On Oct. 25, photo artist Star Montana returned to LBCC for the closing celebration of her gallery to host a panel and discuss her art and answer questions that attendees had.
The “By The River, I May Destroy You” exhibit ran from September 25th to October 25th, and was a collection of Star Montana’s photographs recounting parts of her experiences reconnecting with her culture and heritage.
The panel started with Montana giving some more background information on both the locations she chose for her art and why she made certain decisions in her creative process.
Many of the photos focus on scenes set by the Los Angeles and Rio Grande rivers, with Montana noting that “Almost all of the maternal side of my family have always subconsciously lived by the river.”
A section of Star Montana’s artwork is displayed at the LBCC Art Gallery during the opening reception for the exhibition on Sept. 25. (Tien Nguyen)
Montana went in-depth on part of her past, revealing that “They made us fear the river,” saying that they (her family) deliberately hid the true nature of the death of one of her cousins, who drowned in the LA River.
Later in life, she learned that her cousin’s death was due to drug usage, and that while unconscious, she simply rolled face-first into the river.
This revelation that the river wasn’t nearly as dangerous as her family had made it out to be, and was merely a part of nature, was part of what fueled her to reconnect with her past and make peace, aiming for her to live life “able to be free, and not fear the water.”
Karla Aguiniga, curator of the exhibit, added on to this idea that the river needs reclamation, saying, “It’s literally on the side of the 710, and we don’t even think about it, like it’s really been taken from us.”
Both Montana and Aguiniga interacted with those in attendance, taking questions and providing further context to curious students and staff.
Following the panel, Montana stuck around to answer more questions in a more personal manner, walking around the exhibit and interacting directly with anyone who sought to speak with her.
The venue quietly played music, and attendees socialized, discussing the art pieces and indulging in the provided coffee and snacks.
“It’s so interesting just hearing the whys, the hows, or even the wheres; It’s just so fascinating learning and trying to understand,” Issac Acosta, a student working for the gallery as part of the work study program, said.
Hunter Rodriguez, an LBCC student who’s an art major, voiced his opinion on the recurring water motif throughout the gallery.
“I think that a lot of people really have a very individualistic perspective, like with her having that family history, her opinions on the river might be a way to help ground her,” Rodriguez said.
Another art major in attendance, Marco Garcia, spends much of his time trying to use his art in similar ways as Montana, wishing to highlight both the injustices of this world and its beauty, saying, “It’s important that we as artists speak up about these problems.”
One of the issues that Montana advocates for in her art is being against forced relocation.
Montana made it clear that this project is still unfinished, and she chose to showcase this midpoint of work because she “thought it was time.” She told the audience to
expect more from her on this in the future.
The next art exhibit at the LBCC Art Gallery is currently open, and is titled “Satellites: Adjunct Art Exhibition,” which showcases a variety of artwork made by adjunct faculty in the art department at LBCC. There’s a range of different mediums including sculptures, jewelry, videos, paintings and mixed-medias.
The Satellites exhibit will be open until December 10th, and the LBCC Art Gallery is located in K-100 at LAC. To read more about the new art exhibit and to see the art galleries’ hours, click the embedded links.
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