The City of Brownsville kicked off this week “Lazos de mi ciudad,” an urban art exhibit located at Linear Park that celebrates the Charro Days festivities that are unique to the area.
The event, hosted mainly by the Brownsville Convention & Visitors Bureau, is in partnership with The Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, ArtVille Cultural Projects, Mitte Cultural District, among others, and intends to celebrate the fusion of the Mexican and American cultures to give a sense of what makes Brownsville a unique city.
Local artists Miriam Hernandez, Clarissa Martinez, Eduardo Del Angel, Sam Rawls, Monica Lugo, Josie Del Castillo, Alejandra Zertuche, Ruby Garza and Jonathan Hernandez were selected to participate in this exhibit that demonstrates the vibrant culture in Brownsville with portable murals in forms of giant wood cubes that range with themes of Gloria Anzaldúa, Folklorico dancing, lotería and mangonadas.
Mauricio Saenz, one of the organizers and founder of ArtVille, said art has to be more accessible to the community, taken out of the museums and into public spaces so that everyone can see it.
“I think art is like a catalyst, it is something that we need for our minds. Art is a language of its own and we can communicate through art,” he said.
Saenz said it is important to celebrate the unique culture in Brownsville and make it visible through art. He said these cubes can become part of the identity of Brownsville that will continue for future art exhibits.
“We are brother countries and a lot of the identity that we have here in Brownsville it’s a melting pot from the culture in Matamoros, and the culture here,” he said. “Once they become a fusion, that’s when we get our identity. It is a very unique identity that we have here and we need to make it visible through art.”
Monica Lugo, a local artist, said her piece is a reflection of the uniqueness of Brownsville due to the blend of cultures. She said experiencing both sides of the border shows the special area that we live in.
“Artists, we work to make art but it means nothing if people can’t come and see it,” she said. “So, the fact that it’s in a public place, where people can come and take a picture, have that memory, it’s the most important thing for us and it’s something that this exhibition has done really well.”
Sam Rawls, a local artist, said she wanted to concentrate on the colorful details and the music celebration of Charro Days. She said it’s important to recognize both cultures.
Clarissa Martinez, a local artist, said she wanted to have the four sides of the cube connecting to each other with different elements. She painted a mangonada that spills and creates a giant splash.
“I tried to stay away from stereotypical images,” she said. “And it was a little hard to think about, but one thing that I always think about is food, and food that maybe people aren’t always aware of when they think of Mexican culture.”
Josie Del Castillo, a local artist, decided to do something different than the other artists with her piece including a self-portrait where she is wearing an embroidered flower dress that celebrates the Mexican culture.
“My piece I took different parts of what the Valley, or what the border town means to me,” she said. “We have a self-portrait, with the embroidered dress. We also have the resacas, which is a beautiful iconic scene for Brownsville. We also have el sun and the moon, so I thought of this as a representation of the sister cities Matamoros and Brownsville.”
Rosa Alejandra Zertuche, a local artist, said for this piece she found inspiration in lotería but wanted to just focus on the water cards. In her piece, she represented la sirena, la chalupa and el camarón and said the fusion of both cultures in this area is part of us.
“I feel like it’s part of us, we grew up with it and sometimes we don’t even notice it because it’s so engrained in us,” she said. “As I grew up, I’ve noticed it more and learned to appreciate it more.”
Deyanira Ramirez, executive director at the Museum of Fine Art, said it is important for the community to attend and see this exhibit that are expressing what they like the most about the fusion of the two cultures.
