Curatorial Project: FOLD: Art, Practice, and Metaphor
February 1 - April 2, 2018
FOLD: Art, Practice and, Metaphor was an exhibition of contemporary works by thirteen female artists who explored the concept of the fold in terms of form and conceptual metaphor in both stationary and time-based art media at four different locations in McAllen and Edinburg —the International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS), The Visual Arts Gallery, Visiting Center, and Performing Center at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley— over a period of eight weeks in Spring 2018. The cycle of events also included the annual FESTIBA event. The fold is simple and complex at the same time – it is a physical act, a state of the material, and a way to explain things that happen in other realms. The fold challenges space and even time, and as a symbolic paradigm, it offers an ever-expanding impulse for creativity. Along with the exhibition, six scholars from different disciplines; Philosophy, Psychology, Social History, the History of Art and Literature, and Women’s Studies explored the concept of FOLD in their respective areas. The exhibition, with its speakers and the panel discussions, provided a unique opportunity to engage with the many voices, and perspectives of notable, contemporary artists and demonstrated the way that art can offer inspirational insight into current societal issues and trends.
FOLD: ART, Practice, and Metaphor, Exhibition View
Exhibition #1
Location: International Museum of Art and Science (IMAS) | McAllen
Artists: Laleh Mehran, Sibel Kocabasi, Giannina Coppaino Dwin, and Anja Marias
Exhibition dates: February 2 - April 1, 2018



![Laleh Mehran, Title: Tenuous Hierarchy [MCCCXCII] 4K Video Animation](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/365220_30514e4f8f0f407cb7638ce60fb9ca13~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_980,h_550,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/365220_30514e4f8f0f407cb7638ce60fb9ca13~mv2.jpg)





FOLD: ART, Practice, and Metaphor, Exhibition View
Exhibition #2
Location: Visual Art Gallery Located in Annex Building | Edinburg
Artists: Linda Behar, Isabel Gouveia, Rojhaneh Hosseini, Dorotha Grace Lemeh, and Amber Scoon
Exhibition dates: February 15 - March 29, 2018









FOLD: Art, Practice, and Metaphor, Performance by Niurca Marquez in Collaboration with Jose Luis de la Paz
Performance:
Location: Performing Arts Complex, Edinburg
Artist: Niurca Marquez: Flamenco Dancer | Jose Luis de la Paz: Guitar
Time: Monday, February. 26, 2018 | 7 p.m.


FOLD: Art, Practice, and Metaphor, Exhibition View
Exhibition #3
Location: Visitors Center at UTRGV | Edinburg
Artists: Misoo Filan, Gulia Huber, Sibel Kocabasi, and Golnar Shahyar
Exhibition dates: February 26 - March 30, 2018






FOLD: Art, Practice, and Metaphor, Panel, and Lectures






FOLD: Art, Practice, and Metaphor
Panel Discussion: Unfolding Social Issues
Location: Visitor Center at UTRGV| Edinburg
Time: Monday, February 26, 2018
UTRGV Faculty presenters:
Panel Moderator:
Dr. Friederke Brühöfener
Assistant Professor, Department of History
Assistant Program Director, Gender and Women's Studies Program
Panelists:
Dr. Young Rae Oum
Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Title of the paper: Immigrant Identities in the Folds of Narratives
Dr. Ruby Charak
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychological Science
Title of the paper: Caught in the Folds of Sexual (Re) Victimization
Dr. Cathryn Merla-Watson
Assistant professor in the literature and Cultural Studies
Department of Literatures and Cultural Studies
Title of the paper: Difference, Feminism, and FOLD
Dr. Mariana Alessandri
Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Mexican-American Studies
Department of Philosophy
Title of the paper: Unfolding the UTRGV Students
Lecture: Laleh Mehran, Art Talk, International Museum of Art and Science McAllen Texas
Lecture: Dr. Brian McConnell, FOLD: Let the Metaphor Reveal, School of Art, Edinburg, Texas
Lecure: Dr. Katherine McAllen, Luxuries of Trade: Folding Screens in colonial Latin America, International Museum of Art and Science, McAllen, Texas