Texas Border Business
Talks by artists Len Davis and Jessie Burciaga slated for Feb. 22
MCALLEN, TX (February 15, 2017) – The South Texas College Library Art Gallery, in collaboration with the college’s Black History Month Celebration, has curated an exhibit entitled, “The Unexamined Portrait” featuring the work of Los Angeles mixed-media artist Len Davis that will be on display until February 26, 2016. The exhibit is located on the second floor of the Pecan Campus Library.
The Library Art Gallery invites community and students to a special talk by Davis on February 22 at the Pecan Library Rainbow Room at 1 p.m.
The talk will be followed by a reception from 5 – 7 PM in the Library Art Gallery. The Pecan Campus Library is located at 3201 W. Pecan Blvd., Bldg. F in McAllen, Texas. All events are free and open to the public.
The exhibit will also feature local printmaker and mixed-media artist, Jessie Burciaga. Burciaga will give also give an art talk with Davis at 1:00 and 5:00 PM.
“The two artists create highly-skilled, layered work that evokes nuanced, overlapping meanings and metaphors; Len Davis through collage and Jessie Burciaga in his mixed-media paintings,” says Gina Otvos, STC Art Gallery Associate. “For centuries, artists have used varying motifs to conjoin real and fantastic to the interior and exterior world. Both Davis and Burciaga join in tradition to help us explore the layers of identity.”
Len Davis was born in Philadelphia, PA, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from East Carolina University in North Carolina, and later moved to Los Angeles. Since 2004, Davis has been exhibiting and lecturing across the United States and working on television and movie set designs for popular sets on Showtime, HBO, ABC, NBC and others. Davis works mainly in assemblage and collage where he uses found objects, drawings, graphite, gouache, and acrylic. About his work, he says, “My artwork is about the people we are, what we create, our capabilities and the issues with which we deal.”
Jessie Burciaga (Brownsville, TX) is a local printmaker and painter who received his degree from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Burciaga grasps the soul of his border town and imprints it through portraits of its hardworking people. The intention behind these portraits is to capture, immortalize, and display the level of resilience of each person. He says, “My subjects, often considered average by outsiders, are our local urban heroes.”
STC’s Library Art Gallery exhibits regional, national and international artwork, explores new visions and theories of creativity, and introduces innovative artistic expressions to the South Texas region.
For more information, contact Gina Otvos at gotvos@southtexascollege.edu or (956) 872-3488. For a complete listing of events visit: https://library.southtexascollege.edu/LibraryArt
