KENT, Ohio – The School of Art Collection and Galleries at Kent State University are pleased to announce a new exhibit “Nexo Entre Raíces / Nexus Between Roots” which will be on display January 27 – March 18, 2023, at the KSU Downtown Gallery, located at 141 East Main Street in Kent, Ohio with a featured Artist Talk: March 3, 12-1 p.m. (CVA 165) and a reception in the KSU Downtown Gallery on March 3, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
The work in this exhibition was organized and collected by El Paso, Texas-based artist Marco Sanchez. It features over 30 works made with a variety of print-making techniques focused on the continuity of Mexican culture through the links between Mexican artists and those who identify as Mexican and live abroad.
“The stories, colors, traditions, and culture of Mexico are heard, felt, and practiced throughout the world. Without a doubt, the main spectator of these cultural treasures outside of Mexico is the United States. Of the more than 62 million Latin people in the United States, roughly 37 million are of Mexican descent…. Nexo Entre Raíces serves as a collection of works in which each artist responds to the passage of time. We question and respond to the call of our roots for the continuity of traditions regardless of time and space. What responsibility do we have when paying homage to our familial and ancestral lineage? For those who have emigrated from our home country, how do we pursue the continuance of the link between its people, its lands, and its roots? The heart seemingly functions as a seed to later be planted anew in order to avoid complete assimilation, in the form of rooted manifestations of cultural persistence.” – Marco Sanchez
About Marco Sanchez
Born in Ciudad Juarez, 1983, Macro Sanchez is a visual artist based out in El Paso, Texas, he received his B.F.A. from the University of Texas El Paso with a double concentration in Painting and Printmaking. Sanchez received his MFA in Printmaking from the Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in May of 2020. He has worked primarily in the Southwestern United States, he has also participated in residencies throughout Mexico, including Mexico City, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Queretaro and in Cleveland at Zygote Press where he also acts as juror for BIPOC fellowship applicants.
Marco Sánchez is a visual artist whose practice is primarily conducted via printmaking, he’s also versed at oil painting, drawing, woodworking and mixed media. His studio investigations have ranged from his relationship with his mentors and peers alike, to his cultural background, folklore, blue-collar laborers. Currently, he is on two series that depict various cultural phenomenon, first of which is a dance series highlighting the importance to precolonial groups of people through México and Mesoamerica.
Sánchez currently serves as a Lecturer Professor at El Paso Community College where he teaches Printmaking, Life Drawing, Drawing I and Art Appreciation. He is currently a Mellow Foundation Fellow in partnership with UTEP and EPCC. He has also worked as a contract Art Preparator for the El Paso Museum of History, The Rubin Center at UTEP and as a Teaching Artists of Printmaking at the El Paso Museum of Art. This year Sánchez attended Gonzaga University as a visiting artist, he was part of the 10th anniversary of Grabadolandia and gave a panel lecture at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. Sánchez also formed part of the 26th Emerging Latin Artist exhibition at Mexic-Arte in Austin and exhibited his work during the biennial Mid-American Print Council conference in Akron and Kent Ohio, where he exhibited with artists like Enrique Chagoya, Carlos Barberena, Miguel Aragon, Juana Hernandez and The Guerrilla Girls.
This exhibit is presented with support from the Ohio Arts Council.
Gallery Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Closed on Sundays.
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About the School of Art
The School of Art at Kent State University was established in 1941 and maintains a tradition of excellence in visual arts education, creation, scholarship, and leadership. Its undergraduate and graduate programs in the visual arts offer a range of directions and opportunities in the fields of art education, art history, and studio art, which includes a comprehensive array of studio disciplines: ceramics, drawing, glass, jewelry/metals/enameling, painting, print media and photography, sculpture and expanded media, and textiles. The School of Art Collection and Galleries consist of six exhibition spaces located on the Kent campus and downtown Kent and a collection of over 4,000 artworks and objects. The School of Art is located at the Center of the Visual Arts at 325 Terrace Dr. in Kent. The 27,900-square-foot facility — twice the length of a football field —had its grand opening in 2016 and houses all School of Art studios and classrooms under one roof.
Images:(Left) Jainite Silvestre, Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Madre Americana / American Mother, Etching with Aquatint/Aguafuerte con Aguatinta, (Middle) Juan De Dios Mora, San Antonio, TX, Canícula, Linograbado/Linocut, (Right) Lacey B. Mills, San Antonio, TX, Regalos de Mi Abuela / Gifts From My Grandmother, Aguafuerte, barniz blando y acuarela / Etching, soft ground and watercolor.