The Mariposa Prize takes its name from “Mariposa/Butterfly” (above) by Hector Dionicio Mendoza. Photo credit: Laura Shea.
By Lucy Oster ’23'
Staff Writer
This past spring, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and the department of Spanish, Latina/o and Latin American studies announced a new student award, the inaugural Mariposa Prize. The prize was funded by and based around the work of Hector Dionicio Mendoza, a mixed-media artist who teaches in the visual and public art department at California State University, Monterey Bay.
Mendoza described the award as an investment in young, emerging Latinx artists and scholars.
“The [inaugural Mariposa Prize] was created as a tiny monetary gift, specifically for Latin[x] students,” Mendoza explained. “The main idea [was] to reciprocate by giving back to the community that gave to me.”
The award encouraged Latinx graduates of the classes of 2021 and 2020 to engage critically with two of Mendoza’s sculptures and mixed media works, acquired by the MHCAM in spring 2020. In June, Nicole Lara Granados ’21, a psychology and education double major, and Jennifer Villa ’21, an art studio major, were declared the first winners of the inaugural Mariposa Prize.
Lara Granados does not consider herself an artist, but said she “admire[s] others who are able to create beautiful pieces, such as Mendoza.”
The Mariposa Prize was based around two of Mendoza’s works, “Immigrant Shoes” and “Mariposa/Butterfly.” “Immigrant Shoes” features two leather shoes with ice-skating blades attached to the soles. “Mariposa/Butterfly” is also a sculpture, resembling a butterfly with two paper wings decorated with painted leaves. Between the wings, a metal fist, spray-painted gold, punches out from a piece of wood.
Lara Granados recently had the chance to see Mendoza’s work in person at the MHCAM.
“I … felt that the size of [‘Mariposa/Butterfly’] had an actual impact on me as a viewer, because it was so big [that] I had to take my time to really look at every small detail,” she said.
According to the MHCAM website, the museum purchased Mendoza’s pieces after a faculty seminar meeting last spring. Eight Mount Holyoke professors across multiple disciplines participated in the course, led by Associate Curator Stephanie Sparling Williams and Associate Director for Engagement and Weatherbie Curator of Academic Programs Ellen Alvord of the MHCAM. The professors, Alvord and Sparling Williams gathered “to research and propose the purchase of artworks that could be used in the classroom to address issues of gender, race, colonialism and migration.”
Before the acquisition of Mendoza’s works, the MHCAM had very few pieces by Latinx artists, according to Associate Professor of Latina/o and Latin American studies David Hernández.
“[It was] a challenge to engage with the museum,” Hernández said, referencing the lack of diverse artworks available for viewing at the MHCAM before the seminar.
Following Mendoza’s wishes, the inaugural Mariposa Prize competition was simple and open-ended. Latinx students were urged to respond to Mendoza’s pieces in a one-page submission, potentially taking on a multimedia format. Hernández said various entries included photographs, drawings and narrative reflections. When asked whether he had any advice for college-aged Latinx artists, Mendoza encouraged students to “surround [themselves] with ideas, explore possibilities, experiment, be present and get involved with communities.”
“Be mindful, critical and, most importantly, emphasize self-care. Find a few good mentors whose opinions you trust. Don’t procrastinate,” Mendoza said.
Mendoza’s pieces “Mariposa/Butterfly” and “Immigrant Shoes” are currently available for virtual viewing via the MHCAM website. To see them, visit artmuseum.mtholyoke.edu.