Oct. 3-31: Interactive exhibit returns to focus on stereotypes, identity 

By McKenna Miller, intern, College of Education

Carvajal Nancy WSU Under the Skin exhibit
Carvajal

PULLMAN, Wash. – An interactive exhibit about stereotypes and identity, titled “Under the Skin: Dismantling Borders within Borders,” will be hosted by Washington State University’s Center for Mestizo and Indigenous Research and Engagement Oct. 3-31, in Gallery 3 of the Fine Arts Building. A reception will be held 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5.

“Under the Skin” invites community members to dismantle stereotypes and labels by listening to multiple stories, interacting with the artists and commenting on the experience.

“Under the Skin” began last year with six workshops that focused on forming people’s identities through acrylics, creative writing, photography and other artistic expressions.

In addition to the interactive exhibit, there once again will be a series of six workshops, starting Sept. 7.

“It is our human nature, especially here in the United States where people come from so many different backgrounds, to label ourselves and find out where we belong,” said Maribel Bustos, a participant in last year’s workshops. “[The workshops] helped us go beyond those labels and try to understand all the common experiences we all have as human beings. It was a safe place to talk about this stuff without being prosecuted or judged.”

When the series started last year, the focus was on indigenous principles of relationality, reciprocity and respect. It created a space for dialogue and healing.

“Under the Skin,” administrators said, offers a safe space where individuals from different ethnic backgrounds can gather and reclaim their right to tell the stories of who they are, and challenge conceptual borders that constrain their identity.

For more information, visit: www.education.wsu.edu/undertheskin or email Nancy Carvajal at n.carvajalmedina@wsu.edu.

 

Media Contact: 

  • C. Brandon Chapman, communications director, College of Education, 509-335-6850, b.chapman@wsu.edu