News and Stories
August 21, 2006
Snite to feature exhibit on Mexican migration to the U.S.
The Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame will showcase Mexican migration to the U.S. through a multi-media exhibit that includes Chicano/Mexican visual arts beginning Sept. 3 (Sunday) in the museum's O'Shaughnessy Galleries, Mestrovic Studio Gallery and the entrance atrium.
Co-sponsored by Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies (ILS) and supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and the Humana Foundation Endowment for the Arts, "Caras Vemos, Corazones No Sabemos (Faces Seen, Hearts Unknown): The Human Landscape of Mexican Migration" is designed to stimulate discussion about the human consequences associated with migration from Mexico.
Through artwork, music, narratives and oral histories, the exhibit will examine three main themes: journeys, boundaries and barriers; urban landscapes and human geographies; and identities and the collective Latino artistic, social and cultural "imaginary."
On exhibit will be artwork from the private collection of Gilberto Cárdenas, assistant provost, director of the ILS and Julian Samora Professor of Latino Studies at Notre Dame. The Cárdenas collection of more than 7,000 pieces includes works on paper, paintings, three-dimensional works, photographs and video. The items to be exhibited are a promised gift to the museum.
A member of the Notre Dame faculty since 1999, Cárdenas is a sociologist who teaches and conducts research in immigration, race and ethnic relations, historical and comparative sociology, and visual sociology. He earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Notre Dame.
The ILS was established in 1999 to promote understanding and appreciation of the Latino experience in the United States through research, education and outreach. It seeks to enhance interdisciplinary study and research in Latino studies as a vital component of Notre Dame's academic mission. Its areas of study include Latino spirituality, art, literature, history, politics and socioeconomic conditions.
As part of their missions of outreach and education, the Snite Museum and ILS are developing public programs to be conducted at the museum. Teacher training and classroom curricula for middle and high school teachers will be available to teachers who schedule tours.
A public reception for the exhibition will be held Sept. 7 (Thursday) from 6 to 8 p.m. The Snite Museum is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and holidays. Admission is free.
Contact: Gina Costa, Snite Museum of Art, costa.6@nd.edu