VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

Talento Bilingüe de Houston (TBH) presents the exhibition Sor Juana y su cruz – Latina Group Exhibition, on view  April 7 – May 2. Thursday, April 7, 7pm-10pm – Artist’s Reception with special Drag King/ Queen performances.

TBH features artworks and performances by local, regional & international artists in an exhibition of female artists inspired by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – a self taught scholar and radical thinker from Mexico, who epitomized, for many, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, independence, and is still today deemed an influential literary force.

Included in the visual arts exhibition are Latin-American women traveling similar paths, creating artworks which resonate with a similar enduring feminine aura. This exhibition focuses upon the ascetic aspects of Sor Juana’s life (a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures, often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals). The exhibition looks to investigate more deeply the blurred lines of our own social perceptions, in regards to gender.

The artist’s reception, on April 7th, 7-10pm, features Drag Kings and Queens who, with their sensational craft, evoke the spirit of the timeless Sapphic verse written by Sor Juana. This exhibit will be at TBH Center and is curated and coordinated by Angel Quesada.

Visual Artists:

Ariele Baragona Born, 1981, this emergent artist is a graduate of the New England School of Photography in Boston and enjoys working with Polaroid format. Her work’s direction has moved towards a new series of self portraits and will be creating new work for this exhibit. A frequent contributor to several magazines and online publications, she currently lives in Austin, Texas. http://www.flickr.com/photos/skellesix

Ruth Sosa- Bailey She has worked with high-risk inner city children for two decades at MECA where she has worked with the medium of glass mosaic. Mrs. Sosa-Bailey is creating new work for this exhibit and is simultaneously a part of another exhibit on the theme of Sor Juana currently underway at MECA-Houston entitled, Sor Juana: MECA Celebrates Women.

Grace Barraza Vega Grace emigrated from Durango, Mexico in the late-sixties to Brownsville, Texas and studied art in Louisiana. She eventually moved to Corpus Christi and studied under Bruno Andrade. Ms. Barraza Vega graduates from Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi with a Masters Degree in Fine Arts (painting) this May 2011. She is best known for her colorful dynamic compositions referring to her memories and pop culture and has been exhibited in many galleries throughout the US. Her work is a part of numerous national and international collections. She is creating an original painting for the exhibit. http://www.wix.com/gracebarrazavega/my-website.

Tania Bothelo This Brazilian artist has been a fixture in the political horizon of art for over forty years working within theatre, ballet, television and for the last twenty years, visual arts. Using collage, print, drawing and mixed media, as well as performance and installation art her work is concerned with imagery of protest as well as that of beautiful artwork. A quote from her website: “Art is my weapon and I want to use it for the minority, those who cannot do it either do not know how or do not wish to speak up themselves”. http://www.taniabothelo.com.  

Cecilia Colomé She was born and raised in Mérida, the capital of the Yucatán Peninsula of México. At age 11, she started taking drawing and painting lessons with the painter Amalia Baquedano. In 1980, Cecilia moved to México City to attend The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where she got her Bachelor of Science in physics and math. From 1980 until 1988, Cecilia was a student and later a member of group of engravers “Los Tres Patios” under the leadership of Juan José Beltrán. In 1988, Cecilia moved to Austin to attend the University of Texas, where she got her Ph.D. in astronomy in 1995. Cecilia also has worked as an editor of math textbooks, is a freelance science writer, translator, engraver, and painter. Her work is introspect and spacious and will be creating artwork specifically for this exhibit.

Celeste De Luna She is an artist who is inspired by the socio-political intrinsic to the border. Ms. De Luna achieved her M.F.A at the University of Texas Pan-American and continues to draw from imagery from her heritage, these include religious iconography, regional symbolism and themes of immigration. A child of migrant workers, she uses her artwork to markedly declare a part of history which continues the tradition of Chicano painting often overlooked by the dominant culture. She currently teaches secondary level education art for the Brownsville Independent School District and will be creating an original piece for the exhibit. http://www.celestedeluna.com/

Loriana Espinel Originally a performance devotee, Ms. Espinel immersed herself in theatre for all of eight years eventually receiving her B.A. in Fine Arts from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. She has lived in the US (New York City & Houston) since 2000. The point of departure for her artwork is a conceptual one rather than being driven primarily by the image. Her artwork could almost be “situationist,” but not necessarily political and is often found mixed with poetry, photo or constructed using mixed media. Her work for this exhibit is created as part document and part interaction, dealing with the conceptualization of gender constructs within the context of the exhibit itself.

The product of this investigatory work will be presented after the opening of the exhibit as it deals with the events leading up to as well as the reception itself which features cross-dressers or transvestites, often called “Drag Kings/Queens.” http://www.flickr.com/photos/loriana/

Zita Giraldo Born in Montería, Colombia in 1948, Ms. Giraldo has devoted her life to creating compelling artwork. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art in 1971 from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan (Painting & Art History). She then traveled to Europe where she attended L’Ecole Nacional de Beaux-Arts in Paris, France eventually making her way back to the states to continue her graduate studies at Eastern Michigan University and then to the University of Houston. She currently resides in Houston. Needless to say she has exhibited internationally and continues to produce art including a work created for this group exhibit. http://www.zitagiraldo.com/.

Sandra Gonzalez Originally from Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas she moved to the US side of the border (Laredo, Tx) in 2000 and has since completed much of her studies and will earn her Master of Arts in 2011 at Texas A & M University Corpus Christi. This twenty four year old’s work has garnered much attention in the Chicano and Latin American art scene and she has exhibited her art regionally, nationally as well as internationally in Mexico and Italy. The work created for this show will be created during a prolific period as she gears up for her graduation. She is a studio-mate of another graduate student who will be exhibiting in “Sor Juana y su cruz,” Grace Barraza-Vega. Both work under the tutelage of Mr. Bruno Andrade. http://www.sandragonzalez-arte.com/.

Marlene Llanes Ms. Llanes was born in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico and graduated as a graphic designer in 1997 at Vasco de Quiroga University. In 1998, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study illustration in the USA and then earned her master's degree in illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2000. Her art conjures worlds akin to surrealists like DeChirico, Magritte or the likes of the magical realist painters such as Remedios Varo or even Botero. She will be utilizing chalk to create artwork live, to be completed during the reception. The work will be located at the entrance of the building and will measure approximately 4’ x 4’ of sidewalk. Her first children’s book "Paty y los Payasos," was published in 2002 by Libros de el Nacional, in Venezuela. http://www.marlenellanes.com/.  

Ana Ramos She possesses a B.A. in Social Communications from the Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores and a degree in Fine Art from the Escuela de Arte del Parque Colomos, both in Guadalajara, México. She was recently acknowledged by Sucesos newspaper as Woman of the year (Arts) in a ceremony held at the Norris conference Center and continues to actively pursue a career in the arts following her lifelong passion for generating images. She will be creating a new work for the exhibit.

Drag Kings
The Houston Gendermyn are a Houston-based gender performance troupe that came together in 2006 to reconstruct traditional notions of gender and sexuality. The Gendermyn unite artists and create safe and empowered spaces to educate and enliven a larger gender-queer and LGBTQ-allied community to advocate for social justice through performance. The Gendermyn have performed throughout the United States and Canada, but their roots are strongly planted in Houston and throughout the Dirty South. http://www.houstongendermyn.com/. 

D.R.E.D. (Daring Reality Every Day, aka MilDred Gerestant) Since 1995 this Haitian-American actress is best known for her mystical one-WoMan show, which is a blend of comedy, poetry, dance, monologue, music and education. Her act features some of the most intense female and male characters ever created. Her work explores how society domesticates us into our preconceived notions and stereotypes of gender, race, spirituality, and sexuality and she has been featured in over 12 books. It is her mission, her purpose, to inspire people to honor, accept, and love all. http://www.DredLove.com.

Jennifer Tyburczy (aka Mister Overdone) She received her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Performance Studies with a concentration in sexuality studies, display cultures, and the performance of gender. Currently, she is a postdoctoral fellow at Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality.

Sayra Contreras (aka Rafael) Actress, playwright and director Sayra Contreras was born in a small town of Zapotlán el Grande, Jalisco Mexico. Beginning theater as a child with a theatre company led by Professor Ramon Olmedo, called Catharsis with who she toured and participated in over 300 performances over the course of ten years. In her youth, Ms. Contreras pursued a Batchelor’s of Art at Theatre at the University of Guadalajara, there participating in works such as Sueno de una noche de verano, Farsas anonimas which added another 100 plus productions under her belt. In San Francisco, she directed 30 actresses in a staging of The Vagina Monologues in Spanish.

Drag Queens
Madame Chante Mdme Chante, who is originally from Mexico, has been in the business of performing in Drag for over thirty years in English and Spanish. She was a costume designer for Beyonce in the 90’s and has been in active as an actor and costume designer in the theatre scene throughout Houston and Mexico since the mid-70’s. She will be reading some of the more popular poetry written by the nun, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, including “Hombres necios” (Restless Men) wearing original costumes.

Other guest talents will be also be making appearances!