We are happy to share that our exhibit has been a resounding success. We opened the exhibit on September 18, 2023, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Visual Arts Building. We had an opening reception at 6 p.m. that included an introduction from the director of the Center of Mexican American Studies Dr. George Diaz. We had over 140 people in attendance, including some members from local and state media and UTRGV Provost Dr. Luis H. Zayas.
The exhibit was housed in that location for a week, and we had great comments from those who attended on opening nights and our guest book sign-in. We received comments such as “I had no idea that the Valley had a rich history”, “I thought nothing (like this) happened in the RGV”, and “We need more of this.”
In keeping with our vision of placing the exhibit in public places, our next venue was a family-friendly food truck park, the Landmark on Tower, in Alamo, Texas. We would like to thank the owner Roy Landa for allowing us to be there for the week of October 5th- 8th. Throughout our time there, we had over 150 visitors, including many families.
It touched our hearts to see parents bringing their children over to the exhibit so that “they could learn their history.” One young mother, in particular, stopped at every panel to read the text to her baby. Our presence within this community space demonstrated to us that not only are we filling a void in the story of the Valley, but our community is hungry for their stories to be shared.
Our next two stops were one-day community events. October 21st found us at the RGV Kidz Place Fall Festival, an event created to highlight the work of the special needs daycare facility. There was food and games as well as a costume contest. Our exhibit was visited by over 70 people and included city dignitaries such as the Mayor of Edinburg Ramiro Garza, Judge Armando Marroquin, Judge Sergio Valdez, and Orlando Esquivel.
Visitors made similar comments to us, about how much we need more work like ours and how happy they were to see the history of their community highlighted in museum panels. NPEV’s most recent stop was at Donna High School’s Mexican American Studies Dia De Los Muertos night. The exhibit was placed in the Simon Sauceda Fine Arts Complex’s lobby for visitors to view before the event began.
We received over 50 visitors in 45 minutes. All of the above events were full of wonder, praise, and excitement. They provided an incentive to keep our touring exhibit going, our next stop will be at the Buho Bookstore in Brownsville, Texas, on November 10th and 11th. Hope to see you there.
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