Texas Border Business
By Sara Reyna
In his first year as a full-time photography instructor at South Texas College, Carlos Limas plans to share his artistic expertise beyond the classroom by presenting his captivating exhibition, “Intangible” in hopes to motivate students creatively and build spaces of connection for future artists.
“It is not only important to teach my students the technical parts of art and photography, but also share with them my own work as a teacher,” he said. “It shows them the endless possibilities they may have when pursuing a career in the art space.”
Limas’ exhibit has been on display at STC’s Pecan Campus’ art exhibit hall at Building B, room 103.
Limas’ passion for visual arts was always clear to him as a young child growing up in Rio Bravo, Mexico. He went on to pursue those passions in Monterrey, Mexico when he graduated with his Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design from theInstituto Profesional de Arte y Diseñoin 1995. To continue challenging himself as an artist he ventured out of the country to Brussels, Belgium where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from l’Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in 2000.
“When I share my story with students, it is to show them where their passion for the arts can take them and I emphasize to them the importance of learning to adapt,” Limas shared. “Adapting to new environments is crucial for young artists to be able to grow in their careers and building that self-confidence will move them along the right path, even if that path doesn’t seem clear right away, that is all part of the excitement.”
Following his graduation in 2000, Limas participated in a conceptual art residency in Milan, Italy, and numerous group and solo exhibitions across many global platforms such as Mexico, Belgium, France, Slovakia, China and the USA over the course of six years. After being away from his homeland for many years, Limas wanted to reconnect with his roots in Monterrey and went on to serve the community as chair of the School of Art Escuela Adolfo Prieto at CONARTE from 2006 to 2011.
Furthering his mission to reinvent himself as an artist Limas moved to McAllen and obtained a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) where he graduated in 2019.
Despite accomplishing many professional endeavors, Limas, whose work is inspired by Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Siqueiros, often felt out of place until his journey finally led him to STC where he now teaches digital photography as a full-time instructor and works as the Visual Arts coordinator for the Visual Arts department.
“I was seeking a different environment to reinvent myself. It took me years to find my place here in the Valley, but when I came to South Texas College to start teaching I finally felt like I belonged and I hope to continue fostering that same feeling with the students here at STC so that together we can exist in these creative spaces as a community, this will help us create a stronger identity in representing not only our hardworking students and talented faculty, but to also represent the endless opportunities that STC is paving for us all,” he said. “There is so much potential here at our school and in our area, I hope that this exhibition serves as an invitation for our students to experiment, collaborate and explore a diverse range of artistic expressions.”
STC’s Art Gallery will be hosting a closing reception for Carlos Limas’ exhibition “Intangible” on January 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Pecan Campus, Building B, room 103.
For more information about the Art programs offered at STC or future art exhibitions visit https://www.southtexascollege.edu/academics/visual-arts/ or call 956-872-6769.
