What Did They Create? Student Art Contest Winners

The purpose of The Compass Rose is to raise awareness of Special Collections' resources and to foster the use of these resources. The blog series also reports significant new programs, initiatives, and acquisitions of Special Collections. 

In 2023, UTA Special Collections launched Retro Remix: Archives-Inspired Student Art. The exhibition featured original documents, photographs, maps, sheet music, and more, displayed alongside student "remixes" of those original archival materials.

The exhibit pushed the boundaries of traditional archival use. Usually, we think of archives as research-focused - with collections that help support scholarship in a wide variety of fields. Archival records contain evidence that scholars and students can analyze to create arguments that enrich our understanding of the past.

But with Retro Remix, we had a central idea: Archival materials aren't just evidence, they're COOL! A map from the 1500s might be used to study the development of cartographic knowledge, or the changing geo-political structures... but it can also inspire you to CREATE. 

With that idea in mind, we designed the exhibition in a way that would encourage future creativity! With each "original" we displayed from our collection, we also displayed a QR-code that would allow students to download and create their own artworks. There was also a contest with prizes for winning submissions. Over the year since we opened Retro Remix, we got over 100 entries! Thank you to all of the students who submitted their artwork.

We had some phenomenal entries to the contest, but ultimately had to decide on six winners. Each winner's artwork and the original SPCO materials that inspired it are displayed below!

Creator: Abiel Hernandez, Art - Design Major

Title: Nuestro Historia no se va Esconder

Inspiration: Abiel was inspired by materials relating to Mexican American farmworkers in South Texas during the 1960s and 1970s. These collections "show people what Latinos will do to live a better life", and "give me a fighting spirit, to never give up on something you believe in."

Materials used: AR46-8-12 Migrant Farmworkers' Organizing Committee Records, AR55-2 Pancho Medrano Papers

Creator: Jose Emanuel Aguilar, Art - Animation/Gaming Major

Title: Contamination

Inspiration: Jose was inspired by the artwork of Etta Hulme, a prominent and vitally important editorial cartoonist. UTA Special Collections is the home of Etta Hulme's archive of political cartoons, published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, from 1972-2008. Jose chose to incorporate three different Hulme cartoons on pollution and add his own spin on the topic.

Materials used: Etta Hulme Political Cartoon Archive

Creator: Ben Gervasi, Art History Major

Title: Battle of Cerro Gordo Tunnel Book

Inspiration: Inspired by his interest in 19th Century visual arts and military history, Ben used several resources from Special Collections' "A Continent Divided: The U.S. - Mexico War" website to produce a printed "tunnel book". Popular during the 18th and 19th centuries, tunnel books are a style of interactive art sold as entertainment and often marketed as souvenirs to commemorate special events. A tunnel book’s structure forms a hollow space where panels can be placed to create the illusion of a three-dimensional scene from two-dimensional images. The Battle of Cerro Gordo Tunnel Book utilizes these principles with the inclusion of an interactive flap for the user to lift. To create the tunnel book, the materials used were thick printmaking paper and black ink applied through a Risograph. Additionally, Adobe Photoshop was used to crop the original print used on the back panel. 

The Battle of Cerro Gordo Tunnel Book print brings 18th and 19th century entertainment and storytelling to life. The viewer is first confronted with the battle map of Cerro Gordo on the front panel to set the scene. When lifted, it reveals the military portraits of Antonio López de Santa Anna and Winfield Scott and an illustration of Cerro Gordo. When the viewer looks through the incised portal in the lower panel, the climactic scene of the Battle of Cerro Gordo commences across a total of four layered center panels. The back panel conveys the end of the action with the illustration of dead soldiers, broken equipment and a conclusion statement of the battle. By providing exposition, tension, an explosive climax, and a sudden conclusion the viewer is guided through exciting events at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. Further, the organization of the panels subtlety introduces the underlying juxtaposition of the pomp and reality of war. 

Materials used: Battle of Cerro Gordo, by George C. Furber, and Battle of Sierra Gordo, April 17th and 18th [1847] between Gen. Scott and Santa Anna by James Baillie, ca. 1847

NOTE: Ben Gervasi's piece is interactive. Please come to Special Collections to view it!

Creator: Valeria Toledo, Art Major

Title: History Repeats Itself

Inspiration: Valeria was inspired by the Margarita Rosales scrapbook, compiled in the 1940s. The photo album reminded her of "countless photos my family has kept." Inspired by seeing herself within the archival collections, she recreated a page of the scrapbook featuring her own family photographs (of her and her mother), along with a photograph of Margarita Rosales. "Even through all the years, traditions are repeated."

Materials used: AR785 Margarita Rosales Photograph Album (Also available Digitally!)

Creator: Anthony Ramirez, Architecture Major

Title: Modern Warfare

Inspiration: Anthony was inspired by the representation of guerilla warfare in Carl Nebel's Assault of Contreras, from his seminal work The War Between the United States and Mexico Illustrated. In his words, "the "war" between Mexico and the U.S. is still going on, but we've gotten better at hiding it. While we may no longer be sending 100's of troops to battle - tarrifs, unethical border practices, destructive architecture, and political scare-tactics continue to be acts of hostility between the U.S. and our bordering country."

Materials used: Assault of Contreras by Carl Nebel, from The War Between the United States and Mexico Illustrated