The Blessings of the Mystery Roundtable Discussion
Carolina Caycedo and David de Rozas, Somi Se’k (The Land of the Sun – La tierra del Sol), 2020. Colored pencil on paper. 94 x 70 in. (238.8 x 177.8 cm). Courtesy of the artists. Commissioned by Ballroom Marfa.
The Blessings of the Mystery presents recent work by Carolina Caycedo and David de Rozas, the Visual Arts Center's fall 2021 artists-in-residence, alongside a range of objects from special collections at The University of Texas at Austin. The exhibition addresses themes of environmental activism, encounters between history and memory, Indigenous Rights, and the formation and dissemination of knowledge. In this roundtable discussion, Caycedo and de Rozas are joined by Dr. Martha Menchaca (Department of Anthropology, UT Austin) Dr. Fred Valdez (Director, Texas Archeological Research Laboratory, UT Austin), and Juan Mancias (Tribal Chair, Carrizo/Comecrudo). Their conversation examines ongoing colonization efforts in Texas as they relate to borders, Indigenous sovereignty, reparations, and economic and institutional entanglements that continue to destroy land and communities.
Event Schedule
Masks strongly encouraged
2:30 PM / Exhibition walkthrough with Juan Mancias / Visual Arts Center
3:30 PM / Roundtable discussion / Art Building, Rm. 1.102
5:00 PM / Reception / Visual Arts Center courtyard
For those who wish to attend virtually, the roundtable will also be presented as a Zoom Webinar and YouTube live stream. Webinar attendees will have the option to ask questions of the roundtable participants during a Q&A following the event.
This event is co-presented by the Visual Arts Center, Humanities Texas, and LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections.