Mariela Espinoza-León Awarded HECAA Mary Vidal Award and LAII Travel Grant

July 10, 2024

Mariela Espinoza-León, a current Ph.D. student in Art History, was awarded the HECAA Mary Vidal Award. The Vidal Fund supports research expenses for HECAA members who are graduate students or have earned their PhD within the last three years. Additionally, Mariela has received a Field Research Grant from the Latin American and Iberian Institute. This grant will enable her to conduct preliminary dissertation research in Mexico City.

Our art history students are achieving remarkable milestones, and we couldn’t be prouder. Congratulations, Mariela!

Principal Art Lecturer, Jessamyn Lovell, Featured in LENSSCRATCH

Jessamyn Lovell is a gender-fluid artist and licensed private investigator based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They hold a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology, an MFA from California College of the Arts, and are currently a Principal Lecturer at the University of New Mexico.

Bad Bunny x UNM Alum Eric-Paul Riege

As Bad Bunny’s cultural influence continues to expand, we revisit his 2019 collaboration with Eric-Paul Riege during the artist’s first solo museum exhibition at ICA Miami. Grounded in Diné weaving traditions and the philosophy of hózhó - beauty, balance, and goodness - Riege’s regalia for epr embodies ancestral knowledge, performance, and the meaning of hó𝘭ǫ́: to exist.

Art History Professor, Ray Hernández-Durán, Named Regents’ Professor

Ray Hernández-Durán, professor of art history in UNM’s Department of Art & Art History in the College of Fine Arts, has been named a Regents’ Professor, a distinguished and lifelong honor recognizing senior faculty members who demonstrate excellence in teaching, research, and community impact. The title is awarded following a rigorous review process led by the College Dean in collaboration with the Provost’s Office and includes a three-year stipend to support the recipient’s work.