We are pleased to display an exhibition featuring artists who have participated in the Stuart Artist in Residency (AiR) program at the South Dakota State University School of Design. The program is funded through a donation from Signe Stuart and her husband, Joseph, who served as director at the Museum for many years. Since 2016, nine artists have come to the SDSU campus for one month to interact with students through lecture, critique, and open studio hours. This exhibition will gather artworks by the AiR alumni, featuring diverse use of material and technique.

Curated by Maria Alcala Barcelo.
Reception is Oct 5th, On view Oct. 5 - Dec. 15

The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month this fall with a groundbreaking new exhibition highlighting the work of some of the county’s extraordinary Latin American artists.

Free and open to the public October 28 through January 14, the will highlight diverse works from 24 Palm Beach County artists of Latin American and Hispanic descent. The show will take place in the Council’s Main Gallery at its downtown Lake Worth Beach headquarters; exhibition hours are Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

Guest curator Juliana Forero, Ph.D. (founder and art director of South Florida arts organization Nomad Art Projects) has woven a story with the work of artists whose families come from Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala, and Cuba, among others. Her aim was to highlight the range of Latin American experience by celebrating the art of its people. After a year of preparation, unified and diverging themes emerged from which Forero developed a narrative of these many peoples’ experiences of crossing, sharing and protecting their unique heritage.

Through Friday, October 14
City of Boynton Beach City Hall

Closing Reception and Artist talk: Friday, October 14, 5:30PM

To recognize exceptional artists from Boynton Beach area of Palm Beach County, the City has established an exhibition wall in City Hall Lobby at 100 East Ocean Ave. Izel Vargas was selected for his mixed media paintings of the suburban family home and its stories – an essential part of Boynton Beach history. He has been honored with a 2022 solo exhibition and participation in the 2021 Art Biennial, both at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.

Living in Delray Beach, Izel Vargas creates visual art and teaches painting, drawing and design at the American Heritage School. His work has been exhibited throughout the USA and several south Florida galleries including the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, FAT Art Village, The Box Gallery, Bailey Contemporary, Bridge Red Studios, Prizm Art Fair - Art Basel, and the FAU Schmidt Gallery. Vargas received his BFA in 2004 from the University of Texas - Pan American and his MFA from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in 2007.

Vargas was born and raised in Rio Grande Valley of South Texas and US/Mexico border has played an important role in his art making process. After his university degrees, he has worked with college students, at- risk youth, and taught courses at public art centers to both children and adults. Vargas has lectured on his work at notable institutions including Duke University, the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC, and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Join me for the opening between 5 - 7PM on January 21st, 2022 (My birthday!) To see recent works created within the last 2 years. Many of these have not been uploaded to this website, so be the first to see them in person.

RSVP is required for this free event! Register here: RSVP at PBCC

Follow Mictlan Studios on Instagram for "works in progress" which is updated almost daily. You can also visit MrIzel_V on Twitter for news updates.

Honored to have been selected for a solo exhibition with the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County Winter 2022 (January). More details coming soon.

New Works / Alumni Four is the fourth in a series of exhibitions featuring distinguished McColl Center alumni artists.

Zoë Charlton (2017), Lori Larusso (2010), and Izel Vargas (2008) employ the iconography of home to explore the complex relationships between domestic space, personal memory, cultural identity, and “the American Dream.” There, distorted architectures and displaced dwellings give way to fantastical milieus haunted by the stories of their current and former inhabitants. Their works embody a collective tension, acting as both an homage to and a critique of what makes a house a home.

New Works / Alumni Four is curated for McColl Center for Art + Innovation by visiting curator Laura Ritchie.

Artwork: Izel Vargas, All the time in the World (detail), 2019. Mixed media on banner, 62 x 63 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

While grandiose trees easily catch our eye, this exhibition highlights the exquisite character of their unexpected and humble comrades. From preserved, pristine cherry blossoms encased in ice to A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima, trees and their parts continually school us on the process of growth, decay, and resurrection.

The lives of trees and humans are intertwined, with trees being the giver in this arguably unbalanced relationship. Trees provide oxygen, shelter, food, protection, among other things necessary for human survival. Though paradoxically underappreciated and worshiped, there is no denying trees have a profound impact on our psyche. This collection of painting, sculpture, installation, mixed-media, and photo-based work is a glimpse into how 12 divergent artists interpret and respond to trees, real and imagined.

Featured Artists: Kate Hawkes; Mario Marzan; Sammi Mclean; Elin O’Hara Slavick; Roger Boulay; Maria Britton; Ivan Santiago; Mike Dillow; Sharon Lee Hart; William Cordova; Izel Vargas; Carol Prusa; Nick Gilmore; Roberto Navarrete; and Susanne Slavick

FAU's Painter's Forum presents:

Pleased to announce that I have been invited to UW - La Crosse as a Visiting Artist!

Lecture will be held between 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 30
120 (Theater) Student Union. More information available here.

To request disability accommodations (accessible seating, interpreting, closed captioning, FM systems, etc.), contact Robert Dixon at rdixon@uwlax.edu or 608.785.6893.

Announcement: I'll be in a show in Miami at Bridge Red Studio opening Jan 29. Entitled "negentropy: to speak a language is 2 take on a world" curated by william cordova.

artists:
tony fitzpatrick
lou anne colodny
warren bailey
izel vargas
carol brown
mark bradford
morel ducet
michael queenland
leslie hewitt

Bridge Red Studios

Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, FL
Nov. 5, 2016 – Jan. 8, 2017

Opening Reception: Friday, Nov. 4, 2016

The works selected by curator William Cordova represent four generations of South Florida artists whose practice is informed and rooted in the geography, community and multi-cultural diversity of the region. These are artists who have endured and evolved as South Florida has changed, and yet still transcend the boundaries of expectation.

Artists

Dona Altemus
Ena Marrero
David Rohn
Kevin Arrow
Donald McKnight
Alexis Sanfield
Warren Bailey
Robert Mcknight
Onajide Shabaka
Pablo Cano
Gean Moreno
Barron Sherer
Rosemarie Chiarlone
Arturo E. Mosquera
Noelle Theard
Yanira Collado
Glexis Novoa
Robert Thiele
Lou Anne Colodny
Aramis O’Reilly
Kristen Thiele
Sharon Lee Hart
Charo Oquet
Rick Ulysse
Babette Herschberger
Ernesto Oroza
Juana Valdes
Peter Hosfeld
Jorge Pantoja
Izel Vargas
Robert Huff
Kerry Phillips
Susan Weiss
Michiko Kurisu
Carlos Prim
Purvis Young
Rhea Leonard
Ralph Provisero
Laura Luna
Karen Rifas

Spanish Language Tour of transphysics: istwa, landscapes, paisajes led by Gean Moreno and Izel Vargas in collaboration with letraurbana.com
Sat., Nov. 12, 2 pm

Panel Discussion with william cordova, Aramis O’Reilly , Karen Rifas, and Onajide Shabaka
Sat., Dec. 17, 2 pm

Excited to announce that I have been selected as the 2016 Stuart Artist- in- Residence at South Dakota State University's School of Design! I will be giving a presentation at the South Dakota Art Museum on October 4th as well as a exhibition of the work upon completion of the residency. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

(Exhibition runs through Aug. 5)
An exhibition of collaborative works by alumni of the UNC MFA program. This show is a celebration and examination of the bonds that form during graduate art programs and produce lifelong conversations about the practices of art and life.

ARTISTS IN THE SHOW :
Anna Delgado + Naomi O'Donnell
Jason Osborne + Lee Delegard
Jessica Dupuis + Emily Beck
Lile Stephens + Robby Cochran
William Thomas + Antoine Williams
Travis Donovan + Hollin Norwood
Gesche Würfel + Mijoo Kim + Minjin Kang
Leah Bailis + Lydia Moyer
Sharon Lee Hart + Izel Vargas
Allison Tierney + Sydney Steen
Ali Halperin + Lauren Salazar
George Jenne + Carrie Alter
Carolyn Janssen + Lydia McCarthy
Jonathan Sherill + Cora Lim

Artists-in-Residence Closing Reception and Artists’ Talk Scheduled

WEST PALM BEACH, FL, April 5, 2016. A closing reception and artists’ talk has been scheduled for Friday, April 15th from 6:00-8:00 PM at the Armory Annex in Lake Worth. The public is welcome to celebrate this outstanding show and to learn about the processes and ideas behind each artist’s endeavors. Artists’ talk will begin at 7:00 PM.

Armory Art Center ANNEX:
1121 Lucerne Avenue, Lake Worth, FL 33460
Annex Gallery Hours are Wed.-Sat. from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Art show Thursday 24th! We'll be showing what we've been working on for this residency. The Annex is located in Lake Worth, FL (see directions on invite).

I'll be participating in Art Junction at the Urban Arts Lofts in Lake Worth, FL with several artists from the Armory Art Center's Artist in Residence program as well as a few instructors. Do stop by!

Hello, I'll be part of a large exhibition at the Benzaiten Center for the Creative Arts in Lake Worth,FL on Jan 23rd, 2016. Link to the Center here.

I'll have 4 pieces in this exhibition, an alumni show. Two grad school works and two new works! There will be more info to come on this as the exhibition draws near. Link to INDY Weekly

Greetings! I'm currently into my first month at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach. Follow along on Pocholandia's Facebook Page for images from the studio, upcoming lectures and sneak peeks at works in progress.

Lots going on right now! Working on a mixed media collaboration with the artist Sharon Lee Hart, working on a book cover, and finishing up lots of smaller pieces. Thank you for your support.

Mextasy invades Lexington (Mexington), KY....my home for a couple of years, in April! Check out Tex[t] - Mex Gallery Blog here for more information! Wish I could be there for this.

I am proud to announce that I was one of the 100 selected artists for Projects Gallery's "Square Foot Art Basel Miami Redux" which will be exhibiting works by a diverse group of artists from all over the world.

Square Foot Art Basel Miami Redux
Wynwood Lofts - Unit 208
250 NW 23rd St., Miami, FL 33127

November 29, 2014 - January 10, 2015

Southern Constellations, a project I was affiliated with over the summer residency at Elsewhere in Greensboro, NC, has traveled to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC along with several of previous artists that were part of the program. Details here.

I am honored to be inaugurating the Arrob@ blog space at Duke University! Thank you Duke University and the Program in Latin@ Studies in the Global South for the opportunity! Tune in here throughout the month of September to catch up on postings from Pocholandia/Mictlan Studios!

Curating the cultural geography of Latino/a representations in the American imagination

WHAT is visualized––and who remains invisible––as "Latino" and "Latina"?

Starting this September, Arrob@ will become a place each month where this query is analytically tackled anew by an artist, scholar, activist, or public intellectual.

Tune into Arrob@ often as our invited contributor––our Virtual Resident Blogger––considers the life stories, the visual media, the events, and the contradictory moments that discursively make up and represent U.S. Latino and Latina populations. The Virtual Resident Blogger becomes our most trusted and valuable source in the critical curation, linking, and the debunking of the symbolic power of the social constructions organizing the meanings of Latino and Latina.

The Fall 2014 line-up of Virtual Resident Bloggers include: artist Izel Vargas (September), novelist Patricia Engel (October), artist and cultural organizer Favianna Rodriguez (November), and RISD graduate student R. Galvan.

ARROB@, ARROB@ (NOT ARRIBA, ARRIBA)!

Now entering its second year, Southern Constellations is a curatorial initiative that supports the creation of experimental new works at the museum and connects contemporary art practices in the South.

Funded in-part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the program embeds six fellowship artists into Elsewhere’s artist residency for the production of site specific projects and participation in dialog on the conditions of experimental art production. It is grounded in Elsewhere’s commitment to promoting local wisdom and regional participation in global contemporary conversations. We aim to fore front, on the one hand, the process by which new art objects and practices emerge, and on the other, the way that art practices guided by local conditions develop new social frontiers.
More about Elsewhere, Southern Constellations, and a list of the artists, click HERE.

June 9-July 31, 2014
Comic Relief is an exhibition The Galleries of the Cabarrus Arts Council in historic downtown Concord, NC (about a half hour from Charlotte). The show will feature artworks that are whimsical, imaginative, colorful, comic like, and fun. With the works of:

Raed Al-Rawi
Cindy Biles
Tammy Leigh Brooks
John K. Crum
Justine Dennis
Kathryn B. Phillips
Vincent Sansone
Victoria Sexton
Walter Stanford
Izel Vargas

Reception is June 20, 6-9PM

Curated by Edie Carpenter, ANIMATED! presents 22 artists who investigate animation from 19th century animation devices to the elaboration of original animated worlds. The exhibition will explore sequential art from flip books and storyboards to Claymation, and present works on paper as well as digital media. The influence of animation on other art forms including jewelry, pottery, sculpture and painting will also be explored. Image Gallery and Press Release here.

Greensboro, NC. Sept.6 - Nov. 9th, 2013. Reception Sept. 6th, 6-9 pm

Participating Artists:
Julie Armbruster, Ryan Buyssens, Jason Carpenter, Michael Carpenter, Paige Cox, Jill Eberle, Bill Fick, Patrick FitzGerald, Heather Freeman, Stephanie Freese, Paul Friedrich, David Huyck, Jim Kransberger, Brett McDonough, Marc E. Russo, Eliseo Santos, Thomas Spradling, Francesca Talenti, Sarah Tector, Trevor Van Meter, Izel Vargas, James Young

Artists talks at GreenHill: HERE!

Proud to announce that Dr. Claudia Milian's book, Latining America (featuring the cover art "Southside," by me) will be out early 2013. The book also uses the piece, "Business of Illusion" for one of its essays. Lots of hard work went into making this book. I'm so happy that everyone's happy. You can order it on Amazon here.

Follow Mictlan Studios on Instagram and get some sneak peeks at upcoming works, studio shots, and source material (and cat pics of Max and Finnie). Click on the link> Mictlan Studios on Instagram

Currently showing some works in the UK Faculty Exhibition. Located at the Tuska Center for Contemporary Art- 465 Rose St.University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506

Having a Spring Clean Sale at Mictlan Studios. Need to make room for more. Prices for work are reduced. Shipping is included. Some are negotiable, most are not. For your convenience, there is a Paypal Link on the suggested price for each work.

Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY. Right Here Over There is an exhibition exploring the physical, mental, and metaphoric landscapes of place and their indelible link to memory. Throughout our lives we are surrounded by a world punctuated by varying spaces, climates, geographies, buildings, and cultures. Accumulating in layers over time, pieces of our physical world provide visual reference points for how we understand one another and ourselves. Themes including (but not limited to) the following may be integrated into the final exhibition: mapping, topography, architecture, nature, distance, home, exile, travel, and personal/social/political geographies.
Click here for more information.

I will be having a solo exhibition at Vanderbilt University's Sarratt Gallery in Nashville, TN on January 9th - February 9th 2012. I will also be giving a Gallery talk on January 19th at 5pm. click here for the link.

Sarratt Gallery is located in the main lobby of the Sarratt Student Center. Gallery Hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. For additional information, call 615-322-2471. All events are open to the public free of charge. Visit the Sarratt Gallery's page for more information about the space here.

Follow the link for this beautiful little piece that helps you understand why this website is called Pocholandia. Click here.

Finally made it. Settling in slowly. Adjusting to this town (Lexington, KY). Studio set up is still underway, need a few wood panels installed to get going. Just confirmed a solo exhibition at Vanderbilt University in Nashville for January. More details to come as the date approaches. Back to work...

"Exiles" got a small write up in the Nashville Scene by Arts and Entertainment writer Laura Hutson. Read it here. Michelle Jones at the Tennessean also wrote a short piece for the show. Read it here.

I'll be having a solo exhibition at the historic Belcourt Theatre Gallery in Nashville, TN July 2 - 30. The reception will be Thursday, July 14 from 5:30 - 7:00 during the Hillsboro Village Artwalk. The exhibition will consist of selected works from the "Exiles" series. Punch and pie.

I was pleasantly surprised to be a part of this project. Many thanks to Kevin Krumnikl in Deutschland for inviting me to participate. The project: "To show the artist and the place where (s)he is creative in, instead of only showing just works. There is a link to the website at the bottom of each 10 word "interview," which hopefully makes the reader even more curious about the work of the artist."

Click here: Ten Words One Shot

Oh yea, Happy 2011!

William Nericcio's MEXtasy is opening in Laredo, TX, the artist's hometown. Do stop by and show some support! Laredo Center for the Arts has a short article here.

A review of Necessary Fictions is featured in the Nov/Dec. issue of Art Papers, page 51. Check it out here! (thanks to Mario Marzan)

I will be giving a presentation at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill's Latino Collaborative at 6pm on Thursday November 4, 2010. More information can be found here.

"Mextasy: Seductive Hallucinations of Latina/o Mannequins Prowling the American Unconscious" is an art show opening Fall 2010 at the Art Gallery @ South Texas College's Pecan Campus in McAllen, Texas--the show will be up from September 30th through November 12, 2010. There will be a lecture and book signing (free cartoon inscriptions, no less!) by William Nericcio @ 2:30pm, September 29, 2010 at the Mid-Valley Campus, Weslaco; and at 1pm, Thursday September 30, 2010 at the Pecan Campus Art Gallery in McAllen. There will also be a reception from 6 to 8pm on Thursday night at the Pecan Art Gallery.

The show also features works that are "xicanosmotic," that is, works by Mexican-American artists where the delicious tattoo of the Mexican/US frontera is writ large as with Perry Vasquez, Izel Vargas, Marisela Norte, and Kenny Sanchez. More to come!

Golden Belt, Durham, NC
May 21 - July 11, 2010
Building 3, ROOM 100
Free, Open to public

A few of my works will be shown in the group exhibition "Necessary Fictions," curated by Mario Marzan and John Ribó. The exhibition featuring paintings, installations, photography and videos which explore Latina/o identity as a necessary fiction, a provisional space, a transient structure to be eventually reconfigured under the duress of time and through the continued retracing of fictions and histories in transition.

Opening reception Friday, May 21, 2010 from 6-9pm.
Reviews of the show here,here, and here.

South Texas College Art Gallery (Pecan Campus), Aug. 31- Sept. 17, 2009. Artist Lecture (6-7PM) and Closing reception (7-9PM) will be held on September 17th, 2009. The exhibition will feature mixed media works. It will also feature essays by Dr. Claudia Milian (Duke University) and Dr. William A. Nericcio (San Diego State University). Review of the exhibition here.

A short piece about Charlotte's ongoing taco truck situation by José L.S. Gámez, an Associate Professor of Architecture, a member of the Latin American Studies faculty, and currently a Research Fellow with the Institute for Social Capital at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. "Taco Madre" made an appearance on Cause of the Week Blogspot

"Pocholandia" was featured on Xicanosmosis at Tex{t}-Mex Gallery blog. Many thanks go out to Mr./Sr./Dr. William A. Nericcio for the kind gesture! visit Tex{t}- Mex! and here.

Small-Format Mixed Media works
January 24 2009
Opening Reception:
Irvine Contemporary continuing the concept with small-format works in all media.
Aspect:Ratio2. Artists include: Kwaku Alston, Gary Baseman, Lori Field, Susan Jamison, Akemi Maegawa, Shawne Major, Jiha Moon, Kahn & Selesnick, Izel Vargas, Zach Wirsum

Spartanburg, SC
Please join us on Wednesday,January 14th, 2009 from
7 to 9 pm at the Showroom for the opening reception of
the 2009 Artists-In-Residence Invitational Exhibition
featuring:

Albert Birney (video)
Elsewhere Artist Collaborative (performance/ video)
Blade Wynne (drawing)
Izel Vargas (mixed media)
Brad Reagan (sculpture)
Gretchen Huffman (printmaking/ drawing)
Nestor Armando Gil (performance)
Piotr Chizinski (mixed media)
Johnathon Whitfill (ceramics)

Cost: FREE
Artists’ Forum,The Mint Museum of Art
First Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm
November 4 – Izel Vargas and Michael Schall
Area artists discuss their work as well as current issues and activities in their artistic fields, followed by an informal reception. Co-presented with The Charlotte Chapter of the Links, Inc. and McColl Center for Visual Art.

UNC- Charlotte lecture for Thursday, September 25 at 4 pm at Storrs 110 in the Art Department.

Beginning of Winter residency at The McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC from Sept 8. - Nov 2008.

KNOCK Magazine is a literary arts magazine published twice each year at Antioch University Seattle. Issue #9 will feature 6 paintings/collages in their "Gestation Issue" to be released in May 2008. Where to Find KNOCK MAGAZINE in WA,NY,WI,CA

San Juan, Puerto Rico. Collaboration project with Mario Marzan. El Status Website May 4-18,2008.CLICK HERE for photoblog!!