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Main Library Gallery news

Month: February 2021

Two women are in the house kitchen. One woman is preparing tortillas.
Feb 24 2021

‘It Is Home’: Q&A with Exhibit Curators Rachel Garza Carreón and Christopher Ortega

Posted on February 24, 2021April 8, 2022 by Sara J. Pinkham

A brand new exhibition opened on February 8 in the Main Library Gallery. Building Our Own Community: 50 Years of the Latino Native American Cultural Center, Founded by Chicano and American Indian Students in 1971 was curated with care by Rachel Garza Carreón and Christopher Ortega. Their work honors the past, present, and future of the UI’s Latino Native American Cultural Center (LNACC) and the students who made it possible.

Portrait of Rachel Garza Carreón.
Rachel Garza Carreón. Photo by Tim Schoon.

Rachel Garza Carreón is the Outreach & Research Librarian at the University of Iowa Libraries. She serves as the subject liaison for Classics, Philosophy, and Religious Studies, and is the UI Libraries liaison to the Latino Native American Cultural Center. Christopher Ortega is an Undergraduate Engagement Librarian at the University of Iowa Libraries. His mission is to support undergraduate success and make students feel welcome and empowered on campus and in the Libraries.

In this Q&A with the curators, they share more about their desire to celebrate the LNACC by creating an exhibit for the University of Iowa Libraries’ Main Library Gallery.

What inspired you to organize an exhibition about the LNACC?   

Rachel: “I think many of us have heard the expression about a campus building being ‘the heart of the campus’. I had never felt that way about a building until the LNACC. For many it brings a sense of home to our lives. I want people to understand that the LNACC is not just a physical building. It stands for something because of its history. To me, it is home.” 

Portrait of Christopher Ortega.
Christopher Ortega.

Chris: “When I first came to work at the University of Iowa Libraries a year ago, I heard of the LNACC and became interested in learning more about it. I also wanted to learn more about the history of Latinxs here at the University of Iowa. When Rachel approached me with the opportunity to work on this exhibit and learn about both subjects, I was happy to say yes.”

Why is this exhibition so important, and what is the primary message you’d like visitors to come away with?   

Rachel: “The LNACC exhibit tells the story of three individuals, Rusty Barceló, Ruth Pushetonequa, and Antonio Zavala, who put it on their shoulders to create a home on campus not only for them, but any other Latinx and Native American who happened to come to the UI. They could have easily put their heads down, because that’s a lot. Instead they said, ‘No, this isn’t right. We should do something about it.’ The courageous actions of these three people still affect the lives of students, staff, and faculty 50 years later. To me, this is a story that needs to be told and one that the University community should know about.”  

Chris: “The history of the LNACC and the impact that Latinxs and Native Americans have had on this institution and this community are powerful stories that need to be told and need to be heard. I hope visitors come away from the exhibit better understanding the experiences of Latinx and Native American students past and present here at the University. I hope that increased understanding can also lead visitors to appreciate the necessity of spaces like the LNACC.”

A white page with a typewritten poem in Spanish.
“Carta De Iowa,” Arturo Ramirez. Nahuatzen vol. 1 no. 2, May – June 1972. Latino Native American Cultural Center Records, University Archives. Image from the Iowa Digital Library.

What is a personal favorite item on display in the exhibition?   

Rachel: “The wall depicting the original mural composed of images of students, staff, and faculty starting from the 70’s until now holds a place in my heart. I’ve envisioned the wall from the beginning stages of exhibit planning. The image is a powerful representation that the community served by the LNACC and the LNACC are one.”

Chris: “My two favorite items in the exhibit are the original mural, reconstructed with photos from various eras of the LNACC, and the poem ‘Carta de Iowa’ in the Newsletters section. The mural is great because it allows visitors to see an aspect of the LNACC that hasn’t been visible to this extent for over a decade now. I like the poem so much because it’s so heart-wrenchingly honest. It was left purposefully untranslated, and I hope it inspires visitors to ask fellow visitors about what it means and what it makes them feel.”     

Two women are in the house kitchen. One woman is preparing tortillas.
Two students making dinner, 1990s. Latino Native American Cultural Center.

What has being involved at the LNACC meant to you?  

Rachel: “I’ve seen students, staff and faculty come and go through the center for many years. I’ve seen Latinx and Native American students be upset, worried and angry as they prepare to protest the many injustices we face. I’ve also seen these same communities laugh, dance and celebrate our successes.  Through it all I have always felt comfortable and safe at the LNACC. For me, having the LNACC reminds me that I wasn’t born here, I didn’t go to school here, but when I am in the LNACC I know that I belong here, too.”

Chris: “I truly appreciate the fact that there is a place on campus con personas que entienden some of the things you might feel here.” 

Is there any key advice you’d give to new Latinx and Native American students on campus? 

Rachel: “Visit the LNACC. Meet the students in the various groups. Don’t be afraid to go to social events and meet new people. The LNACC is a safe zone. Hopefully it will bring you a sense of home and familiarity as it has for so many students, faculty, and staff in the past.” 

Chris: “Look for groups on campus that sound interesting or relevant to you and reach out to them. There are other people here that are going through things similar to those you’re going through, and most likely they’re in or around those groups as well.” 


Learn more about the exhibition here.

Tagged Main Library Gallery
Two chairs face a mural and six glass cases filled with items from the Latino Native American Cultural Center.
Feb 10 2021

Building Our Own Community: Exhibit Celebrates UI’s Latino Native American Cultural Center

Posted on February 10, 2021April 8, 2022 by Sara J. Pinkham
Two chairs face a mural and six glass cases filled with items from the Latino Native American Cultural Center.
From Building Our Own Community: 50 Years of the Latino Native American Cultural Center, Founded by Chicano and American Indian Students in 1971 in the Main Library Gallery, University of Iowa Libraries.

In 1971, three University of Iowa students, Nancy “Rusty” Barceló, Ruth Pushetonequa, and Antonio Zavala, established what is now the Latino Native American Cultural Center (LNACC) on campus. In 2021, the LNACC is celebrating 50 years of creating community and a home-away-from-home for Latinx and Native American students at the University of Iowa. An exhibition in the Main Library Gallery at the University of Iowa Libraries is now open to share and honor the history of this important cultural house.

“I think many of us have heard the expression about a campus building being ‘the heart of the campus.’ I had never felt that way about a building until the LNACC,” says Rachel Garza Carreón, exhibit co-curator and outreach and research librarian at the University of Iowa Libraries. “For many, it brings a sense of home to our lives.”

“The history of the LNACC and the impact that Latinxs and Native Americans have had on this institution and this community are powerful stories that need to be told and need to be heard,” says Christopher Ortega, exhibit co-curator and undergraduate engagement librarian.

This exhibition, Building Our Own Community: 50 Years of the Latino Native American Cultural Center, Founded by Chicano and American Indian Students in 1971, shares the history of the center in depth. It explores its establishment in the 1970s, campus activism, and the many ways in which the LNACC has supported students over the years. Co-founder Antonio Zavala once said that the LNACC “has provided shelter, friends, music, theater, dance, poetry, books, and many, many discussions that were useful to balance the one-sided education most Chicanos and Native Americans received elsewhere.”

The LNACC continues to be an active advocate, supporter, and resource for Latinx and Native American students at the University of Iowa.

Building Our Own Community: 50 Years of the Latino Native American Cultural Center, Founded by Chicano and American Indian Students in 1971 will be on display in the University of Iowa Libraries Main Library Gallery from February 8 through June 25, 2021. Admission is free.

Visits to the Main Library Gallery by the general public are by appointment only at this time due to COVID-19. Appointments are available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and guests must book at least three days in advance. Campus visitors with Iowa One Card access to the Main Library may visit without an appointment Wednesday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during walk-in hours.

Guests can visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/gallery/ for additional information about the exhibition and about planning a visit. All are welcome, including classes, individuals, and small groups. Masks are required in all campus buildings.


Visit the Exhibition
Spring 2021 Main Library Gallery Hours: UI Campus Community (Students, Staff, Faculty)

Monday: By appointment only
Tuesday: By appointment only
Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (walk-in)
Thursday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (walk-in)
Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (walk-in)
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

For campus community appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays, or if you are a member of the general public who would like to visit the exhibit, please contact the Main Library Gallery.

Tagged LNACC, Main Library Gallery, University Archives

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