Staniar Gallery Presents Texas-Based Artist’s Work An exhibition of photographic works by Texas-based artist Mari Hernandez will open in Washington and Lee’s Staniar Gallery Nov. 5.

By Erica Turman
October 18, 2019

An exhibition of photographic works by Texas-based artist Mari Hernandez will open in Washington and Lee’s Staniar Gallery Nov. 5. The works will be on display through Dec. 6, with an artist’s talk and reception on Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m. The event, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall’s Concert Hall.

This exhibition features photographic self-portraits portraying fictional characters from an unnamed historical narrative. Inspired by early documentary photographic traditions, Hernandez depicted the subjects as strong, stoic and dignified, referencing theories of physiognomy that claimed a person’s physical features are indicative of moral character.

The series poses questions about the role of representation in forming identity and the history of portraiture in the art historical canon. Hernandez’s socially engaged practice reflects her long career in nonprofit community arts organizations. She is co-founder of the Chicana art collective Mas Rudas and is a graduate of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Leadership Institute and Arts Advocacy Institute. She lives and works in San Antonio, Texas.

Staniar Gallery is located on the second floor of Wilson Hall, in Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 540-458-8861.