77 bold fine art screen prints on display make statements about politics, culture and history in Puerto Rico.
(Nov. 8, 2017) -- Puerto Rico’s history and culture come alive in a new exhibition at the Centro de Artes San Antonio curated by Teresa Eckmann, associate professor of modern and contemporary Latin American art history at The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Status: Prints from Puerto Rico to San Antonio, is made up of serigraphs, or fine art screen prints, from Puerto Rico produced from the 1950s to present day alongside contemporary prints from UTSA faculty, alumni and well-known San Antonio artists.
The exhibition’s first section, “Puerto Rican Letrismo: Text and Form” showcases an innovative approach to text in cultural prints by such artists as Lorenzo Homar, Rafael Tufiño, and José Rosa Castellanos.
The second section, “Antonio Martorell and the Taller Alacrán: Experimentation and Innovation” includes prints from the independent workshop of a well-known master printmaker from Puerto Rico, Antonio Martorell, and his students who used text to make bold political and cultural statements in the 1960s and 1970s.
The exhibit’s third section, “San Antonio Prints: Text and the Power of Punch” includes prints from UTSA faculty and alumni Richard Armendariz, Juan de Dios Mora, Joe Harjo and Andrei Renteria who incorporate text in their work while addressing difficult subject-matter with humor.
These local artists use text to make statements on topics such as immigration, violence, politics, culture and heritage just like Martorell and his students used art to make political statements around the time of the Vietnam War and Hippie Movement.
“The 77 bold prints on display are meant to spark dialogue amongst visitors about themes such as politics, immigration, gun culture, mental health, gender expectations, cultural appropriation and more,” said Eckmann.
The exhibition is made possible by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, the Puerto Rican Heritage Society and UTSA. Lending institutions include the University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research, the Museo de Historia, Arte y Antropología Universidad Puerto Rico Recinto Rio Piedras, and Antonio Martorell’s personal collection.
Status: Prints from Puerto Rico to San Antonio is free and open to the public at the Centro de Artes through December 17, 2017. There will be an artist reception with Antonio Martorell from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, that is free and open to the public.
Eckmann has curated several exhibitions in her field. Her research, teaching and curatorial projects focus on art and visual culture of Latin America—principally, on cultural nationalism and identity in 20th century Mexico and the Caribbean. She teaches contemporary and modern Latin American art courses in the Department of Art & Art History at UTSA.
Learn more about the exhibit Status: Prints from Puerto Rico to San Antonio.
Learn more about Teresa Eckmann.
Learn more about UTSA Department of Art & Art History.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
The UTSA Women’s Studies Institute and Women’s Studies Program will feature film screenings, provide lectures and book readings that promote diversity and focus on achieving social justice and women’s empowerment.
Various locations, Main, Downtown and Hemisfair CampusesThe exhibition is a juried competition featuring recent work by UTSA undergraduate and graduate students. The selected works represent the full range of materials, methods, and techniques, ranging from traditional processes to contemporary digital photography and video.
Arts Building Main Art Gallery (ART 2.03.04), Main CampusAmin Qutub, UTSA associate professor of biomedical engineering, will introduce the latest advances in science and technology illustrating how daily behaviors influence the ability of our brain cells to repair and regenerate, enabling a future that optimizes brain health.
McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels, San AntonioUTSA faculty and staff are encouraged to share thoughts, experiences and ideas on inclusive excellence at UTSA.
Student Union Anaqua Room (SU 2.03.08), Main CampusMarch Into Your Major is an event for students who are unsure of their major, have chosen a major but are not sure it’s the right fit for them or students who are confident of their choice of major but are unsure of what careers they can actually pursue with their major.
Convocation Center, Main CampusAs part of UTSA's 50th Anniversary celebration, Fred Schneider, computer science professor at Cornell University, will speak on Impediments to Incentivizing Cyber-security Investment." The lecture is free and open to the public.
Biosciences Building Loeffler Room (BSB 3.03.22), Main CampusRowdy’s Roadshow will take place in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio. Roadshow events offer opportunities to meet other students, faculty and staff, sign up for Orientation and get Rowdy Ready.
Cities across TexasA former police officer, criminal justice professor Robert Rico will give an encore of his Pizza & Research presentation, Restorative Justice: A Relational Approach to Civic Discourse. Pizza will be served will supplies last.
John Peace Library North Commons, Second Floor, Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
