Bellevue University hosts diverse exhibit of area Latino artists

By: Michael Joe Krainak
Issue: Feb 13, 2008

Every year Bellevue University hosts one or more art exhibits with a social, political or cultural theme. “Arte Latino,” a richly diverse display of local Latino artists, recently opened in January and continues until March 5 in the Hitchcock Humanities Center on campus. The show includes paintings, works on paper, sculpture and ceramics, most of which reflect a Latino heritage both contemporary and historical, often in the same work.

Participating artists in “Arte Latino” include Higinia Tapia, la Familia Manriquez (David, Marc, Bonnie, Dion and Aron), Freddy Rincon, Bernardo Montoya, Ariadna Mota, Carlos Mota, Aldo Soto, Yulianna Dominguez, Lorenzo Joaquin and students of Omaha South High School. As expected in a group show of this size and degree of experience, quality varies, but what doesn’t is the commitment to the exhibit’s major themes and a growing Latino influence on the future of American art, culture and politics.

“The growth of the Latino population in the U.S. has had a tremendous impact in all three areas,” said curator Michael Giron, BU’s gallery director, “with immigration from Latin America being the hot button issue.” Despite this “Arte Latino” is not overtly political, choosing instead to showcase local artists and let their work speak for itself.

“The art mainstream, though international since WWII, has been extremely selective in the area of Latino artists,” Giron said. “Locally, I suspected there were more Latino artists than those represented in local galleries. Not to say that discrimination is afoot. A courting period might be necessary if a viable connection between artists and sales galleries are to take place.” In keeping with any educational mission Giron believes that this “courting period” should begin in school.

“A show like this benefits our students,” he said, “especially the Mexican and Contemporary Murals class currently in session. We strive to educate about the bounty of cultural diversity here at BU and the gallery does this through art.” Regardless of the level of talent in “Arte Latino,” what unites it may be best expressed in Dave Manriquez’s artist statement. “I pull from my heart, my heritage and life experiences. My art will always reflect ‘con alma’ (Latino soul) regardless of the image I put on canvas.”

Those images reflect an interesting duplicity, a love of one’s cultural past often expressed in the new notions of “patria” (nation) and in modernist terms. “In effect,” Giron said, “Latino artists have cyclically rejected European-based artistic traditions in favor of styles and themes tied to the indigenous cultures.” It’s a new identity built by melding of the Mestizo (Spanish and Indian) tradition with revolutionary determinism, centuries of struggle against foreign colonization and subjugation, including by the United States.

To read the rest of the article, visit: OmahaCityWeekly.com