Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrated Through Campus Events

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BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The art, music and overall influence of Hispanic and Latin culture in the U.S. is being celebrated at Illinois Wesleyan University during National Hispanic American Heritage Month.

The monthly holiday, which runs Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, serves as a time to recognize those who identify as Hispanic, Latine or Spanish, and to celebrate the independence of their native countries.

Coordinator of the Basic Language Sequence and Language Resource Center Cristina Almeida Vélez said Hispanic Heritage Month provides time to reflect on the diverse identities that shape the Latine community while acknowledging various layers of history and language.

“We celebrate Latine/Hispanic Heritage Month by exploring the rich stories conveyed through art, music, poetry and textiles — each a testament to our shared history,” she said. “While Spanish is widely spoken, we also honor the presence of Portuguese in Brazil and the more than 560 Indigenous languages spoken across Latin America and Spain. Together, we celebrate the beauty of these languages and cultures, woven into the fabric of Latine identity."

OCHO in Honduras Presentation

Dr. Sáenz de Tejada will give a presentation titled “OCHO in Honduras” at 11 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 23, in State Farm Hall room 102, on the collaborative healthcare outreach efforts in Honduras. Sáenz de Tejada has been traveling to Honduras for over 20 years with the Organization for Community Health Outreach (OCHO).

Sponsored by the IWU Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures (WLLC) and the IWU Global Engagement UISFL Grant, visitors will hear about Sáenz de Tejada’s successes and challenges in the field, and how OCHO is working to build collaborative, culturally inclusive and sustainable healthcare partnerships in rural communities of Honduras.

Arpilleras at Merwin Gallery

An exhibit titled “Embroidering Histories: The Chilean Arpilleras 1973 to 2023” is on display through Oct. 16 at IWU’s Merwin Gallery in the Joyce Eichhorn Ames School of Art..

Arpilleras, or brightly colored burlap fabric joined through applique, are described as a powerful Chilean art form that create multi-dimensional works of protest and resistance. The textile art was used as an artistic response to authoritarianism in 1973 when armed forces of Chile overthrew the administration in a coup, resulting in one of the most violent times in Chilean history.

The works on display at Merwin Gallery were loaned by world renowned Chilean poet and activist Marjorie Agosín as part of the collective of the Association of the Detained and the Missing from the University of New Mexico Latin American & Iberian Institute. All the pieces are anonymous for the sake of security of the artists at the time of creation.

“The Arpilleras are storytellers, for it is through them that these women have recorded and preserved the memory of a period of Chilean history that many others have chosen to forget,” said Agosín.

Professor of Art History and Visual Culture Melissa Johnson, of the Illinois State University Wonsook Kim School of Art, will visit campus to present an Arpillera Workshop on Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6-7:30 p.m. at Merwin Gallery.

More information about this exhibit and the current display at Wakeley Gallery are available at iwu.edu/art/galleries. A reception and artist talk will also take place at both galleries on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m.

Musical Journey Through Latin America

The community is invited to a free concert by the Director of ISU’s School of Music Adriana La Rosa Ransom and her father Pablo La Rosa from 5-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at Illinois Wesleyan's Hansen Student Center. Live music from Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay will accompany son, bolero, bossa, cumbia, cha cha chá and tango dancing. Featured instruments include guitar, cello, clave, guiro and maracas.

This event is sponsored by Illinois Wesleyan’s Language Resource Center and The Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures.

Student Events with SALSA

The IWU registered student organization Spanish And Latine Student Association (SALSA) is also hosting activities throughout the month to promote Hispanic culture, heritage and diversity on campus. Events are announced regularly on the group’s Instagram page: @iwusalsa.

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