Theme: LatinX
As an institution committed to collecting work by local artists, the GVSU Art Museum strives to collect artwork by contemporary Latinx artists while also acknowledging that, like other museums and galleries, we need to do better in our collecting efforts. According to recent data, only .5% of collected artwork in museums is by Latinx artists and Latinx artists are featured in only 1.2% of museum exhibitions here in the United States (Diversity in Arts Statistics, Education Report, zipdo.com). The GVSU Art Museum is working to rectify these statistics, expanding our collection of artwork by Latinx artists and exhibiting this artwork in varying exhibitions and across campus for an extended time. For those GVSU students and faculty, and our greater West Michigan community, who seek to discover more about contemporary Latinx artists, this section will provide the opportunity to learn about these artists while also providing the opportunity to explore more through tours, exhibitions, art creation, and more. While this space is a small gesture to smooth the bumpy road traditionally marginalized artists have been forced to take, it is a step forward for the GVSU community in equal representation. The GVSU Art Museum will continue to make it our mission to elevate the stories of all artists.
Hugo Claudin, Untitled, acrylic on canvas, 2007, 2015.67.1.
LatinX Art in the Collection
Ernesto Neto, Traverse City, Os Afogados nao Choram (The Drowned Don't Cry), ink and silver marker on paper, 2000, 2019.66.1.
Deported Artist, Mi Viajé (My Journey), digital art print, 2021, 2021.23.5.
Arleene Correa Valencia, Cuarto de Reunion #1: No Te Preocupes Harmanito, Ahorita Now Toca a Nosotros. Volveremos a Ver a Mama y Papap, repurposed textiles on black canvas, 2002, 2023.27.1.
Incorporating LatinX Artwork into your Curriculum
The GVSU Art Museum can integrate artwork into your classroom discussions, assignments, projects, and more. Check out our calendar of events to see if one of our programs meets a goal for your students or reach out to us directly to plan something tailored to your needs. We can bring artwork to your classroom; you can visit our art storage or office spaces; or book a tour of an exhibition or building on campus
The GVSU Art Museum team can work with faculty one-on-one to create lesson plans or assignments. Whether you are looking for a behind-the-scenes experience, something hands-on, a creative usage of art in your classroom, or a more traditional assignment, we are here to assist you.
Consider these ideas for how artwork by Latinx artists can be used in your classes: exploring how artists represent food inequality and climate change; creating a writing prompt for students writing in Spanish or English; incorporating diversity and representation in both current and historical art history; using art to add visual context to history; incorporating new artists into studio art studies; using portraiture to engender empathy and cultural understanding in psychology courses.
To talk with us about creating a curriculum connection, please contact:
Jessica Sundstrom, Learning and Outreach Manager
[email protected]
Enrique Chagoya, The Return to Goya's Caprichos: El Sueño de la Razón Produce Monstruos (The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters), intaglio print, 1999. 2000.023.1e.
Explore More LatinX Artwork in the Collection
Alynn Guerra, Mangrove, reduction print, 2016.21.1.
LatinX Artists in Michigan
Deported Artist, Guerrero Jaguar (Jaguar Warrior), digital art print, 2020, 2021.23.1.
Mexican Artists
Jean Baptiste, Tree of Life, acrylic on canvas, 2011.15.1.
Juan Batalla, Aeromante, wood, rubber, and paint, ca 2006, 2009.191.2.
Activities and Resources
Blog: Michigan Artists Representing Mexico
Roughly 6% of people in Michigan identify as Hispanic or Latinx. The Art Museum Collection includes several artists who have lived and worked in Michigan but still uniquely represent aspects of Mexican culture and tradition.
Artist Profile: José Guadalupe Posada
Mexican artist and intellectual José Guadalupe Posada was a prolific lithographer and engraver, who lived and worked in a period of Mexican history characterized by social and political upheaval.
Blog: Viva Cinco de Mayo
In the 1960s, Mexican American activists within the growing civil rights movement began celebrating Cinco de Mayo as a reminder of Mexico's victory over France in the 1860s and as a celebration of Mexican culture. The date became a symbol of social and cu
Exhibition: A Single Thread: Being LatinX in West Michigan
Latinx culture is so extensive and has become such an integral part of American culture that what it means to “be Latinx” in the United States is indistinct and ever-changing. A Single Thread seeks to bring greater understanding to this complexity by highlighting the work of 13 Latinx artists from West Michigan.
Past Exhibition: Zapatos Rojos/Red Shoes
Exhibition first organized by artist Elina Chauvet in 2009, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. It was comprised of 33 pairs of red shoes, each representing a woman who had disappeared in that community. The installation was brought to GVSU's DeVos Center.
Past Exhibition: Wandering Seeds: Experiencing and Engaging Haiti through Study Abroad
In 2018 GVSU students and faculty traveled to Haiti as part of a study abroad program, allowing students from various backgrounds the opportunity to experience Haitian culture and gain an understanding of daily life in rural Haiti
Past Exhibition: Paya Lliklla, Las Tejedoras de Chari, Peru: Reweaving Tradition in the 21st Century
For over ten years, Paola Leon repeatedly visited the Andean village of Chari, a village composed of indigenous women utilizing traditional skills to create woven trade goods. Leon’s research culminated in a dissertation and exhibition of photographic images.
Past Exhibition: Different Waters: Thirty Years in the Western Amazon
Dr. Jim Penn has repeatedly traveled to the Loreto Region of Peru, South America, participating in programs ranging from wildlife research and natural resource management to community development, healthcare, and human rights work. His experiences are represented in photographs and pointed observations documenting the struggles, turmoil, growth, and changes in this risky world of ever-moving water.
Artist Profile: Alynn Guerra
Alynn Guerra is a local Grand Rapids, Michigan artist who utilizes the medium of printmaking to inspire conversation and build community.
Artist Profile: Deported Artist
Deported Artist, born in Tijuana, Mexico, creates artwork based on his experiences with deportation, immigration policy, and ancestral migration.
Artist Profile: Enrique Chagoya
Enrique Chagoya is known for his humorous, but politically charged, images that tackle complex issues such as immigration, colonialism, and oppression.
Header Images:
Left
Efrain Sandoval, The Allegory of Food, woodcut print, 2003.419.1a.
Irlanda Beltran, Pétalos De Cambio (Petals of Change), photo collage, 2024, 2024.24.1a-c.
Antonio Carlos Bech, Heads, mixed media, ca 2007, 2007.128.1.
Center
Daniela Pelegrinelli, Happy Hour, digital photograph, ca 2010, 2012.30.4.
Elina Chauvet, Nature I, mixed media, 2017, 2017.94.1.
Alynn Guerra, Desplazados, linoleum print, ca 2008, 2009.40.6.
Right
José Guadalupe Posada, Calavera Oaxaqueña (Oaxaca Skulls), restrike print, 2004, 2005.00156.1.
Jean Baptiste Jean Joseph, Sirene Marasa, satin, beads and shells, 2018.42.6.
Ed Moralez, Covenant Keepers, oil on canvas, 2012, 2023.11.1.
Art on Campus
For more information about the artwork selection and installation process, please contact our Project Manager, Alison Christensen; [email protected].
University Art Collection
For questions related to any artwork in the University Art Collection, in storage or on view, please contact our Collections Manager, Nicole Webb; [email protected].
Learning
For questions about integrating artwork into curriculum, please contact our Learning and Outreach Manager, Jessica Sundstrom; [email protected].