Below, you can read what I was able to transcribe from my recordings at the AVAI Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony. To keep the article at a reasonable length, only some of this material was included.
Christina Houle BC WORKSHOP
"If we create art, if we use at as a tool for civic engagement, then we create a more just and equitable society. If we get more people out, creating the cultural products of their city, then we have those voices represented in the curation and the cultivation of the city."
Commissioner John Villarreal
"We are all proud to feature and support the work of artists from our region. Art is not only a means of expression that enhances public spaces, but it brings our community together. The Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, from the National Endowment for the Arts, a sponsor for the [AVAI], found that readers and art participants are more than twice as likely to volunteer in their community... something that we very much appreciate and need in our community. So, I invite the community to participate in upcoming workshops hosted by the [AVAI] and to take an active role in shaping the culture of downtown Brownsville."
Houle
"[AVAI] is a piece of a larger puzzle that is working to celebrate the cultural identity of Brownsville, the things they make this region very unique, and also to celebrate the great diverse demographics that are here.
Another central goal of the Incubator is that we see each building as a member of the community. Not only are we putting an artist residency in downtown Brownsville because downtown Brownsville has such a unique and rich historical narrative. We also are putting it in a vacant space, because each building is a part of the history of the city."
Rene van Haaften
AVAI Curatorial Committee member
Director of Brownsville Museum of Art
"We figured if, in other cities all over the world, the Arts play such a wonderful and important role in the community and also in the forming of the community, why couldn't it happen here in Brownsville? So, we started... with the idea of an Incubator, and we hoped they would supply one of the beautiful old buildings downtown. And we were very delighted to get the grant and start the selection procedure."
40 artists applied. Tough job to choose the three.
"There is a lot of talent downtown. There is a lot of talent in the Valley."
"I think that's the great thing about art incubators. If you start off with these local talented artists here, hopefully this will lead to more... more incubators, more activities, more artists that want to work around downtown and help us transform downtown into a vibrant community."
Ramiro Garza
Asst Director Brownsville Planning Department
"Built around 1870, the San Fernando building takes us back to an Era where the streets in front of us where dirt. And this building would've been a general store selling a variety of goods including building materials, hides, guns and liquor, to name a few. The building has seen its better days and was purchased by the COB a few years ago with the intent of not only restoring but also bringing new activities into the downtown area.
The [AVAI], an effort funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which by the way, is not an easy grant to get, it is a very difficult grant to get, does just that. It takes a building that was empty and transforms the space into an vibrant and active space that provides positive activity and supports the revitalization of our downtown area."
Commissioner Cesar de Leon
"It's a really nice thing to come down, listen to some physical speakers, and get everyone involved, which is really what this residency program would be doing. It will be joining all of our local artists in the community, and I think that's what down is about. It's about creating spaces where we can all come together and really enjoy our city and the amenities that it offers."
This is your downtown. This is your city, and this is your space. And really, one day, we will all be hanging out together. We will have restaurants, we will have bars, we will have all these different spaces. We are seeing a big change in downtown revitalization, and I want to tell everybody that we're going to be ahead of the curve."
Lawrence "Larry" Lof
UTRGV professor emeritus,
Led San Fernando building restoration
"The Incubator we begin in the San Fernando building is an incredibly important thing, because it's the beginning of moving forward on the rest of the restoration of that building." He goes on to explain how the building was created through "ancient traditions," how its bricks originated from a specific community and how it was influenced by "New Orleans flair," as he pointed to its balconies. "I love these buildings because they a truly a unique thing to our area. They're not buildings that were beautifully designed and brought down here with ideas and materials from somewhere else. They grew here naturally, so they speak of our history and they tell stories."
Celeste de Luna
"My work, as an artist, I've considered it to be community-based work, which means it's about my community and the people I work with. I've been considered what they call a "border artist" and a lot of my artwork addresses those issues. I wanted to come and work here today at this residency because of the idea of social practice and engaging the community, talking to people and being able to envelop those voices into my artwork."
Nancy Guevara
"I came here from the east coast because I'm really connected to the border. I feel like part of my soul is here, and I'm really dedicated to the work that's being done here. My approach as an artist in this community is building on the community and cultural wealth of Brownsville, because I truly believe there is a lot of talent here, there is a lot of, just, genius available here. I also believe that true revolution and true progress doesn't happen without taking into account the voices of women and the leadership of women, and so, my project is really about representing women activists in the community who are doing work for other women and for people..."
Rigoberto Gonzales
"I was born on the border and grew up on the border, and though, for a few short periods of my life, I've had to travel for my education, for my art career, to New York or New Mexico, I spent most of my life in border communities. As an artist and art historian, I've always known that the culture is very unique and it hasn't really been depicted enough, especially, I think, in the manner that I try and depict it in. I'm a narrative, representational, figurative artist, and my work deals with social themes and social justice, and that's one of the things I'd really like to work with in the [AVAI]." Gonzales extended an offer to the COB to "find a place where they could do a permanent mural that can be enriching for the community. He hopes to depict the Brownsville community sincerely.
