Arte, cultura y mas: Del Mar College to host Mexican American studies event July 27

Del Mar College will offer a full day of culture and heritage during the tenth Mexican American Studies Summer Seminar on Saturday, July 27.

The "Arte, Cultura y MAS" event, which is free and open to the public, features art, history and culture, touching on topics such as the experiences of farmworkers in South Texas and local Chicano movements. It will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 27 in Music Buildings A and B at Del Mar College's Heritage Campus.

This year's keynote speaker is Santa Barraza, a Kingsville native and a Chicana/Tejana artist. Special guest artists include folklorico dancer Teresa Saldivar, chef Cody Fitzpatrick and mural artists Monica Marie Garcia and Mayra Zamora.

After registration and breakfast from 8-8:30 a.m., Saldivar will deliver welcome remarks and Barraza will give a keynote address at 8:45 a.m.

Attendees can choose between attending various concurrent sessions throughout the day.

This includes sessions from 9:25-10:10 a.m. on an upcoming exhibition in Kingsville featuring three generations of Texas Chicano artists, a photo presentation on migrant life, library resources for local and national Chicano history, the influence of the Mexican Revolution on immigration to the U.S. and a panel discussion on the importance of Mexican American studies.

The next set of sessions will focus on documenting Chicano history, local genealogical research, memories of migrant farmworkers, environmental racism in the Coastal Bend and the influence of Latinas in the Chicano movement in rural Nueces and Kleberg counties.

Mural artists Mayra Zamora and Monica Marie Garcia will speak about their projects in Corpus Christi at 11:10 a.m.

Dancer Teresa Saldivar will discuss the rich history of Mexican dance in South Texas at 11:50 a.m.

Sessions at 12:25 p.m. will focus on disability awareness and accessibility in art, the struggle for control of the Texas-Mexico border, how Mexican identity has shaped experiences with the local environmental justice movement, writing women of color back into Texas history and the work of Carlos Caballero and Vincent Valdez.

At 1:15 p.m., assistant professor Isabel Araiza, former Del Mar College writer Rosa Linda Reynoso and Judge Hilda Tagle will discuss the life and legacy of Mike Anzaldua, who established the Del Mar College Mexican American studies program.

Afternoon sessions at 2:05 p.m. will cover quinceañeras, a beginner lesson on Spanish for everyday use, the history of the League of United Latin American Citizens in South Texas and Corpus Christi and a live poetry reading by Elizabeth Flores,.

A 2:55 p.m. session by chef Cody Fitzpatrick will focus on the history of vanilla and its use in Mexican cuisine. Attendees will be able to sample recipes.

The event will conclude with door prizes.

To reserve a spot or learn more about the event, visit https://delmar.edu/degrees/mexican-american-studies/summer/.

The event highlights the college's Mexican American Studies program, which includes courses on the Spanish language and Mexican American history, art, music, humanities, literature and politics.

"The program provides a solid background in dealing with and working in the increasingly multicultural environment of the present and future," Del Mar College President Mark Escamilla writes in a welcome message for the event.

Del Mar College, which is a Hispanic Serving Institution, added an associate of arts degree in Mexican American studies in 2011. Five years later, it established a Center for Mexican American Studies on the Heritage Campus.

The summer seminar aims to provide the opportunity for "open, enjoyable and productive dialogue," according to a message from Del Mar College vice president and chief academic officer Jonda Halcomb.