AS Review - January 11, 2016

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Western’s first ebike is here A SAF project bringing electronic bikes to Western’s community introduces its first bike, page 4

Stay active this winter with Morgan Annable Catch up on our new column and explore ways to stay active outside in Bellingham’s winter months, page 4 Vol. 31 #13 01.11.16

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Campus on a snowy day. Cover photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

Viking Union 411 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone: 360.650.6126 Fax: 360.650.6507 Email: as.review@wwu.edu as.wwu.edu/asreview @TheASReview facebook.com/theasreview © 2015. Published most Mondays during the school year by the Associated Students of Western Washington University.

Weekly club spotlight: Mariachi de WWU COLUMN BY: CHRIS BESETHERWICK The sounds of Guitarrónes, violins, trumpets and guitars fill the streets of Mexican cities, and they can now be heard here on campus.

The Mariachi de WWU club invites students on campus to listen, learn and perform the sounds of Mariachi Tradicional.

Club president Flor Reyes and Pedro Perez started recruiting for their club in early September, as the AS just recently granted them club status.

“Flor and I have been working on this project for a good year,” Perez said. “It’s a passion of Flor, it’s a part of my culture and of course it’s one of my passions as well.”

During the summer, Reyes and Perez traveled to Guadalajara and attended the Mariachi Tradicional Festival.

There, the connections they established spurred them to create the club.

“We went to Guadalajara...to learn a little more about

Mariachi Tradicional,” Perez said. “We made some good connections and we decided it would be a good time to go ahead and get it going here at Western.”

The club has less than 10 members as of now but looks to grow.

“We opened this up to create a space for other latinos on this all-white campus to be able to identify with the music,” Perez said, “but it’s open for everyone.”

While members are important to the club, their vision is their defining quality.

“Our hope is to get out there in the community. Not only just perform, but involve the community in Mariachi tradicional,” Reyes said.

Beyond that, the club strives to eventually become a class. Lately they have been working with Fairhaven College and the Music department to organize the course.

The Mariachi Club de WWU would like represent the Latino culture through Mariachi tradicional and unite the Mexican community at Western.

The AS Review is an alternative weekly that provides coverage of student interests such as the AS government, activities and student life. The Review seeks to enhance the student experience by shedding light on underrepresented issues, inclusive coverage, informing readers and promoting dialogue.

We welcome reader submissions, including news articles, literary pieces, photography, artwork or anything else physically printable. Email submissions to as.review@wwu.edu.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please limit your letter to 300 words, include your name, phone number and year in school, if you’re a student.

Send them to as.review@wwu.edu. Published letters may have minor edits made to their length or grammar.

Editor in Chief Assistant Editor Lead Photographer Writers

Marina Price Alexandra Bartick Trevor Grimm Morgan Annable Chris Besetherwick Will McCoy Marina Price

Adviser Jeff Bates

A Western student DJs his show at KUGS’s studio. Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

01.11.16 3

EVENTS Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder Screening Tuesday, Jan. 12 // 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. // VU MPR // Free Co-hosted by the AS Disability Outreach Center, BRAVE and Western’s Counseling Center this event will help students get information on SAD. The event will also offer screening and relief from SAD.

Viking Radio Theatre club meeting Tuesday, Jan. 12 // 4 - 6 p.m. // Miller Hall 135 // Free Viking Radio Theatre’s club meetings are a chance to catch up on the production of the radio program; audition for parts, rehearse upcoming episodes, and listen to upcoming scripts. The club maintains a creative atmosphere where writers, actors, and people just interested in radio theatre can come and collaborate on a number of projects.

Open Mic Night Tuesday, Jan. 12 // 7 - 9 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free Open Mic Night at the Underground Coffeehouse is starting up again.

Registration starts at 6:30 p.m.

Improper Conduct Wednesday, Jan. 13 // 2:30 - 5 p.m. // Miller Hall 121 // Free Screening and presentation of the documentary film Improper Conduct: a debate between dissident subjects of patriarchy and the Cuban government.

Conducta impropia (improper conduct) was a term created by the Cuban government in the 1960’s illegalizing any sexual orientation other than heterosexuality. Sponsored by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

Top 10 albums of 2015 1

Carrie and Lowell Sufjan Stevens

2

I Love You, Honeybear Father John Misty

3

Another One Mac Demarco

4

Currents Tame Impala

Karaoke Night

5

Thursday, Jan. 14 // 7 9 p.m. // Underground Coffeehouse // Free

Dark Red Shlohmo

6

Another Eternity Purity Ring

Karaoke Night at the Underground Coffeehouse is starting up again.

Registration starts at 6:30 p.m.

7

Depression Cherry Beach House

Ice Climbing Weekend 8

All Possible Futures Miami Horror

Jan. 15 - 18 // Canada // $170

1000 Palms Surfer Blood

Join the AS Outdoor Center for a weekend of ice climbing in Canada. No experience necessary.

9 10

Choose Your Weapons Hiatus Kaiyote KUGS is the Associated Students’ student-run radio station. Listen online at kugs.org. If you’re interested in getting on the waves, pick up a volunteer application in the station’s office on the seventh floor of the VU.

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Stay active this winter Western’s first ebike is here with Morgan Annable: hiking Fragrance Lake

BY MARINA PRICE

Fragrance Lake frozen over in early January. Photo by Morgan Annable // AS Review Whether you made a New Years resolution to get outside more, or you are just looking for a fun hike before the quarter really gets into full swing, check out the Fragrance Lake trail.

The Fragrance Lake trailhead is located on Chuckanut Drive, across from the Larrabee State Park parking lot. Parking in any of the designated parking areas costs $10 per day or is free with a Discover Pass, which costs $30 for a year. Both day passes and Discover Passes can be purchased in the Larrabee State Park parking lot.

The trail to Fragrance Lake is restricted to hikers only, no mountain bikers, equestrians, or backpackers, although many nearby trails do not share that restriction.

The Whatcom Trails Association puts year-round effort into maintaining the trail so that, even in the middle of winter, it never gets too muddy or eroded for even the most casual of hikers to enjoy. The 950 feet of elevation gain consists of multiple switchbacks which serve to increase the ease of hiking or running the trail.

A couple miles into the hike, you will come to a sign that announces a three-quartermile loop that circumnavigates the lake. Along the loop there are multiple openings in the trees which provide viewpoints and swimming opportunities in the summer.

This time of year, instead of swimming, go out for a hike on a particularly cold day and you might luck into a frozen lake. On the day I hiked to Fragrance Lake, I started to hear the strangest noises as I approached the lake. It sounded like a sound effect from a science fiction film. Upon reaching the first viewpoint, I realized it was the otherworldly sound of rocks skipped across the frozen surface of the lake, not a lightsaber battle.

The sounds produced by skipping stones over ice depends on the way the ice formed in the first place. Low-pitched noises result from opaque ice formed when snow falls on the surface of a lake and freezes there. The grains within the ice absorb some of the noise. High-pitched chirps occur on translucent ice which forms in cold but nonsnowy weather.

Even if Bellingham doesn’t get another icy spell, Fragrance Lake is a fun hike with beautiful views at any time of year.

Beth Hartsoch, Research Analyst for Western’s Office of Survey Research, first had the idea to bring electric assisted bicycles to Western as she herself was cycling up the steep hill to campus.

“I ride my bike to work, and I’ve been working here for eight years,” Hartsoch said. “I have people say to me ‘oh I’d love to ride- but that hill.”

Bellingham is known for its steep inclines. Much of downtown is only slightly above sea-level, which makes its hills, some of which, according to the United States Census Bureau, climb to 800 feet, difficult to summit on a bicycle. Hartsoch hopes that introducing electric bikes to students, faculty and staff at Western will encourage those who commute to campus to consider cycling as a viable alternative to cars.

“No one is just going to walk into a shop and buy a $2000 electric bike, especially without having tried it, knowing anyone who has, or knowing if it was going to be successful,” Hartsoch said.

The bikes will be made available through the Sustainable Action Fund, and the first one is already here. The bike is a tricycle designed to carry cargo, and is currently being used by the Publicity Center to distribute media like the New York Times, and this very copy of the AS Review, across campus.

Hartsoch and the rest of the Viking ebike team hope to introduce two electric bicycles by Spring quarter. The bikes will be available for students and staff to lease out for short term (a few days) or long term (a whole quarter) periods where users will test out the bike to see if it could meet their transport needs. The bikes will come with accessories like helmets, locks and bells.

According to a press release from Sustainable Transport Program Assistant Rachel Morris, the bikes will have a 400wh motor and come with ample cargo space, and are made by the electric bike company Solex. Those interested will receive a training before they venture out on the bicycle.

The project has received interest from many campus entities, including off-campus offices looking to replace the fleet vehicles that they require for transportation to and from campus with more environmentally friendly and cost efficient alternatives.

Morris’ press release emphasizes that the goal of the project is to illustrate that “ebikes can displace vehicles for many trips made by Western community members. They can reduce costs, parking demand, environmental impact and have positive health benefits for riders.”

Although the trike that is on campus now is being used primarily by the Publicity Center, expect to see opportunities for demos this winter quarter popping up around campus. These demos will give students and staff the opportunity to learn how to use and take a spin on the bicycles, and familiarize themselves with the concept of an electric bike.

If you would like to apply for a chance to use one of these bikes for a quarterly session, go to wwu.edu/q/ebikecommuter. If your department, office or residence hall would like to apply to use one, go to wwu.edu/q/ebikedepartment. The project is also welcoming feedback and other input from students. If you’d like to contribute, contact Rachel Morris at Rachael.Morris@wwu.edu.

Jeff Bates rides the new ebike down High Street.

The ebike was purchased by an SAF grant.

Photo by Alexandra Bartick // AS Review

01.11.16 5

How it works: a KUGS in-studio

BY CHRIS BESETHERWICK Since 1974, Western’s acclaimed student-run Radio KUGS broadcasts music and news daily to Bellingham and online listeners. Another aspect of the station are their scheduled in-studios which feature artists from Bellingham, and renowned artists like Eric D. Johnson of The Shins.

These special sessions are not easily established. For an in-studio to occur, several of the KUGS’ upper-management are needed. The difficulty lies within the scheduling.

“Usually a band will hit us up who wants to perform,” Nika Rene, one of the music directors at KUGS said. “We schedule it when everybody is available. We can’t do it on break, we can’t do it on weekends.”

Considering these constraints, in-studios are not able to happen very frequently. KUGS is aiming for four to five in studios this quarter. However, last quarter there were none due to planning difficulties and simply their lack of a large staff.

“We definitely need more employees,” Renee said.

Regardless, the completion of an in-studio demonstrates the cohesiveness of the KUGS staff. The process is long, but it gets done. To perform an in-studio the first step is booking the band, which is difficult not only because of limited time, but because often times artists approach KUGS without content.

“There are a lot of bands who don’t have anything online,” Renee said. “No recordings, no bandcamp, soundcloud, whatever. We have to say no to them...they have no following and we don’t know who they are.”

When KUGS is successful in booking a band, the next step is preparing interview questions. News and Public Affairs director Briana Dearing begins researching the bands to compile interview questions.

“I find out as much as I can about them,” Dearing said. “I look up their past albums, any reviews, where they’ve been, things about their life so I can get a good idea of what questions to ask. Basically your standard profile interview.”

The interview component is a rare, and meaningful portion of the in-studio. The interview portion presents the musicians very intimately to the audience. Rather than listening to recorded music on KUGS, listeners can not only hear a band’s live performance to further gauge their interest, but also learn more about the band.

“It’s really cool we can have a band in with us and it’s a live interview,” Dearing said. “It’s a way to get the listeners to engage more.”

Once every necessary preparation has been made, the band finally comes in. Kirsten Basinet, the station’s maintenance engineer is in charge of recording.

“Kirsten wires everything,” Dearing said.

During the recording, Dearing interviews the band, they then play songs and repeat until the in-studio ends.

“We banter back and forth,” Dearing said. “We just kind of talk to each other.”

Afterwards, Dearing then edits the recording and posts it to the KUGS soundcloud.

KUGS hopes to feature two bands from the greater Seattle area this quarter.

“We are trying to get ‘Car Seat Headrest’ and ‘Nightspace,’

but those are very tentative,” Renee said. “We just reached out to Car Seat Headrest because he’s playing at The Buffalo next month.”

Despite the grueling process of scheduling an in-studio, the staff members at KUGS welcome the challenge.

“It’s definitely tough, but I don’t mind because I like it so much,” Dearing said.

KUGS sets the bar for college radio and their in-studios prove it.

“I mean, Snoop Dogg never got back to us but it’s good for the community to hear some variety on KUGS,” Renee said. It’s a form of outreach, especially when you have local bands play. Then KUGS doesn’t seem so robotic. It’s all live. It definitely humanizes KUGS.

and Monique Kerman of the Art History department.

The Center for International Studies started hosting the film series two years ago. “We were looking for a way to bring international perspectives to campus without breaking our budget and without repeating what others are already doing,” Hamblin said. “We also like films.”

Hamblin and her fellow Center for International Studies faculty collaborate with Western Libraries to bring films that add to the campus community in unique ways.

“The themes vary greatly,” Hamblin said. “Already this year we’ve discussed the plight of decommissioned nuclear plants, assisted suicide in Spain, and the experience of transgender Amerindians.”

“Bamako,” the first film of the winter series, focuses on a trial taking place in Bamako, the capital city of Mali, in which two sides argue whether the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund favor developed nations or whether individual nations are to blame for mismanagement of funds that contributes to the impoverished financial states of many countries in the undeveloped world. “Bamako”

received the Film Award of the Council of Europe in April 2007.

“Joyless Street” is a German silent film from 1925 which explores the lives of two women who live in the same poor neighborhood of post-World War I Vienna, Austria. Grete narrowly avoids becoming a prostitute, while Marie is not so lucky. Both women try to better themselves despite postwar hyperinflation.

“La Pirogue” tells the story of a group of 30 Senegalese men who leave the country in a small wooden fishing vessel in an attempt to reach Spain. They start out optimistic but a female stowaway as well as cultural and religious differences cause tension to grow.

The spring quarter films include films about the way rock music has become a vessel for expressing nationalism in Mongolia, a Dutch doctor who provides abortions aboard a ship in offshore waters to avoid anti-abortion laws around the world, and Rwandan women who organize a drumming troupe and open an ice cream shop to support their families in the aftermath of genocide.

Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

Reel World Film Series aims to educate

BY MORGAN ANNABLE

The Reel World Film Series, put on by Western’s Center for International Studies, strives to bring attention to films that may otherwise remain under the radar. Selections include films that tell stories that stray from the mainstream American experience and films that criticize American decisions and the effects of those decisions on the rest of the world.

“We don’t seek to entertain, although many times the films are exciting and interesting,” Vicki Hamblin, Executive Director of the Center for International Studies, said. “We want to provide a place for dialogue.”

The winter quarter Reel World Film Series begins on January 13 with the film “Bamako.” The second film, “Joyless Street,” will be shown on February 3 and “La Pirogue” is the final film of the quarter on March 2.

Each film is chosen and hosted by a different faculty member who uses the film to enhance a course they are teaching.

This quarter’s films are hosted by Sarah Zimmerman of the History department, Ed Mathieu of the History department,

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Zoe’s: how one woman’s legacy lives on in a bagelry

BY WILL MCCOY

Western students may be familiar with the name Mabel Zoe Wilson because of our main library and the bagel shop that operates inside. Although there is evidence of Wilson’s success all around Western, some students know very little about her.

Zoe’s Bookside Bagels is a spot for students to study, hang out and grab a bite to eat.

“In 2010, Aramark and others on campus decided to have a naming contest for the new café that would take up the space in the library,” said Leslie Hall, one of the catalogers in the library.

Hall, along with others around campus, was very interested in receiving the cash prize, she said. Hall was one of many who decided to use Wilson’s middle name, Zoe, as an idea. Another popular name was Bookside, Hall said.

“Aramark gathered together a select group of university faculty which included several directors of different services and deans of some of the colleges on campus,” Hall said.

This committee thought it would be a good idea to combine both of the popular contest names into one, Hall said. “Zoe’s Bookside Bagels” was the new official name of the café.

Most students around campus like to call it “Zoe’s Bagels”, but “Bookside” is on the sign and officially part of the name.

Before the bagel shop was created it had several different uses. When the library first opened it was a children’s library, and since then it’s been changed to reserve room and was the first large area for special collections.

Wilson was born in 1882, in Athens, Ohio, and she became the librarian at the State Normal School in 1902 according to Imprint magazine, Western’s Library publication.

Imprint magazine states when she first arrived to the State Normal School, Wilson noticed there were no more than 500 books stacked randomly. Her first task was to create a library to replace the stack of books the school had been collecting since 1899, according to Imprint.

Working alone, Wilson created a cataloging system, and classified each titled via the Dewy Decimal system as well as a unique identifying numbers for each title for inventory. Every catalog card created was hand written by Wilson, stated Imprint.

Few rules were created for Wilson’s library, but she enforced each one. Every book a student would like to check out must be promptly returned, well taken care of and while you were in the library you had to be silent.

According to Imprint, if a student returned a book late, their name was printed on “Miss Wilson’s Scandal Sheet” for everyone to see.

Wilson spent five years working in the library before leaving to pursue a professional degree in 1908. She traveled to Albany, New York, to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Library Science.

By 1909, Wilson returned to the library she created, and after working for 10 years with no staff, Wilson finally hired an assistant librarian in 1912. By the library’s new renovation in 1928, she had a professional staff of four.

The library was one of the most used places on campus during this time. The whole second floor of Old Main was

dedicated to the library. Library space was limited; there were too many students and books to fit into one level of the school. In 1928, it was decided that a separate library be designed. The new building could hold a collection of about 40,000 books. In June of 1928, the library was dedicated to Wilson.

As the library’s collection continued to expand, so did the space within. In 1963, it was decided that the library needed to double in space. The expansion was completed the following year.

Wilson retired in 1945, but before that she spent time as the library administrator, Imprint explained. After the second expansion of the library, it was officially named Wilson Library. She passed away June 1, 1964.

One final expansion occurred to Wilson Library in 1972, and included renovations of the older building so the final product creates a “harmonious whole”, stated Imprint.

Photo by Trevor Grimm // AS Review

Seasonal Affective Disorder in the Pacific Northwest

BY MARINA PRICE

Northwest winters are notorious for their dreary character. Rain in what seems like every variety descends from the sky at impossible angles, clouds hang low and obstruct the already diminished sunlight.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is defined by Mental Health America as “a mood disorder associated with depression and related to seasonal variations of light.”

Symptoms can include depression, anxiety, mood changes and sleep problems to name a few.

SAD is commonly found in people who live in climates with little sunlight during the winter months and among people in their 20’s. Cases increase dramatically the further from the equator you go, making Bellingham, and especially Western, a hotspot for cases. According to CityDate.com, Bellingham experiences the least amount of daylight of any city in the continental United States. People living in Washington are seven times more likely to have the disorder than people living in Florida.

A report put out by King County’s Human Resources Department stated that as many as 10% to 20% of the population may have moderate forms of SAD each winter, which means up to 3,000 students at Western may be suffering from SAD. The disorder has been linked to increased production of the hormone melatonin, which may cause symptoms of depression. Melatonin production is increased in dark or low light, an all-too familiar element of Bellingham winters. Another contribu-

tor may be the dramatic change in sunlight times, which alter the body’s circadian rhythm and may cause feelings of drowsiness.

If you feel you may be experiencing SAD, Western has a number of resources that will make Winter quarter easier for you. SAD can easily influence ability to perform well in class, so it’s crucial that students can get the help they need to manage SAD. One of the most effective ways to combat SAD is to expose yourself to light therapy.

Western’s Wellness Outreach Center in VU 432 has a collection of SAD lamps that are free for students to use. If you’re closer to the south side of campus, the Health Center has a few in the waiting room also. To get the full effect, it is recommended to sit in front of a lamp for 10- 30 minutes every day, not looking directly into the lamp but letting it hit your face evenly. The most effective time for uses is in the morning.

According to Mental Health America, the best (and easiest way) to combat SAD is to spend at least an hour each day walking outside when the sun is out. They reported that real sun exposure can give more than double to benefit of a SAD lamp.

Finally, the Disability Outreach Center is hosting a SAD screening event on January 12 in the VU MPR from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where they will provide SAD diagnosis screenings, personalized information from counselors, and time to interact with therapy dogs. The event, brought to you by the Disability Outreach Center, BRAVE and Western’s Counseling Center, is free.

01.11.16 7

Coloring books re-enter the adult market Putting crayons to paper and staying inside the lines: it’s not just for kids anymore. In fact, seven of the top twenty best-selling books on Amazon currently are coloring books intended for adults.

The Bellingham Public Library will host a free Coloring for Grownups event on January 12 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. They will provide coloring pages and crayons.

Bellingham is not the only place bringing coloring into the adult world.

Hundreds of public libraries across the country are joining the trend of holding coloring sessions for adults.

Some libraries elect to have BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) events, whereas others, like the Bellingham Public Library, provide the coloring pages for participants.

Western’s AS Bookstore has a selection of adult (and children’s) coloring books for sale. Titles include “The Fractals Coloring Book” by Julien Sprott which features complex and intricate fractal shapes, “Color Me Calm” by Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter which focuses on coloring for stress relief, and “Secret Toyko” which is designed by artist Zoe de Las Cases and features Japanese landscapes. The bookstore currently has a display table on the first floor near the planner section of coloring book options.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the coloring trend may have started with Michael O’Mara Books Ltd., an independent publishing house in London. An employee for the publisher mentioned that her mother had taken to coloring in children’s coloring books, so they decided to try creating one aimed at adults. Michael O’Mara Books published “The Creative Coloring Book for Grown-Ups” in 2012 in the United Kingdom. The book came to the United States a year later.

Since then, other publishers have hopped on the trend. The editorial manager for nonfiction reference books at Hachette Practique, Anne Le Meur, said that their rationale behind publishing coloring books was based

on the idea of art therapy used by

BY MORGAN ANNABLE psychologists.

Johanna Basford is the leader of adult coloring book sales. All three of her books are on Amazon’s list of best sellers. Her work incorporates themes of flora and fauna inspired by her childhood on a fish farm in rural Scotland.

“My delicate hand inked designs intend to charm and delight, inviting you to peer closer and discover the hidden intricacies,” Basford said on her website. “Hand drawing captures a sense of energy and character which no pixel can ever replicate.”

Basford’s followers constantly flood her with online requests. She has said that many people suggest an outer space coloring book, despite the fact that, in her words, “space is essentially a big black mass.”

This is not the first time coloring books have catered to an adult market. The first coloring book expressly marketed for adults, The Executive Coloring Book, appeared in bookstores in 1961 and was packed with satirical views of American society.

Each illustration in this book came with a caption such as “This is my suit.

Color it gray or I will lose my job.”

This recent spike in popularity of adult coloring books has more to do with nostalgia and relaxation than with social commentary. Aimee Heckel, staff writer for the Boulder Colorado Daily Camera, described coloring as “active meditation fused with creation.”

Some publishers are already thinking ahead to a future when the adult coloring fad has died out. Little, Brown, and Co. plans to release a line of connect-the-dot books for adults.

They feel confident that, even if coloring for grownups goes by the wayside, the demand for creative expression outlets will remain high.

For more information on the event at the Bellingham Public Library, Is coloring for you? Test out your skills with a set of crayons or colored pencils contact Jenni Johnson at jjohnson@ on these two Green Java Peacocks, native to Southeast Asia. Stencil courtesy of cob.org or (360)778-7217.

Super Coloring

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Spanish professor Hugo Garcia paints memories of Cuba

BY CHRIS BESETHERWICK

religion there are a number of gods and goddesses and each one of them relates to a part of nature, but also some specific type of people in society,” García said.

When studying in Havana, he witnessed a performance by a group called Yoruba Andabo. His artwork portrayed a dancer in the group performing the story of the goddess Yemoja, the goddess of the ocean. “[The dancer] showed how the water can be helpful, quiet, but also dangerous and aggressive,” García said.

The woman danced in a royal blue dress and twirled around the stage.

“There was a moment when the girl danced where

she kept spinning,” García said, “and suddenly she disappears underneath her own skirt. The only thing you could see was a couple of legs and all those waves in many colors of blue. This stuck in my mind.”

García described his artistic process depends on the right state of emotions. For the painting of the woman, it came abruptly and consumed his interest. For other oil painting experiments García works on, time is the issue.

“Inspiration I can have, but sometimes there is no time,” García said. “That is what is happening with the unfinished paintings at home, once I start, suddenly they are there, waiting.”

Nevertheless, art is a way to connect him back to Cuba. García is deeply visual and constantly sees reminders of Cuba in the United States. When he moved to New York City in 1999 to study at St. John’s University, he discovered many buildings similar to those in Cuba.

“In Havana the art-deco building The Bacardi was built at the same time as the Chrysler building so when I went to New York, suddenly I started looking for associations with the Art Deco from Cuba, to here.

There is always that escape through some sort of art or visual expressions,” García said.

Not only did New York resemble Havana, when García studied for his doctorate in Ohio, rows of Victorian houses stood and resembled the house he grew up in Cuba. Now, at Western García painted for a computer lab on the basement floor of Miller hall.

“I proposed to make the lab more of a family room rather than an ‘institutional lab,’” García said.

To see García’s work, visit the Miller Hall basement room 022.

“I don’t remember where I began. I started drawing before I even have memories,” professor Hugo García, a member of Western’s Spanish Faculty, said.

Originally from Cuba, García was impressed by the process of making art, so he drew and painted for leisure. Now, García recreationally paints to relax and to better the environment at Miller Hall.

As a child, García creatively used his surroundings as art. Art materials were difficult to obtain in Cuba when García was a child, so he once resourcefully stole.

He once resourcefully made due by stealing the sheets from his grandmother’s bed, painted all over them and replaced his grandmother’s curtains.

“She left them there forever,” García said.

Like a chemist, García would take other household items he could find to create various art mediums.

“I would run out [of art supplies],” García said. “And sometimes I would use spices from the kitchen and things from first aid kits that had color and I would start mixing them.”

García’s office is very welcoming. Sitting in García’s office welcomed me; movies lined up in a shelf, student projects rested against the walls and an impressively sized painting of a woman who personifies the Afro-Cuban goddess Yemoja hangesung firmly behind García as he worked.

García taught an Afro-Cuban literature, culture and religion class fall quarter and has a sincere understanding of the topic of Afro-Cuban gods and goddesses.

TOP: Professor Hugo Garcia stands in front of his paintings displayed in Miller Hall 002. RIGHT: Professor Hugo “In the Afro-Cuban Garcia in front of his painting of the Afro-Cuban goddess Yemoja. Photos by Trevor Grimm// AS Review