GOCA to open We Are You Project as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month

Joe Pena, “First Mexican on Mars.”

The We Are You Project, a new exhibit featuring 30 Latino/a artists, will open Sept. 5 and continue through Oct. 11 at the GOCA1420 gallery, Centennial Hall Room 201.

A series of events are scheduled for Sept. 13.

• 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Symposium featuring six artists’ presentations organized by Andrea Herrera, professor, Women’s and Ethnic Studies Program.
• 3 p.m. Gallery Tour with artists.
• 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Public reception.
• All events are free and open to the public.

As part of the 2014 national celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, GOCA is featuring 30 world-renowned visual artists. Three artists work in Colorado. The unique transcultural project was coordinated by Herrera, Daisy McConnell, director, UCCS Galleries of Contemporary Art, and Raúl Villarreal, chair, We Are You Project International exhibition/events committee.

Artists included in this exhibit are: José Acosta, Josephine Barreiro, Hugo X. Bastidas, Monica S. Camin, Jacqui Casale, Pablo Caviedes, Carlos Chavez, Williams Coronado, Laura  L. Cuevas, Maritza Davila, EfrenAve, Ricardo Fonseca, Quintin Gonzalez, Roberto Márquez, Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, Lisette Morel, Gabriel Navar, Isabel Alvarez Nazario, Julio Nazario, Anthony Ortega, Joe Peña,  Duda Penteado, Mel Ramos, Ana Laura Rivera, George Rivera, José  Rodeiro, Marta Sanchez-Dallam, Patricio Moreno Toro, Sergio Villamizar, and Raúl Villarreal.

Roberto Márquez, Niño Árbol

The exhibit and symposium are sponsored by UCCS Women’s and Ethnic Studies Program, the UCCS Center for Government and the Individual, and The Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion.

According to We Are You Project International, the artists were motivated to participate in the Colorado exhibition to highlight inaction on U.S. immigration reform, the plight of 50,000 undocumented Central American child refugees awaiting entry to the U.S. and increasing violence in the U.S. against Latino/as. The dilemmas confronting 21st Century Latino/as are addressed by many of the artists.

Founded in 2005 by Duda Penteado, a Brazilian-American artist and filmmaker; Carlos Hernandez, a Puerto-Rican and former President of New Jersey City University; and Mario Tapia, a Chilean-American, and President of The Latino Center on Aging, the We Are You Project is a comprehensive Latino/a arts initiative. It focuses on current Latino/a socio-cultural, political, and economic conditions; and reflects the triumphs, achievements, risks and challenges affecting all Latino/as within and outside the U.S.

GOCA is a regional hub of contemporary art, culture, and conversation. By featuring world-class artists, hosting artist and expert talks, and offering meaningful events, GOCA engages UCCS students, faculty, staff and Pikes Peak Region community members in contemporary culture and life. GOCA has two galleries, one founded on the UCCS campus in 1981, and a satellite downtown location opened in 2010 in the Plaza of the Rockies building.