A canvas painted by local artist Hugo Medina depicting several different Hispanic cultures hangs in Delph Courtyard in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and the contributions and achievements made by those in the Hispanic community.
The mural was done last year as a part of Medina’s Calle 16 project, a project started in 2009 in the hopes of shedding a positive light on the art in and around Phoenix after the passage of Arizona SB 1070. The striking canvas depicts several Hispanic cultures including Ecuador, Argentina and Columbia, and represents different Hispanic cultures coming together as one.
Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o studies junior Paula Hernandez said she believes that art has the power to have a great impact on students who see it displayed on campus.
“I think the West campus has done great in representing art on campus,” she said. “I like how Hispanic Heritage Month is expressed through art, because it gives us as Hispanics the opportunity to show the world who we are.”
The painting took place last year during Hispanic Heritage Month and proudly hangs at the West campus for a second year in a row. Students pass by the canvas on a daily basis on their way to class, sometimes stopping to take a closer look.
Communications sophomore Esmeralda Lechuga-Gutierrez stopped to take a picture of the mural on her way to her afternoon class. She explained that she stopped because she was drawn in by all the bright colors and had to get a better look.
“I stopped to look at the mural because I love the way the art is representative of a variety of Hispanic cultures,” she said. “I feel sometimes that Hispanic Heritage Month emphasizes on certain cultures and certain countries but in reality, it’s a melting pot of all Hispanic cultures and the way the artist captured it all is beautiful.”
The canvas mural is the fourth one that Medina has done for ASU. With each one, a different artist was brought in to help Medina come up with a design to honor the different aspects of Hispanic culture.
“We are so diverse as a Hispanic community,” Medina said. “This mural showcases that diversity.”
Art is heavily incorporated within the Hispanic community and other cultural communities alike. Hispanic Honor Society member and secondary education junior Deborah Quintanilla said she feels that art should be displayed on campuses throughout the entire school year, and not just during celebratory months.
“I feel like cultural artwork should be displayed year-round, not just during Hispanic Heritage Month or Pacific Islander Month or Black History Month," she said. "We have so many people coming to our school who identify with different backgrounds, and I think they’d be appreciative to see their culture being represented at their school."
The mural will hang at the West campus all the way through the end of Hispanic Heritage Month on Oct. 15th. If you want to see Medina’s piece, venture out to Glendale to take in this immaculate painting celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month.
Reach the reporter at samantha.n.diaz@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @electrasam
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