International connection

UTPA art exhibit celebrates Black History Month

Note: This article originally appeared in the Feb. 6, 2014 issue of The Pan American. The Pan American was the student newspaper at my former university, The University of Texas - Pan American, where I got into writing. Ultimately, TPA was shut down as a result of a merger with neighboring university to make way for The University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley and the new student publication did not transfer anything from TPA. Here's one of my articles for them that was saved thanks to the miracle of Google Docs.

Adorned in frames made of bamboo and cane sugar sticks are artworks from visiting artist Ava Tomlinson, whose exhibition, “From Jamaica West Indies to New York City,” is part of UTPA’s Black History Month Celebration. Black History Month is a national event founded by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1976 to commemorate African-American history.

Tomlinson, a teaching artist from Brooklyn, has her artwork displayed in the Fine Arts Gallery of the UTPA Visual Arts Building, located on 2412 S. Closner Blvd. It went up Jan. 6 and the exhibit lasts through Feb. 14.

Her exhibit consists of 18 paintings depicting slices of “everyday existence,” whose subjects include portrayals of the countryside of Jamaica, where her parents come from, and the urban landscape of her home state of New York.

Tomlinson, of Jamaican descent, explained that the paintings capture the experience of being an immigrant - being part of a new home, yet feeling disconnected.

“My work is about looking in from outside, being in a different country,” the alumna from Pratt Institute, located in N.Y., said. “Many people with American citizenship are also immigrants at the same time, an interesting combination that allows for an exchange of cultures that lets the paintings tell that story.”

An example of Tomlinson’s message is the painting “Looking into the Subway Window: Looking Out,” which depicts the view of the city from a New York subway train window while also showing a reflection of the inside of the train.  

The artist thinks that having her exhibit in the Rio Grande Valley makes sense since it incorporates the idea of people trying to fit into their home away from home.

“In this Hispanic-dominated area, all of the food, music and surroundings are influenced by the Mexican roots of the citizens,” said Tomlinson, who is visiting Texas for the first time. “It’s like how we all move away from home, but never quite leave it. We carry home with us all the time, even as we get so many different exposures to other cultures. It’s ironic, because even as you leave home, you still have your culture with you, and it grows stronger."

During her stay which began Jan. 31, Tomlinson hosted a workshop and lecture Feb. 4 at the Visual Arts Building, a day after having visited art professor Philip Field’s Imaging and Illustration class. According to senior Hilda Castillo, a student in that class, Tomlinson discussed how emotion plays a part in art, drawing the McAllen native to visit the exhibit afterward.

“It’s beautiful, and her use of colors is inspiring,” Castillo said of the artwork. “During her talk, (Ava) talked about how paintings can serve as a memory for the artist, and I can see all of her emotions on display in her exhibit, while it also shows the diversity of world and an appreciation for other cultures.”

Castillo, a 33-year-old-biology-major, says she is now inspired to go back to painting, something she stopped doing after finishing her fine arts minor last year.

CONNECTION AS ART

UTPA professor of art Lorenzo Pace, a friend of Tomlinson's, personally invited her to exhibit in the Valley after seeing her work. Pace, who visited West Africa during the winter break, recognized the importance of getting people exposed to the ideas found in Tomlinson’s latest works.

Several of the works depict everyday experiences, from a father pushing his child in a shopping cart to attendees cheering at a sporting event. For Pace, these small moments are the same as the ones he saw in Africa, and sees locally on a daily basis. The 70-year-old Alabama native believes seeing people from other nations and different cultures who share identical traits helps reinforce the “human connection.”

“It’s vital in telling the story of the African experience to others who may be unfamiliar with it,” the Illinois State alum said. “You don’t get to see Jamaican artists, let alone their influences, down here. It’s a way to connect all of our cultures together to see how we’re all the same.”

Tomlinson hopes that people who visit her exhibit will find something that speaks to them.

“Art is a connection for others to see how one expresses themselves, or the world through someone else’s eyes,” she said. “It opens a door for others, both visually and creatively.”