Voces y Caras— the product of storytelling, discovery and community. The University of North Florida Art Gallery will host this immersive exhibit of Hispanic voices and faces for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Led by Dr. Constanza López, associate professor at the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Voces y Caras is a digital humanities project for students, alumni and members of the Jacksonville community to share what Hispanic identity means to them. Piloted in 2012, the yearly project features interviews conducted by López’s students with Latinx community members and select art pieces.
The opening reception for this year’s showcase was Sept. 17 and López said she was happy with the turnout.
“So many people came together, including professors and students from many different classes,” López said. ”I had just seen some of my old students, so that was really exciting.”
López teaches Communication and Communities for Heritage Speakers, a course where students can interview community members and contribute their stories to the project. The students’ interviews were displayed on an iPad to represent Hispanic voices.
When it comes time for students to choose who they would like to interview, they can select just about anyone they feel represents Hispanic heritage.
“Whether it be community leaders or family members— the important thing is to show how the community contributes to North Florida and Jacksonville,” López said.
The Caras theme is focused on the faces of the Latinx/Hispanic community. This part of the exhibit features art by current students and alumni.
Only a few works of art make it to the gallery for the Voces y Caras project each year. When choosing which art to showcase, López works with Sheila Goloborotko, professor at the Art, Art History and Design Department, to decide which pieces best represent the culture.
“The main thing is that the pieces need to reflect something about the migration experience or about identity,” López said.
The Caras exhibit extends through two rooms in the gallery. As viewers enter the connecting gallery space, three murals of sticky notes greet them. The artist, UNF student Korie ‘Gigi’ Novaton, explained the meaning behind each hand-taped square. A flower, a conversation, a space to share— together, the three murals represent Hispanic culture’s dark and light political aspects, according to Novaton.
Novaton’s first mural pictures a bright pink flower surrounded by light. She said the light symbolizes the growth and richness of Hispanic culture.
“That’s why we did the mural of the flowers; flowers symbolize those beautiful things,” Novaton said.
A second wall depicts two silhouettes arguing with one another. Novaton said she wanted to showcase how social rights issues can be complicated within the Latinx community. In the mural, one of the silhouettes shouts: “¡Que se joda homophobia!” which translates as “Fuck homophobia!”
Novaton said she wanted to highlight how these types of discussions are present not only in the United States but also worldwide— especially in Latin America.
The final mural is the most interactive. Those who visit the gallery can add their own notes or drawings to Novaton’s mural. She said this is where students’ thoughts and experiences live collectively.
Ian Carey, UNF director of galleries, was responsible for installing the work; López said this collective experience is what Voces y Caras is all about.
“The important thing is to celebrate community, and I think that’s what we highlight here,” López said.”Not only the community outside, but the community here.”
Students can visit the Voces y Caras exhibit at the UNF Art Gallery in Building 2, Room 1001 until Oct. 18, 2024.
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