Mexican Art at WestConn/Arte Mexicano en WestConn

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This online exhibit is a hopeful preamble to what we intend to be a physical exhibit of Herbert Hofmann-Ysenbourg pieces at the School of Visual and Performing Arts at WCSU.  It was January 2020 when this exhibit was first proposed, and preliminary arrangements were made to mount it for fall of that year.  The timing created many hurdles for this undertaking, and we have had to modify our expectations.

However, from the outset, we knew that we had to research Mexican artists known mostly in Mexico, and we would need a Spanish-speaking colleague to navigate sources that English language searches would not find.  We also decided that this exhibit should also speak the language of its original audience.  Pilar deCola was recommended by Dr. Alba Hawkins of the World Languages Department, and Pilar began assisting with research in the fall of 2021.  

A January Term intern at the WCSU Archives (Benjamin Stevens) had done preliminary research on Hofmann-Ysenbourg but there was still much we did not know.  Most importantly, we did not know how Hofmann-Ysenbourg art was regarded now by the contemporary art community in Mexico, and we also did not know what he looked like. Thanks to Pilar, we now know the answer to both these questions. We even discovered that Hofmann-Ysenbourg authored a book published in Mexico; unfortunately, the one library listed as holding it can't find it.

Along the way, Pilar encountered unresponsive curators, librarians and museum staff who either were over extended or hindered by pandemic restrictions. But we did find more information, like the recently produced short video linked to here. Pilar even employed her nephew, Raul Christian Ramirez Lopez, a student in Mexico City, to be her eyes on the ground.  For his and Pilar's family’s assistance, we are very grateful.

Also along the way, it became apparent that the serendipity that had brought Hofmann-Ysenbourg to us had also brought other pieces of Mexican Art worth highlighting.  So, we opened the umbrella to include pieces that were created by a U.S. artist (Donald Moss) for the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics, and three other works (2 of which from Dr. Al Stewart’s collection).

Appreciation needs also to be expressed to staff at the WCSU Archives who were instrumental in helping us to mount this virtual exhibit; including Stacy Haponik (technical support and photography), Ava Westervelt '22 (photography and her camera), and Karen Keeler '22 (photo set up and support).

Enjoy.

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