The Carolla Arts Exhibition Center at Missouri State University announces a new summer exhibition, curated by Olga Shute, MFA in Visual Studies candidate, in collaboration with Director of Exhibitions Jodi McCoy.

“Let me tell you a story: gathering our roots to find belonging,” represents a group exhibition that explores Latin identity through personal and cultural storytelling. It features work by Marco Hernandez, Veronica Ibargüengoitia, Mariana Ruvalcaba, Tina Tavera, Xavier Tavera and Leandre Urrutia.

The exhibit is on view 11 a.m.-6 p.m. July 7-Aug. 1. The center’s schedule is Tuesday through Friday during the summer.

A public reception will be held during First Friday Art Walk on Aug. 1 from 6-8 p.m.

Sharing stories of displacement and belonging

The impulse to collect, uplift and share stories of displacement and belonging became the foundation for the exhibition. Through a range of mediums including sculpture, prints, photography and painting, each artist contributes to a collective conversation about identity and the body, memory and migration, spirituality and resistance.

“I thought to myself that some of the first gens [first generation college students] might feel this way,” Shute said when reflecting on the sense of isolation she experienced early in her graduate studies.

“But what I had was a chance to find the stories that are for us,” she continued. “Stories for brown-skinned first gens, to see that they exist in these stories, too. Stories that loved them, that stood for them and understood their experiences.”

Identity theme emerges naturally

For McCoy, the exhibition aligned naturally with a broader thread running through the summer lineup.

“I usually do not approach an upcoming programming slate with any particular theme in mind,” McCoy said. “But after moving through some early planning, I realized that this summer’s lineup has a clear theme of identity.”

As McCoy’s planning stages evolved, she realized she needed to scale back on her own curatorial oversight.

“As we got deeper into planning…it became very important to me to make intentional space for the voices of the artists to speak rather than have a heavy curatorial hand,” she explained. “This approach allows for a more authentic story which, hopefully, creates a deeper connection for our audience.”

Finding connections through art

Shute echoed that approach in her curatorial practice. Many of her artist selections grew from shared spaces and vulnerable conversations, such as at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, where she met Urrutia and Ruvalcaba. They also occurred in gallery settings, like the Latinx show in Omaha, Nebraska, where she spoke with the Taveras.

“What I lacked were other people using stories to connect to our realities,” she explained. “I have spent the last two years of my grad program searching for connections through artworks. When we come together with our differences, we can stand stronger together.”

Intentionally collaborative process

The exhibition’s curation process was intentionally collaborative, according to Shute. She recalled that McCoy continually repeated, “Let’s dream big and see what’s possible,” during their early planning meetings.

Additionally, Shute said the curatorial duo worked to present everyone equally and proudly, allowing the artists to “tell us their own stories, either personal, narrative [or] historical.”

“This show is part of a larger conversation I feel that everyone should take part in,” Shute added. “I hope people will read our statement, our mission within this show, and take it to heart. That we have always been here and always will be.”

The Carolla Arts Exhibition Center is located at 326 N. Boonville Ave, Springfield, Missouri. For more information, please reach out to the Department of Art and Design at 417-837-2330.

Photos courtesy of the Department of Art and Design.

News edited by the Reynolds College Communications Team.

Sam Barnette is a writer for the Department of Art and Design. She holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Missouri State’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film. She is working toward an MS in Data Science and Analytic Storytelling at Truman State University.