Student Curated Exhibition: Donde Estamos, Where We Stand

As part of the celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month, students from the Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) are presenting Donde Estamos, Where We Stand, an art exhibition celebrating the varieties of identities of Latinx people. The exhibition incorporated works in the Van Every/Smith Gallery collection and the personal collection of Dr. Jennifer Garcia Peacock.

When I walked into the exhibition, the exuberant colors of Sun Mad, by artist Ester Hernandez, immediately caught my eye. Its vibrant color stands in contrast to most, if not all, of the artworks in the rigorous academic building. Coming from a country across the Pacific Ocean, I grew up with Sun-Maid Raisins in my backpacks as well. Yet, I never bothered to think about what is beyond this innocent pleasure from childhood. Approaching the artwork, I found a leering face of the dead instead of the glowing young woman from memory. The skeleton dramatized the lethality of “insecticides, miticides, herbicides, fungicides” that poisoned the cheerful Sun-Maid. The artist Ester Hernandez challenges the plight of farmworkers and points to the poor and inhumane working environment of the lower working class who are victimized under the capitalist society. She cautions the over-reliance on pesticides and their detrimental impact on the environment. The tomato-red background and the yellow disk of the sun used to remind me of satisfaction, but now they echo a sense of danger.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The exhibition Donde Estamos, Where We Stand highlighted artworks by Latinx artists coming from various backgrounds. Each examined their experiences amid shifts in the society and the environment expressed through unique artistic languages. Although the collection only incorporated five works, together they prompt us to reflect upon critical questions: “What is the relationship between the native people in exile and the land they used to call home?” “How is the environment impacting the living spaces and life qualities of the Latinx people?” “How is the narrative shifting?” These five works weave together a question mark regarding social justice towards the Latinx community.

Chamber’s Spencer Lobby, the location of the exhibition, seemed too small a place to contain all the crucial questions that the student curators from OLAS were trying to highlight. The Hispanic community has always been underrepresented on campus. The exhibition thus advocates for more spaces for the minority communities and creates awareness in the predominantly white institution. The title of the exhibition encourages viewers to take a moment to reflect on where they are standing in the world we are living.