A&E

Arte Hispano event kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month

By Ashley Barletta News Editor

Sept. 15 marked the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and Mercyhurst has cause to celebrate.

The “Arte Hispano” event took place on Sept. 16 in the Grotto Commons Hallway to begin the month’s festivities.

Arte Hispano began at 11 a.m. and went on until 4 p.m.

During this event, students were able to observe a pop-up gallery of Hispanic art, poems, lyrics and the stories behind the art.

Some paintings that were seen at the gallery were Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, leader of the Mexican War of Independence by José Clemente Orozco, Manifestation by Antonio Berni and even Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali.

It is always interesting to see the influence of people from different cultures, how they express themselves and how they view the world.

“It is important to highlight all cultures that are represented on Mercyhurst’s campus and in the world in general,” said Jessica Hubert, Mercyhurst’s Multicultural and Inclusion coordinator.

“The total population of Hispanic folks in the U.S. is about 60.5 million and is continuing to grow. That’s a significant amount of people living around us, and we need to learn about their history and customs just the same as they learn about the dominant culture’s (White) history and customs,” said Hubert.

Arte Hispano also featured poems like “AmeRican” by Tato Laviera, “The Sad Mother” by Gabriela Mistral and “I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You” by Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet-diplomat who met Gabriela Mistral when he was only twelve.

The photos and names of many Hispanic artists, poets and lyricists were the final part of the exhibit.

The exhibit highlighted their personal histories and how each of them got started with their careers.

Arte Hispano was the kick-off event for National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations on campus, but other events are happening throughout the month.

There will be a “Lo Que Paso, Paso” party on Sept. 29 and a movie showing of “In The Heights” on Oct. 8.

“I’m especially excited for the ‘Lo Que Paso, Paso’ party happening on Sept. 29 from 12 - 2p.m. in the Great Room,” Hubert said.

“Along with some delicious Hispanic food, the Dance Department is bringing a fantastic Flamenco dancer, Alice Blumenfeld, who is going to teach two flamenco lessons (sign-ups can be found in the @hurstcampuslife Instagram bio).

There is also another opportunity to learn to Bomba dance in the Taylor Little Theater on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.”

The “In The Heights” film showing will be at 6 p.m. in Zurn 114.

The movie was directed by Jon M. Chu, the screenplay was written by Quiara Alegría Hudes and the music and lyrics were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

“In The Heights” is based on a book of the same title written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegría Hudes and Jeremy McCarter.

It is so important that Mercyhurst celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month in the hopes that we are able to represent those of different cultures who are present at our school.

Make sure to take advantage of these cultural events to fully appreciate Hispanic culture!

A poster for The Hate U Give featuring Amandla Stenberg who plays Starr.

Contributed photo

Hurst Hot Takes: The Hate U Give (2018)

By Gillian Mazur Editor-in-Chief

Released in theaters in 2018, “The Hate U Give” is an American drama film co-produced and directed by George Tilman Jr. from a screenplay by Audrey Wells.

Based on the 2017 YA novel by Angie Thomas, the main character, Starr Carter, deals with the tragedy of having her childhood best friend, Khalil, wrongly shot by a police officer right in front of her after he mistakes a hairbrush for a gun.

A 16-year-old black girl, Starr and her family live in Garden Heights, a poor and predominantly black community; this is starkly contrasted by the fact that she and her siblings attend Williamson Prep, a private school situated in an affluent, predominantly white neighborhood.

With a 97 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and a 7.5/10 on IMDb, both critics and movie-goers alike felt the strong and extremely moving performances by all members of the cast.

The film was also nominated for a 2019 BET Award for Best Movie.

Cinematically, the movie was extremely realistic and portrayed the realities of many people of color (PoC) living in America today.

Whether it be the extremely life like protest scene near the end of the movie or more subtle hints to portray the polar opposite situations found in Starr’s life, the film masterfully captures what many PoC have to deal with.

For instance, Williamson Prep’s school colors are blue and white, and the relating scenes are lit with cool blue tones giving the scenes an almost cold, unwelcoming and unfamiliar feel.

In contrast, Starr’s family home in Garden Heights is furnished and lit with warm hues of orange and red giving it a comforting and welcoming feel to both Starr and the audience.

Throughout the movie, Starr battles internally with what she feels are two different sides of herself that she displays to others to fit into her two different worlds.

“When I’m at home, I can’t be too Williamson [Prep]. When I’m here, I can’t be too Garden Heights,” says Starr.

She feels that she has to compartmentalize herself into two distinct personalities that can’t coexist.

As the movie progresses, Starr also learns the power of her own voice and how she can become a “star” to others, a beacon of hope.

Named after the stars for bringing her father hope in a very dark time in his life, Starr’s name is both figurative and literal.

Figuratively, Starr lights up the darkness of America’s blatant and subtle racism; literally, upon realizing her ability to use her voice as a weapon, she acts as a leader for others to follow.

She illuminates the police brutality within her neighboring communities through her bravery and courage to stand up and do the right thing.

By the end of the movie, Starr learns that she can no longer separate her two different identities and must live true to herself and whom she loves and cares about.

She learns to stop tolerating the microaggressions from her ex-friend Hailey and learns that there is power in her words and actions to change the injustices surrounding her.

Although no form of entertainment can truly replace how it is to live in America as a PoC, specifically as a black American, “The Hate U Give” can help to provide a deeper insight into the experiences and emotions of living in today’s society and culture.

“The Hate U Give” can currently be streamed for free on Hulu as well as rented or bought on Amazon’s Prime Video platform.

Be sure to check in next issue to discover a new show, movie, or album that our staff loves!

Cummings Art Gallery Reopens

By Annie Markel Contributing Writer

Art is all around Mercyhurst Campus if you only look. The stain glass windows of Christ the King Chapel, the iron work of the signature Mercyhurst gates or even student art around different campus buildings.

One very special room where some incredible art is gathered into one place is the Cummings Art Gallery in Zurn Hall. This modern gallery is full of art that has been brought to the campus to be seen by students, faculty, alumni and the public.

The Cummings Art Gallery was founded by Sister Angelica Cummings in 1926, the very same year that Mercyhurst itself was founded.

It was made to be a sanctuary for art majors and art lovers alike. Soon, the exhibits would be recognized throughout the country and abroad. The gallery was named after the Sister of Mercy herself in 1984 and has continued to grow ever since.

The gallery offers students, alumni and faculty a platform to showcase their art pieces. However, the chance to display one’s work actually goes beyond the Mercyhurst gates.

Regional and national artists also send their work to our campus to be displayed.

Some of the artists this semester hold special ties to Mercyhurst and/or are incredible people that deserve much recognition.

This year is a major catch-up for the gallery.

In the Spring of 2020, the gallery was shut down due to Covid-19. Then in the Fall of 2020, it was closed to accommodate music lessons that required social distancing.

This may not seem like a big deal; however, it certainly was to the artists that missed an opportunity for exposure.

Students that were promised to show their art were unable to do so. This is a long-standing tradition in the Art Department, so you can assume how disappointed the students were when they heard they would not be recognized for their hard work.

However, this fall semester, the gallery is making a big comeback. The exhibit for 2021 is centered around the year that was lost to the pandemic.

The exhibit “Highlights from The Year That Was Missed”, will be on view Thursday, Sept. 9 through Tuesday, Nov. 30. This exhibit focuses on some alumni that showed their work at the Erie Art Museum this summer.

The Erie Art Museum understood the impact of the loss on both the graduates and the community. That is why, in 2021, they partnered with western Pennsylvania universities to bring this exhibition, “The Year that was Missed”, to the Erie Art Museum.

From May 8 to Aug. 21, fifteen artists from the classes of 2020 and 2021 were welcomed to show their theses in the Erie Art Museum’s Custom House.

At the close of the exhibit in the Custom House, the Cummings Art Gallery invited MU alumni to re-install their work here at Mercyhurst like promised.

Nine of the fifteen alumni accepted the invitation and have brought part or all of their artwork to the Cummings Art Gallery to campus for the fall semester.

Supporters came to help students and alumni in celebrating their work with an opening reception on Thursday, Sept. 9, from 5-7 pm in the Cummings Art Gallery in Zurn Hall.

The featured alumni are Kim Bennett, Laura Fredericks, Evan Hartono, Kaitlyn Kirchmeir, Kathleen Kiska, Hannah McCall, Matthew Mellish, Alexis Nader and Eric Olson. See if you can match the art to the alum!

The Cummings Gallery will continue to be open through the fall semester. Gallery hours for the fall semester are Mondays, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesdays through Fridays, 12p.m. to 4p.m. However, the gallery is closed Tuesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

For more information, contact the Cummings Art Gallery Director, Jessica Stadtmueller. Hope to see you there!