Liberal Arts Unveils New Department, Hosts Nationally Renowned Artist
by Mario Vazquez
The College of Liberal Arts will host the inaugural lecture of the newly formed Department of Latin-US and Linguistics, delivered by the Smithsonian’s Eduardo Diaz, and recognize UTEP Distinguished Alumnus Gaspar Enriquez as a 2023 Texas State artist on Sept. 28.
Diaz, acting deputy director of the new National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, D.C., will deliver his lecture titled “Representation Matters: Building a National Latino Museum” at 5:30 p.m. in the Undergraduate Learning Center, Room 116.
He joined the Smithsonian as the director of the Smithsonian Latino Center in 2008 and has worked for the National Museum of the American Latino since its establishment by Congress in 2020. The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is slated to open in 2024, and will be dedicated to highlighting the contributions of American Latinos in U.S. history and culture.
“Eduardo Diaz’s visit to our campus marks a time of great significance for the College of Liberal Arts as we unveil our newest department, Latin-US and Linguistics,” said Dean Anadeli Bencomo, Ph.D. “His talk about Latino Art and the history behind the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino echoes the department’s mission of serving as the academic core for the study and research of U.S. Latino languages and cultures.”
The new department, which houses the Chicano studies, linguistics and language programs, aims to further strengthen The University of Texas at El Paso’s reputation as America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. The lecture will serve as the launching point for a series of events throughout the year that will highlight the new department’s focus of leveraging El Paso’s unique location to educate students on multiculturalism and multilingualism.
In addition to the talk, UTEP’s Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, along with Community en Accion, will celebrate Gaspar Enriquez’ recognition as the 2023 Texas State 2D Visual Artist. Enriquez, a resident of San Elizario, Texas, and UTEP alumnus, is one of four artists selected in the categories of music, poetry, 2D and 3D visual art to be recognized by the state this year.
Enriquez’s paintings are heavily inspired by the Mexican-American symbolism and culture of Chicanismo, which he uses to create powerful portraits of artists and friends who have been a source of inspiration for him. His work is featured in prominent museums across the country, from the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery.
The Sept. 28 celebration will also recognize the Rubin Center’s new long-term collaboration with Gaspar Enriquez from the site of his Mi Casa Gallery in San Elizario.
The gallery will be the future home of the Gaspar Enriquez Cultural Center. Over the next five years, the Rubin Center and UTEP collaborators will gradually inhabit the space while building relationships in this historically important and underserved community through a series of exhibitions, youth projects and outreach initiatives involving UTEP students, faculty and staff.
"Gaspar Enriquez's recognition as a Texas State Artist is a testament not only to his artistic ability, but also to the value and importance of highlighting Latino stories,” said Kerry Doyle, director of the Rubin Center. “Gaspar is a Distinguished Alumnus of UTEP, and an example for our students of artistic excellence paired with a strong commitment to community service. The Rubin Center is thrilled to help honor Gaspar and partner with him, via the Gaspar Enriquez Cultural Center, to further strengthen our community's stronghold as a place where Latino artists can be seen, appreciated and catapulted to a national stage."
The center’s first exhibition will be Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective, jointly exhibited between the Rubin Center and San Elizario. The exhibit will feature mixed-media works, including blown-glass sculptures and installation art, that are inspired by Mexican folk art, popular culture, religious imagery, consumer culture and mythology. The public is invited to the exhibit’s opening reception from 5-7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Rubin Center, and the opening in San Elizario will be from 11am-3pm Oct. 21.
