CAD head reflects on 2024

(Courtesy photo/SBCAD)

By ARABELLA SERRATA
editor@sbnewspaper.com

The San Benito Cultural Arts Department (CAD) staff is reflecting on the events and programs they conducted throughout the year.

In February, the department welcomed pop surrealist Veronica Jaeger for her exhibit, “Nova Aurora.” The art explored “Bubble Boy” and “Bubble Girl” and their “whimsical landscapes, blending folk stories, myths and symbolism,” according to the CAD.

During April, La Unión del Pueblo Entero [LUPE] worked with the CAD to bring, “Cultivando Nuestras Semillas” to life. Part of the attraction featured wooden puppets of United Farm Workers founders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, and artifacts from the organization’s history in the Rio Grande Valley [RGV].

They were made in 2023 for the Cesar Chavez march, crafted out of cotton, paint, fabric and cardboard, and are controlled with bamboo sticks. The attraction was to commemorate LUPE’s 20th anniversary of organizing in the RGV.

June saw the “Due South 2024” exhibit, which featured public sculptures, installations and photographs from artists across Texas. According to the official Texas Sculpture Group [TSG], an official partner of the event, “Due South” featured artists from TSG and was juried by Alexis Ramos, artist, curator and lecturer at South Texas College, and Aledia Garcia, San Benito CAD Director.

For August, Leia Hernandez presented “Cruzando Fronteras.” In it, she used textiles to explore personal and cultural narratives that aimed to spark conversation on migration and immigration. According to an online post published by the San Benito CAD, the exhibition was shown in two series. The first was called, “The Tapestries,” which featured the aforementioned fabric to show rich imagery made on bed sheets. The second series, “Las Labores,” is a series of framed quilts that present household employment such as gardening, cooking, nannying and more.

September recognized popular San Benito legend, and Country Music star Freddy Fender. This exhibit celebrated the 50-year anniversary of, “Before the Last Teardrop Falls,” Fender’s groundbreaking breakout hit, and Fender’s life. The exhibit began with a proclamation ceremony for Charley Crockett, another San Benito celebrity making his mark on the Country Music scene.

In October, Ballet Nepantla’s Mistica celebrated the folklore behind Dia de los Muertos. According to the event’s online listing, it featured a free performance of Folklorico mixed with modern dance and ballet. The artists behind the event, Andrea Guajardo and Martín Rodríguez, brought their backgrounds in dance together to bring their “new form of expression” to the museum.

To close the year, “Life and Death on the Border” sheds light on a turbulent era for the United States-Mexico borderlands. The CAD worked with the Refusing to Forget Project and the Bullock Museum to present a “powerful exhibition,” according to Garcia. The exhibit paid tribute to those impacted by the violent landscape, which ravaged the area from 1910-1920.

Garcia expressed genuine passion for each of the projects the CAD took on throughout the year, embracing “the ability to reach out to different folks and bring their knowledge to our community.”

Garcia spoke about the Freddy Fender exhibit, and how it took her four years to develop and come together with the creative minds behind the project.

“It took a lot of patience, working and discussion,” said Garcia.

According to Garcia, the CAD plans several women-focused exhibits for Women’s History Month in March. CAD staff will also work on the upcoming Author Con, slated for Feb. 14-15. To officially say goodbye to the Freddy Fender exhibit, the San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum is holding, “Vistas Con Freddy” on Jan. 4 from 2-4 p.m.

The San Benito Cultural Heritage Museum is located at 250 E Heywood Street.