Latinx and Latin American Studies to host various Hispanic Heritage Month events

This year the Latinx and Latin American Studies program (LLAS) at the University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of events. Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

LLAS is a relatively new program offered at UHCL. This program is in its fourth year of offering classes. The UHCL catalog states: “the objective of the minor is to promote student understanding of the Latina/o and Latin American experience. LLAS offers a foundation to the history of the Latin American community.”

“This minor is very important,” said Desdamona Rios, associate professor of psychology and the director of the LLAS program. “Houston is the most diverse city in the United States now, and so having a deeper understanding of who the Latinx population is beyond stereotypes is really important.”

LLAS was initially meant to start this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month with the kickoff event, “Using Art for Social Justice.” This event was to showcase artists and their artwork from the inaugural art competition held in May. However, because of Tropical Storm Imelda, the event was canceled.

The contest was open to students and alumni across all of the University of Houston community. The only criteria was the art needed to represent the theme of the contest, “Using Art for Social Justice.” Every year LLAS plans to have a different theme.

The 12 contestants who participated in the May art contest have been invited to appear alongside of their artwork to display and discuss their art at the kickoff event.

“Art speaks to everyone,” Rios said. “You don’t have to be an expert; you don’t have to hold a degree. You can look at it; you can listen to it. You know, it moves you.”

Liliana Alonso, the winner of the first LLAS annual art contest who graduated in the fall of 2018 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design, will be present along with her painting titled, “There Be No Shelter Here.” This image is of a young girl crying and standing at the border of Mexico and the United States. There is a border fence and an American flag is present on the United States side of the fence. Below the fence, at the feet of the young girl, are article headlines, about the migrant children in federal custody.

As the winner of the art contest, all of this year’s LLAS marketing materials will feature Alonso’s artwork.

“This piece is very important to me,” Alonso said. “For one, I had not painted in a long time, and this was a worthy reason enough to return to the medium. But, too, I felt that the subject needed to be addressed at least in this show; it’s a topic I think should be looked at and not put aside because children are being separated from their families and are being permanently damaged by an administration that is using them as pawns, I wanted my piece to be a visual reminder of what is happening.”

LLAS has scheduled other artist lectures throughout the months of September and October. These artists include Jesse Rodriguez, Delilah Montoya and Stalina Villarreal, all local artists in the Houston area. Each of these artists will be a guest speaker in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Artist Jesse Rodriguez gave a lecture Tuesday, Sept. 24, in the SSCB Lecture Hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Rodriguez is the owner of the Magnolia Grown Gallery in Houston’s East End. He will be talking about the history of the East End, the Chicano Arts Renaissance, his gallery “Magnolia Grown,” and the city of Houston Latinx arts initiatives.

Photographer Delilah Montoya is also a professor at the University of Houston. She will be speaking on why social representation matters Wednesday, Oct. 2, in the SSCB Lecture Hall from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Stalina Villarreal is an up-and-coming poet who teaches at Houston Community College. She will be reading some of her poems and speaking on topics that focus on the Latinx community Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the SSCB Lecture Hall from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“My poetry has what I call ‘community poetics’ because my work is inspired by the Latinx community and is directed to the Latinx community as part of a dialog,” Villarreal said.  “My current project is work that is ekphrastic, which means that it is about art, and I am focusing on Latinx artists. I codeswitch between English and Spanish as a form of celebratory diction. My best work is political because it engages in the community consciousness.

To learn more about the LLAS program or Hispanic Heritage Month events on campus go to www.uhcl.edu.

UPDATE: 10/1/19 – This article was updated to reflect changes made to the dates, times and information related to referenced events because of Tropical Storm Imelda.

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