With Hispanic Heritage Month beginning on Sept. 15, the University of Indianapolis’ Office of Inclusive Excellence and Retention Strategy’s new art gallery exhibit, dedicated to Hispanic culture, made its debut on Sept. 12, according to the OIE Instagram.
The Art Experience Lab is located in Schwitzer 203, next to the OIE office in Schwitzer 201. The art gallery has been open since June 10, 2022 and “Hasta Las Raíces: To the Roots, Embracing Heritage” will be the fifth exhibit in its history. While it is the fifth exhibit for the gallery, it will be the first to feature Hispanic heritage and artists, according to Director of Institutional Belonging & Title IX Coordinator Cari Freed.
The inspiration for this exhibit can be credited to OIE Belonging Fellow and Hispano Latino Colectivo Delegate Leslie Samperio. Samperio said she brought up to Freed and OIE Belonging Fellow and Art Curator Sy’mere Durrett that the office should pursue an exhibit centered around Hispanic Heritage Month. Although Samperio was not sure whether it would come to fruition this semester or later, Freed and Durrett loved the idea and thus began the process, she said.
The process is handled mainly by the art curator, Samperio said. Durrett said they mostly find art and artists to showcase at the display through Instagram or other forms of networking. Durrett said they wanted the exhibit to be as authentic as possible, so all of the artists featured are Latinx in culture, with the goal to offer a space to share the experiences of those underrepresented.
“The goal is to showcase things that are underrepresented … especially being at a predominantly white institution,” Durrett said, “This one is very colorful and lots of Hispanic and Latino things are very, very colorful, very alive. I wanted the pieces to represent that and collab with artists.”
Durrett said a way the exhibit can benefit those at UIndy is by enabling more information to be shared and accessible. It is beneficial to see “the roots” of where people, like some of the UIndy students, faculty and staff on campus, originated, Samperio said.
“Overall, it gives them a place to feel comfortable where they can show a lot of their culture … and it kind of broadens a lot of the students’ ideas of what they can do in life and what they are capable of even though they are Hispanic,” Samperio said. “Sometimes it is hard to jump into certain things because you feel like that might not be for you or it might not be something you can go towards.”
As far as the art goes, the HLC Delegates, Samperio and Imelda Pozos, created an interactive piece for students to be a part of. There is a map of all Hispanic countries where students will be able to place a pin on the map where they are from or where their families originated, according to Durrett and Samperio.
UIndy has also had an altar for El Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in past years to honor and respect family members and friends that have passed on, but this year it will be housed inside the art gallery to keep it more protected, according to Durrett. This is done in partnership with the Student Organization of Latinx, a registered student organization on campus promoting the Hispanic and Latinx culture on campus, according to its Instagram. Along with the two interactive pieces, there is artwork in the gallery created by artists on campus, local artists as well as one artist who is currently living in Barcelona, according to Durrett.
“If you feel like you don’t have a place to go, just come to the office,” Samperio said. “We will be able to guide you to the right place and be able to help you with whatever you might need.”
