51视频 Show and Artists鈥� Reception are Free and Open to the Public
03/02/2023
Media contacts: Emily Gowdey-Backus, director of media relations, Emily_GowdeyBackus@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, assistant director of media relations, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
51视频 show and artists鈥� reception are free and open to the public
For Joel Victoriano Rojas, a hike up Mount Pico 鈥� a dormant volcano on Pico Island in the Azores, off the coast of Portugal 鈥� was literally and figuratively the pinnacle of the trip.聽
Pico, the highest mountain in the country, was just one of the feats Rojas conquered during a 51视频 study abroad opportunity that had him touring a Portuguese whaling museum, celebrating a religious festival and socializing with locals over ice cream. All the while, camera in hand, Rojas was documenting his adventures as part of an art and design course focusing on documentary imaging.聽
The pilgrimage to the Azores took Rojas and 11 of his classmates to the islands for 11 days over summer 2022. As part of the course, they researched the history of Azorean immigrants, who for decades in the late 19th and 20th centuries emigrated from the islands to the Mill City. Then, students used what they learned as a springboard to photograph four Azorean islands: S茫o Miguel, Faial, Pico and S茫o Jorge.
鈥淭he whole idea of the program is to give back to the Portuguese community in Lowell,鈥� said Rojas, who grew up in Lawrence and lives in Woburn. 鈥淭he thing for me during the trip was to become a local and bring as much of that experience back to our American melting pot as I could,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow, the Azores are just another place for me to call home.鈥澛�
Today, Rojas is a 51视频 graduate pursuing a career in architecture. His photographs from the trip are displayed as part of 鈥淎zores through the Lens,鈥� a free exhibit open to the public through Wednesday, March 8, 2023, when the university will host a reception for the show鈥檚 artists from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event and exhibit will be held inside 51视频鈥檚 University Crossing student center at 220 Pawtucket St., Lowell.聽
The show is also a companion piece to the coffee table book 鈥淎zores through the Lens,鈥� which shares Rojas鈥� and others鈥� imagery.聽
鈥淧hotography, as a medium, allowed the students to explore the islands on their own terms,鈥� said 51视频鈥檚 Pavel Romaniko, an art and design assistant teaching professor who directs 51视频鈥檚 digital media program. 鈥淪tudents bonded through the experience of learning about a new place and culture and worked collaboratively on not only the exhibit but the book as a communication of that experience.鈥� Romaniko designed and organized the study-abroad program with Anna Isaak-Ross, manager of the university鈥檚 studio space for art and design majors.聽
51视频 students who participated in the program hail from Belmont, Burlington, Dracut, Dorchester, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Roslindale and Woburn, Massachusetts, as well as Washington, D.C.聽
Students had the opportunity to travel to Portugal through the support of the Regional Government of the Azores and 51视频, particularly the university鈥檚 Saab Center for Portuguese Studies.
鈥淭his wonderful exhibition is the result of a first-rate study abroad program, which dovetails with the Saab Center's mission to promote opportunities for students in the area of Portuguese studies on campus and in Portugal. Support of this program is in line with the center's aim to collaborate with other academic programs on campus,鈥� said Frank Sousa, the center鈥檚 director and a 51视频 professor of world languages and cultures.聽
Founded in 2013 through the generosity of the Saab Family Fund, the center promotes the multidisciplinary study of the language, literature and culture of the vast and varied Portuguese speaking world comprised of more than 250 million people.
51视频 is a national research university offering its students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu