The Geometry of Hope: Latin American Abstract Art from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection

Journey through the vibrant cities of South America during the mid-twentieth century and witness the birth of Modernism in the Americas. Drawn from one of the world's leading collections of Latin American art, this exhibition examines the dynamic visual vocabulary of Geometric Abstraction that developed in the cosmopolitan art capitals of Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and other South American cities from the 1930s through the 1970s. Featuring more than 125 works by more than 40 artists, The Geometry of Hope examines the complex history and rich creative ferment of one of the most fascinating artistic movements of the last century. A version of the exhibition will be on view at New York University's Grey Art Gallery in the fall of 2007.

The Geometry of Hope will be accompanied by a two-part symposium exploring the legacy of Latin American geometrical abstraction and the state of contemporary scholarship in the field. The first session will be held in Austin on February 17, 2007, and the second at New York University on October 5, 2007.

http://blantonmuseum.org/works_of_art/exhibitions/geometry_of_hope/index.cfm 

FEBRUARY 22-23, 2007

NAFTA and U.S.-Mexico Relations: In Retrospect and Prospect 

  Eidman Courtroom, UT Law School

The Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection of The University of Texas Libraries and the Mexican Center of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies are organizing a conference to mark the donation to the Benson Collection of the archives on the NAFTA negotiations of the Mexico-U.S. Business Committee.

The conference will analyze the history and impact of the North American Free Trade Agreement. A major aim of the conference is to provide an assessment of the NAFTA negotiations and of the resulting agreement in 1993-1994. It is our hope that the recently acquired archival collection will help scholars to research further in this area.

A second major aim is to take stock of how NAFTA has worked up to the present and to discuss possible new directions for the agreement. To this end, we intend to invite policymakers and researchers from both Mexico and the United States who can complement each other's perspectives. In an introductory panel, we would like to take a retrospective look at the process of negotiation, review the original goals that the agreement intended to accomplish, and discuss the challenges that the agreement has faced in the last ten years.

Our preliminary agenda also would include the following interrelated sets of issues:

• First, NAFTA's potential role in accelerating Mexico's competitiveness and promoting technological exchange and joint business development initiatives between the U.S. and Mexico
• Second, the influence of NAFTA on social development, specifically on poverty and income inequalities in Mexico
  
• Third, the implications of NAFTA for the new dynamics of Mexico-U.S. migration and the public policies emerging on both sides of the border to deal with these new dynamics
• Fourth, the rule of law under NAFTA, that is, the impact of NAFTA on the transparency and effectiveness of the domestic law and legal systems of Mexico and the U.S. in areas of environmental protection, intellectual property, labor, etc.
• Finally, the effects of NAFTA on U.S.-Mexico relations, especially the nature and adequacy of political and media communication between them

Sponsored by the Mexican Center of the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, the Benson Latin American Collection, the IC2 of the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Herb Kelleher Center for Entrepreneurship of the Red McCombs School of Business, the LBJ School of Public Affairs, and the Law School of The University of Texas at Austin.

FEBRUARY 22-24
Abriendo Brecha IV

 
 Activist Scholarship Conference
  Public  Education, Marginalized Publics, and the Politics of Insurgency
 
 February 22nd – 24th, 2007
  At the San Jacinto  Conference Center (SJH)
 309 E. 21st   Street; Austin, Texas 78705
 
 
 
 It is also available for download at the Center’s website at :
 
 http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/caaas/conferences/abriendo_brecha/program/   

FEBRUARY 22

Film Screening: Letters From the Other Side
 Where: Prince Of Peace, Lutheran Church 1711 East Oltorf St. (just
east of I-35) When: Thursday February 22, 7pm

Join us and Austin immigrants to watch "Letters from the Other Side",
a film highlighting the family members left on the Mexican side of the
US-Mexico border, a painful and often ignored aspect of immigration.
The funds from a suggested donation of $5 will be used to fund
advocacy efforts to achieve just immigration reform for immigrants and
their families.

Workers Defense Project seeks to include immigrant families in a
dialogue that they are often excluded from, in an effort to paint a
more accurate picture of who will be affected by shoddy, weak-minded
proposed legislation. Director Heather Courtney as well as members of
the immigrant community will be present at the screening.

All funds raised by ticket sales will be used to further the advocacy
of positive legislation and educate members of the community about
immigration issues
For more info: (512) 391-2305 or info@workersdefense.org 

FEBRUARY 23

FEBRUARY 25

author speaks 8pm

Author/correspondent/poet/and globetrotting troublemaker John Ross delivers
a report from the social upheaval in Mexico that followed the stealing of
the 2006 presidential election, and its message for frustrated U.S. voters.
 
Ross will also discuss the months-long popular uprising in Oaxaca and the
Zapatista Army of National Liberation's Other Campaign and the challenges
this nation-wide grassroots campaign presents to in-coming president Felipe
Calderon.
 
John Ross will also be reading excerpts from the third book in his series
chronicling the Zapatista rebellion.  His new book, Zapatistas!: Making
Another World Possible (Nation Books, 2006) chronicles the last six years of
the rebellion ­ a phase where the Zapatistas have been below the media radar
and a period where Ross argues that the Zapatistas have been "Changing the
World Without Taking Power."

Sunday, February 25th
8:00 PM
MonkeyWrench Books
110 E. North Loop (53rd and Ave. F)
for information or directions call 512-407-6925 

______________________________________________________________________________

FEBRUARY 14 <3<3<3

 FOR THE LOVE OF SALSA

Host:   Casa Marianella
Location:       Mercury Hall
615 Cardinal Lane, Austin, TX View Map
When:   Wednesday, February 14, 8:00pm
Phone:          512-928-8862
Looking for a unique way to spend Valentine's
Day this year?  What better way to enjoy a traditional day of love
than by showing it toward your community while dancing to your hearts
content!

Dance this Valentine's Day away on Mercury
Hall's smooth hardwood floors!  Free dance lessons with acclaimed
instructor Jason Lozada... Jack'n'Jill freestyle dance competition for
a cash prize... dazzling performances by Fuerza Latina and Jazzy Dance
Company... silent auction... social dancing to the swinging tunes of
Copa and Dallas Night Club's own DJ Fabian... and LOTS OF PRIZES!

All proceeds will benefit Posada Esperanza, a program of Casa
Marianella offering services to single women and children.

Tickets: $10 advance, $12 door
For advance purchase or details call: (512)928-8862
Additional donations are greatly appreciated and welcome!

Parking is limited.  Please carpool.
Sponsored by Tito's Vodka. 

FEBRUARY 15 CANCELLED

Lecture

FEBRUARY 16

SALSA FESTIVAL