert is anything like our past concerts, the audience will be in for a very good show. Our student musicians seem to get electrified in front of our audiences. I hope to see many of our loyal concert goers again,” said director Antonio Briseno.

Tickets are $7 per person.

The students are raising funds to send Mariachi Escorpión to Albuquerque, N.M. for the Mariachi Spectacular Conference in July. The conference provides the students a chance to work with renowned mariachi groups, learn techniques and style and the opportunity to perform before hundreds of people.

To purchase tickets, call the Department of Fine Arts at 882-8247 or 882-8943. Tickets can also be purchased the evening of the concert.

TAOB Note: Mariachi music is always fun and who can miss an opportunity to echar un grito con todo el corazon? While doing so, you will also support the dedicated mariachi music students at UTB/TSC!

McAllen Art Walk this Friday April 4th!

McAllen, Texas will be holding it's Monthly Art Walk this Friday and it's definitely an event you should NOT miss! This event just keeps growing and is becoming more popular. It's a great venue for all Valley artists and it's definitely something any artist should look into participating in.

With attendance increasing from 200 to 4,000 visitors you can imagine the economic impact this is providing the city of McAllen as well. It's not just benefiting gallery owners and artists, but other businesses and hubs such as restaurants, gas stations and stores that may serve visitors who come from all over the Valley. McAllen and its entities make it no secret that they know just what kind of impact a thriving art scene can have on their community and their efforts should be greatly applauded, not just for their own benefit but for making it a Valley-art scene event.


It would be great if Brownsville could come up with its own similar event as well (though not at the same dates so as not to interfere with McAllen's Art Walk). I know over a year ago there was a "Culture Crawl" held between the Brownsville Heritage Complex and Gallery 409. Perhaps this should be attempted again but at a bigger level with the participation of all our local museums and galleries. Hey, it could even be an "international" culture crawl with participation between museums and galleries in Brownsville and Matamoros. So my question is, what do you think needs to be done to get a great event like "Art Walk" in Brownsville going, and hey even more important, what would you be willing to do???

For more information on McAllen's ArtWalk check out their website: McAllenArtWalk.com

Also, check out the video below!

"Border Seen" Photo Exhibit at NMCAC

THE NARCISO MARTINEZ CULTURAL ARTS CENTER

Presents

“Border Seen, Impoverished Children in San Benito
Chronicle Their Lives Through Photographs”

When: April 5, 2008 @ 7:00 p.m. Closing Reception with refreshments; open to the Public, Donation $5.00

Where: The Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center, 225 E. Stenger St., San Benito, Texas

Contact: Visual Arts Coordinator, Celeste De Luna @ 956-454-1809 or email litebluna@yahoo.com or Rogelio T. Nunez @956-367-0335 or email @ nrogelio@hushmail.com

Over a period of seven months freelance journalist Jesse Bogan documents life at an impoverished but affordable apartment complex in San Benito, Texas. The project enlisted children and willing adults to take pictures using disposable cameras and borrowed digital cameras. This poignant photo essay was featured on the cover of the July 2007 issue of the Texas Observer.
Everyday life is captured in this exhibit of 50 photographs, and is especially touching because many of the photos were taken by young children. Some of the photos are joyful as children are when they are playing or dressing up for Halloween. Some are tragic as that of a young, debilitated women lying on a couch getting high on spray can paint. By the end of the project, the apartment complex is being refurbished by new owners, rents are raised, and residents are compelled to move out.
This exhibit is on display from March 9-April 5, 2008 at Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Center and will have a closing reception for the artist, Jesse Bogan on April 5, 2007 at 7:00pm.

A panel discussion with the topic of “Affordable Housing Options” with the artist will begin at 6:00pm. Also, copies of the July 2007 Texas Observer featuring this exhibit will be made available for sale to the public. Journalist Jesse Bogan will be there to sign them along with some of the children from the project.

TAOB Note: Sounds like an interesting insight into people's lives, especially when the subjects of the photography were the photographers themselves and that many of them were children and will be present at the reception.