Grand Valley State University’s Arts Gallery in the Haas Center for Performing Arts is hosting an exhibition that dives into the lives of local Latinx artists. “A Single Thread: Being Latinx in West Michigan/Un Solo Hilo: Ser Latine en Oeste Michigan” is a collection of paintings that tell the stories of artists’ individual experiences.
Joel Zwart, the curator of exhibitions and collections at the GVSU Art Gallery, said the gallery aims to represent underrepresented communities and promote diversity among artists and the community.
“The West Michigan Latinx community was high on our priority list,” said Zwart. “A key part of our strategy to develop exhibitions from within these communities is to work with stakeholders in them.”
Zwart worked with Steff Rosalez, the CEO of Grandville Avenue Arts and Humanities, to bring the exhibition to life. Rosalez is active in her involvement and advocacy for the Latinx community, and curated “A Single Thread/Un Solo Hilo” to give artists a platform to share their individual stories.
“We knew (Rosalez) would not ignore the complex history and dynamics at play in the Latinx community,” said Zwart.
Rosalez said that she was very deliberate with the curation of the exhibit, being careful to provide both depth and cohesion, while not losing the voices of the multiple artists. Additionally, she wanted to challenge the expectation that Latinx stories often focus on immigration and culture, and instead emphasize the story of the individual.
“It was a very intentional decision to showcase artists whose work is very different from each other and who had very different stories to tell,” said Rosalez. “While some of us have immigration stories, others are into hip-hop, others (are) active in the queer community or perhaps just obsessed with cats.”
One of the artists, Arturo Morales Romero, paints from his experiences in Chicano culture, a vibrant expression of the Mexican-American experience.
“From all the places that I have lived and the cultures that I have been exposed to, I have developed my painting style, which is more like a dream,” said Romero. “My goal is to use my artwork to teach history, cultures and peace.”
Romero’s contribution to the exhibit is an Aztec calendar crafted out of a variety of seeds with historical context, such as corn, bean and pumpkin seeds that were native to America before European colonization, and sesame seeds that the Aztecs would offer to the gods.
With 13 different artistic pieces on display that grapple with a variety of different issues and personal histories, the separate artworks assert individual identities. At the same time, the exhibition as a whole provides a cultural connection, or a “Single Thread,” that ties individuals together.
Ultimately, those behind the exhibition said they hope the artwork on display serves as a way to start meaningful conversations about both identity and perspective.
“’A Single Thread/Un Solo Hilo’ provides many authentic, complicated and different experiences for our audience to engage with,” Zwart said. “We believe that these (exhibits) are important for students because they have the power to spark conversations, actions and reflection on the core themes of social justice, human rights and empathy that align with (GVSU’s) philosophy of liberal education.”
