Call for Visual Art Entries: The 2010 UTSA English Graduate Student Symposium

"Wild Tongues: Concepts of the Untamed in Scholarship, Teaching, Writing, and Beyond”

Exhibition: May 1, 2010 in San Antonio, TX

Location: The University of Texas San Antonio, Downtown

501 W. Durango St., San Antonio, Texas, 78207

“How do you tame a wild tongue, train it to be quiet, how do you bridle and saddle it? How do you make it lie down?”

- Gloria Anzaldúa

What does it mean to be wild? Certainly “wild” is often a term associated with the unnatural, the uncultivated, or the abnormal. Throughout history, the wildest ideas have been the first to be subverted and repressed by dominant forces. Must our wild tongues be tamed, or cut out, as Gloria Anzaldúa posits in her essay “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”?

We are seeking to house art that embraces the thoughts and questions that Anzaldúa opened up for us during her lifetime and that continue to inform and inspire us today on the sixth anniversary of her passing. The exhibit is an opportunity to continue these conversations and expand the space for dialogue within the broader community.

Artists selected to participate in the “Wild Tongues” exhibit are those whose work begins with the self, with their own identities, histories, experiences, and ways of relating to the world and who simultaneously “go deep into the world” with a vision for justice and social change.

We welcome work that explores the following suggested, but not limited to, concepts of Anzaldúa's life and work:

Language, Desire, Sexuality, Borderlands, Queer Identity, Spirituality, Nepantla, Science Fiction, Popular Culture, Mestizaje, Environmental Studies

We are looking for artwork that is politically charged, aesthetically innovative, and that addresses one or more of the above-mentioned topics. We welcome artwork not normally displayed in a traditional gallery setting. There are no fees for entries.

In addition to the exhibit, there will be a silent auction to benefit the English Graduate Student Symposium. If you are interested in donating artwork for auction please indicate “Silent Auction” in your submission.

Please note the following timeline:

  • Photographs of original works may be submitted digitally via e-mail to Magda Garcia at . Please include name and institutional affiliation, if any. Each artist may forward up to four submissions.

Deadline for entry submissions is Monday, March 15, 2010.

  • Notification of acceptance will be sent to artists via email or by phone on Tuesday,

April 21st, 2009.

For questions: email Magda Garcia .

Facebook: “Wild Tongues”