Student art exhibition to honor Hispanic culture

October 1, 2021
The Hispanic Heritage Month Art Exhibition, which runs from Oct. 4-15, will kick off with a showcase on noon Oct. 4 at the Multicultural Student Affairs office in room 104 of the Hoag Student Center on UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

Article By: Clark Leonard

Ceramics, paintings, photographs, prints, textiles and digital art celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month will be exhibited on the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Dahlonega Campus.

Hosted by UNG's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the Department of Visual Arts, the Hispanic Heritage Month Art Exhibition will run from Oct. 4-15 in the new MSA Dahlonega Campus office. A showcase featuring 17 artworks, mostly from students, was held Oct. 4 to unveil the exhibition in room 104 of the Hoag Student Center.

"We wanted UNG students to be involved so we could show the diversity of Hispanic culture," Wade Manora Jr., director of MSA, said. "It helps students feel more connected to share their Hispanic heritage and how they identify with it."

Some students have a Hispanic background, while others simply wanted to share how they have experienced the culture.

We wanted UNG students to be involved so we could show the diversity of Hispanic culture. It helps students feel more connected to share their Hispanic heritage and how they identify with it.

Wade Manora Jr.

Director of Multicultural Student Affairs

The student participants are Brenda Almanza, Dashanay Brown, Sonia Cardoso, Emily Cheek, Elia Cristobal, Stephanie Gomez, Kylie McConnell, Matéo Penado, Zoe Presten, Tatiana Rivas, Nicholas Sayles, Daniel Valencia, Natalia Velez Carrero, Marcella Vlahos, Sadie Walsh and Beatrix Washell. One community member, Susan Bridgforth, has also contributed to the exhibition.

Dr. Ana Pozzi Harris, senior lecturer of visual arts, is grateful for the strong participation by students and looks forward to gaining even greater involvement in the future.

At the showcase, three $100 awards funded by MSA were given to student participants:

  • Hispanic Heritage Award: Natalia Velez Carrero
  • Latinx Culture Award: Emily Cheek
  • Immigrant Experience Award: Tatiana Rivas

The goal for Harris is to expand the exhibition to the Gainesville Campus for Hispanic Heritage Month in 2022.

"In addition to creating a sense of identity for those who are Hispanic or Latinx, we also wanted to make this exhibition be a way to communicate what Hispanic culture, the immigrant experience and Latinx culture are to the UNG community," she said.


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