Mexican-born artist’s exhibit kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month at STCC
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College launches the fall semester with a Hispanic Heritage Month exhibition titled “The Shell in the Clouds / El Caparazón en las Nubes” by Mexican-born artist Pável Acevedo, on view through October 6, 2023.
Los Angeles-based Pável Acevedo will be in Springfield Sept. 20 and 21 for a series of in-person events focused on Hispanic Heritage Month, including an artist talk, meet and greet community reception, student engagement activities, demonstration of printmaking techniques, and a live Zoom broadcast of a Carberry Conversations interview.
STCC, the only technical community college in Massachusetts, is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, which means at least 25 percent of the students identify as Latina/Latino/Latinx
Acevedo is a printmaker and muralist whose meticulously carved linoleum and woodblock plates include an array of mythological characters inspired by the Zapotec stories shared by his grandfather. In a contemporary context, his imagery tackles issues of migration and immigration, borders and the duality many immigrants contend with after leaving their homeland for a new nation.
The exhibition's title, “The Shell in the Clouds / El Caparazón en las Nubes,” derives from the belief that Zapotec rulers descended from the clouds and that when they died, they returned there. For this reason, Oaxacans are known as the "People of the Clouds." These centuries-old stories have inspired Pavel's practice and are interwoven throughout his work.
The prints in this exhibition were created during his “Beyond the Press” residency at Self Help Graphics & Art in California in 2020. His artwork is filled with highly detailed otherworldly sea creatures, half-human/half-animals (nahuales) leading the viewer on a journey. For example, the "nahuales" in “When We Fight, We Win (El grabador/ eating fire),” represent wild animals forced to adapt to urbanization and eventually become active participants in a new system–much like migrants who move from one country to another.
"The images created in this series are a celebration of the rebelliousness that is part of ourselves," says Acevedo.
The gallery and all associated events are free and open to the public. Carberry Conversations are free and open to the public via Zoom. Please register in advance.
Carberry Conversations will take place Wednesday, Sept. 20, 3 p.m., with a live Zoom broadcast of a conversation between professor and gallery coordinator Sondra Peron and exhibiting artist Pavel Acevedo. Link to Zoom interview: stcc.io/conversations. Carberry Conversations is a series of virtual talks throughout the academic year between Professor Peron and exhibiting artists whose work is on view at the Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery.
The exhibition and associated events are supported in part by the School of Liberal and Professional Studies (LAPS) and the Fine Arts (A.A.) program.
About the Gallery
The Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery at Springfield Technical Community College features works by artists of local and national repute as well as STCC student work. The gallery is located in Building 28, the first floor, on the Pearl Street side of the STCC campus. The gallery is supported in part by funding from the School of Liberal and Professional Studies. Find the 'Amy H. Carberry Fine Arts Gallery' on Facebook
About Springfield Technical Community College
STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.