51���� celebrated the grand opening of its TSC Faculty Art Gallery at the ITEC Center on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, providing an avenue through which TSC’s Art instructors can showcase their artistic output.

The arts have traditionally been a component of a well-rounded academic curriculum. These arts programs are often led by instructors who are knowledgeable and passionate about their craft, eager to share their skills and mentor students who seek to explore the far reaches of their own creativity.

In keeping with this sentiment of mentorship, the TSC Faculty Art gallery is an event which gives instructors the opportunity to display their works in a setting that is befitting of the medium. TSC Art instructors Robert Andes, David Ransom, and David Guerra were on-hand at the event to present a collection of their personal works, inviting both the public, their students, and their fellow faculty members to not only observe the art but to also ask questions about the inspiration and techniques behind their art. Additionally, selection from local art educators were also on display, adding to the robust variety of works adorning the gallery.

The gallery presentation also serves as a golden opportunity through which the instructors can strengthen the bond between themselves and their students, giving detailed explanations and essentially demonstrating several theories put into practice. To many of the students, most of the excitement simply comes from being able to fully see the creative perspectives of the ones who have been guiding their own artistic education.

Additionally, the Faculty Art Gallery serves as a preparatory event for the students themselves, as they will be presenting their own collection of works later this semester for the Student Art Gallery, helping the creative mentor-mentee circle reach completion.

The TSC Faculty Art Gallery will be open until Friday, February 28. Art afficionados curious individuals who would like to observe these artistic displays for themselves can contact robert.andes@tsc.edu to inquire about scheduling an appointment.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024 –��Realms of imagination and creativity came alive as 51���� (TSC) Fine Arts program students showcased their intricate works of art at the Capstone Series: Student Art Exhibition.��

Held at the Fine Arts Gallery at TSC’s ITECC, the public was invited to see the culmination of several art students’ semester-long projects, manifesting in vibrant paintings adorning the gallery walls.����

“At the start of the semester, they are tasked with designing a series of works, conducting preliminary studies for it, and creating sketches to actualize the ideas they have in mind,” said TSC Art instructor Robert Andes, who also served as the master of ceremonies for the event. “This event is often the final class for these students, and it’s designed to show what they’ve learned and practiced during their time here.”����

For April Prado, a TSC Art student and TSC Fine Arts Club president, the exhibition was a testament to her growth and learning. It was an opportunity to showcase her creative output and display what she has learned over the course of her Art program, inspiring others with her journey.��

“My art professors taught me the classical approach to drawing, similar to artists like Michelangelo, Titian, and Raphael,” Prado said. “I’m grateful to have learned so much from them, as they encourage me to keep growing as an artist.”��

Those in attendance were encouraged to mingle and interact with the group’s proud artists, who were more than happy to share insight behind the creative epicenters of their pieces.��

Her trio of portrait-style paintings were not just artworks but a manifestation of her passion and creativity. They were specifically designed to communicate a distinct idea to observers. “My series is about self-identity, and through my art, I want to encourage people to connect with this idea and understand themselves, too,” she said.

Jazzlynn Guajardo chose to use the Greek mythology story of Orpheus and Eurydice as a thematic framework for her pieces. Beyond the task of retelling an entire story through only three paintings, Guajardo’s time spent working on them over a semester was marked with high and low points. “The toughest part was toward the middle portion of working on the pieces when I was adding shadows and highlights,” she began, “but the most rewarding was finishing them and being certain with myself that they were finally done.”��

While the fine arts are a traditional means of creative expression for students, instructors must still evaluate their output based on a set of criteria.��

“A lot of it is the elements and principles of art, which one could also consider to be the fundamentals,” said Andes. “For example, we look at how [the art student] uses color, value, shading, contrast, perspective, depth, and more. Essentially, we want to see how the student uses these fundamental skills in design, but we also want to see if they’re getting across the themes and ideas they are trying to express.”��

Top authors in the Spanish-speaking world will convene at 51���� for the 21^st Binational Literary conference in the SET B Lecture Hall from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, February 10^th.

The event is open to students, employees and the general public.

TSC Spanish instructor and published author Juan Antonio Gonzalez is the principal organizer of the event. His decades of work writing, curating and elevating Spanish Literature has allowed him to bring big names to Brownsville for the annual conference.

This year’s keynote speaker is Eduardo Langagne, General Director of the Foundation of Mexican Literature. Langagne has published over 20 books of poetry and prose. He will be joined by 15 other speakers who will participate in panel discussions.

“We’re bringing in local authors from the Valley and people from across the border in Matamoros and beyond,” said TSC English Instructor and Chair of Communication and Language, Amanda Utzman. “What we’re doing by bringing authors in here is giving students exposure to the actual act of creative writing and being in the environment where they can learn from a professional author.”

Gonzalez talked about how important the conference is to him to bring attention and excitement to literature on both sides of the border.

“It’s very important to recognize the culture because this is where we come from,” said Gonzalez. “It’s an opportunity for people who are interested in the field [of Spanish literature] to have someone who can point them in the right direction, like someone did for me.”

Gonzalez feels an obligation to share his passion and love for the region’s literature and to promote some of the best writers on a stage like the conference.

“This is my calling to promote our culture through our literature…so it can be understood, and it can travel and be noted,” he said. “As a writer and a professor frm this area, I see it as an obligation.”

TSC’s Department of Communication and Language can be reached at 956.295.3382.
For more information regarding the 21^st Binational Literary Conference you e-mail juanantonio.gonzalez@tsc.edu