Young Hearts, Young Minds @ Larson Art Gallery
Wednesday 16 April @ 13:12:40 |
 by Jenny Assef
Walking into the Young Minds, Young Hearts exhibit is like entering a wild waking dream, but my dreams don’t get this colorful. The show, which features art by 9th to 12th graders from El Colegio Charter School, proves imagination is not commensurate with age. The works gleam with unfettered creativity.
Along the back wall, self-portraits line up, waiting to introduce themselves. I recall an array of self-portrait assignments in junior high and high school, but I don’t remember seeing results like these. There is a sincerity to the pieces, a certain sense of pride that shines through. Mauricio Lopez’s “Soy Azteca” pictures the artist donning an Adidas coat and headphones, standing in front of several Aztec symbols, demonstrating the multilayered nature of identity. Dara Beaulieu’s untitled piece shows her standing with the words “Native Pride” drawn brightly at her back. The portraits are so charged with personality, it’s as if Mauricio, Dara, Dulce, Stephanie and Gabriel are standing right in front of you.
Also impressive are the large multimedia wall sculptures created during a workshop on art and activism. No material has been overlooked; frying pans, wooden fruits, stuffed animals and gilded mirrors all made their way into these works. Bryan Burgos’ “That ‘70s Sign” includes old records, a bicycle wheel, crosses, and a bible. “My piece is regarding freedom of belief and religion, and freedom of expression. I put records for expression and the cross and bible for belief,” Burgos explains. Carla Sosa’s “Derechos de los Imigrantes” incorporates painted plates, ears of corn and tapestries. The piece is about “los immigrantes que son explotados. Trabajando muchas horas y con muy bajos salarios (immigrants who are exploited, working many hours for low pay),” Sosa says.
On another wall, a series of collages present extraordinary creatures, the sort never seen in the animal kingdom: a flying leopard, a gorilla with human legs, a strange bird whose head emerges from its behemoth wing. These creatures are joined by a number of exquisite papier mâché animal figurines who belong to the landscape of dreams, or possibly nightmares—I wouldn’t want to meet Leopoldo Hernandez’s dragon or Antonio Hernandez’s “pausaurus” in a dark alley. Thank goodness they lock the gallery at night.
Young Minds, Young Hearts runs through May 9. Larson Art Gallery, U of M St. Paul Student Center, 2017 Buford Ave., St. Paul. Hours : M,T,W, F 10 a.m. – 5 p.m and Th 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Closed weekends. 612-625-0214.
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