Many families have those photo albums filled with frayed photographs, depicting cherished childhood memories pasted along the aged yellow pages. Oftentimes a sense of nostalgia lingers on the pages. This is the emotion that the exhibit “When the Raven Appears” hopes to evoke.
Following the vinyl raven footprint cutouts into the Bloc Gallery, visitors are met with a collection of photographs capturing beloved childhood memories. These photos depict visits with Santa Claus, beloved pets and time spent with family members.
“When the Raven Appears” was displayed in the Bloc Gallery in the Art and Design Building from Feb. 1-7 and explored the themes of memory and symbolism in everyday life through a carefully curated collection of photographs.
This exhibit is a small window into what Cecilia Lopez, senior in FAA, hopes to do in the future.
“Being an art history major, I wanted to use my resources to build my portfolio,” Cecilia Lopez said. “That means curating things, because that is what I want to go into.”
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Cecilia Lopez said that the idea for the exhibition developed over time but took root in her mind while attending a class called “The Art of the Everyday.” As part of the class, students consumed different styles of art and media that celebrated tiny things that make life worth living. While she initially intended to create this exhibition as a final project for that class, she soon realized that this concept needed more time to develop fully.
“I was going to do my exhibition as a final for that class, but it takes more than one semester to figure that out,” Cecelia Lopez said.
The photographs featured in “When the Raven Appears” were taken by Cecilia Lopez’s father, Mark Lopez, who is a videographer and documented much of her childhood.
“It’s really awesome that I have very documented evidence of me growing up,” Cecilia Lopez said. “He has documented so many things, and he does it from the same point of view as me from when I was little.”
Cecilia Lopez’s exhibition allowed Mark Lopez to revisit his work through a new lens.
“I have not done something like this for a number of years,” Mark Lopez said. “It was good to get back into something and collaborate with somebody with a vision that wasn’t my own.”
The central source of symbolism for the exhibition comes from the raven, an animal that carries deep meaning in many Indigenous cultures. According to Cecilia Lopez, one belief her father passed down to her is that ravens represent ancestors who have passed away and are visiting you.
“So when you see or hear ravens, you kind of just go, ‘Oh, hey, I remember you,’” Mark Lopez said. “I hope that this makes a connection for people that have this collective memory. I think we all have these moments that hopefully my photography has captured, that kind of spurs all of that on and helps us to think back.”
This exhibition also includes an interactive element. Visitors are able to write down and share their own sights, sounds and scents that signify their “raven.” These contributions expanded the exhibit beyond Cecilia Lopez’s personal experiences and included items like jasmine flowers, monarch butterflies and even the Buccee’s logo.
The opportunity to curate an exhibit is a unique experience for students at the University.
“There are not a lot of programs that have these sorts of spaces available for students to do something like this,” said Cassandra Smith, visiting lecturer in FAA. “For a student to engage in this while still being a student is a really important experience.”
The exhibition was well-received by many students and staff, including faculty members in the School of Art and Design.
“The space just really seemed to be filled with joy,” Smith said. “The photographs were really communicating such joy and curiosity about the world, and a sense of community and family.”
