It is not rare to see talented artists take in their life experience on the U.S.-Mexico border and create works of art that resonate within their community and beyond.
Jesus Treviño’s “Recuerdos Left in the Dust” will be the Laredo College Martha Fenstermaker Memorial Visual Arts Gallery’s upcoming art exhibit. Beginning on Thursday Feb. 8, gallery visitors will be able to experience Treviño’s memories of growing up on the border through the use of painting and frescos.
His work is rooted from his experience being raised on the U.S.-Mexico border and deals with the history of movement in the region and its residual personal, emotional and social effects.
“I’m interested in the land’s capacity to hold traces of unresolved tensions when thinking about histories of movement, displacement of people and how that shapes my identity which continues to shift, fade and reassemble,” Treviño said.
The community is invited to the gallery opening starting at 4:30 p.m. and ending at 7 p.m. Normal gallery hours will be from Monday to Thursday 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-5:30 p.m. On Fridays, hours will be from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
According to LC Art Professor Eva Soliz, Recuerdos’ display of colors and surrealistic imagery makes for a compelling artistic experience that is a must-see.
“All our art exhibits are used as art educational opportunities as well as inspiration for our students,” Soliz said. “I think the theme of the artist’s memories of being raised on the border will really resonate with our students and may invoke some feelings of nostalgia.”
Treviño was born in Brownsville and received a BA in Studio Art at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and his MFA in Painting/Drawing at the University of Texas at Austin. He hosted different exhibits throughout the country before starting a nonprofit organization called “Frontera Arts in Bloom,” which hosts an artist in residence program called the “Flower Shop Art Residency” in his hometown.