On Feb. 6, in the Intercultural Center, the president of The Black Student Union, Simara Rodriguez curated “The Beauty of Being”, a portrait gallery that celebrated Black History Month, the diversity, stories, and identities that make up our Monmouth community.
With this years national theme being “A Century of Black History Commemorations, it marks 100 years since Carter G. Woodson initiated the first Negro History Week in 1926. This led to Black History Month and deepened the study of African American history.
Rodriquez is a sophomore studio art major but hasn’t always been. Prior to being an art major she began taking the science route. Rodriguez came to Monmouth in 2023 with her mind set on environmental science, taking on a biology major. In Rodriquez’s speech during her showcase, she said, “I believe that our world can be better and I believe our world needs to be taken care of better.” This sentiment has always held true with Rodriguez, whether she was a science major or an art major, although she now sees creation through a different lens.
Rodriguez added, “I was not thinking of doing things creative. Photography at the time, I was like eh, it’s a cute little hobby for me, little did I know,” Rodriquez added.
Kamora Rodriguez, Simara Rodriguez’s mom, shared the creativity that was planted at a very young age, “We always encouraged creativity, whatever that’s going to look like. Our house had paint, we had sidewalk chalk, we had ribbon, you name it, we had it.”
“She was always painting something, drawing something,” Gabe Rodriguez said, Simara Rodriguez’s brother.
When Simara Rodriquez began to pursue an education in environmental science, Kamora Rodriguez expressed her worries, concerned that she would study science just to follow in her footsteps of STEM. “What I didn’t want to do is put my experiences or my goals on them [her children], find your own way,” Kamora Rodriquez said.
Simara Rodriquez did just that and made the switch from a biology major to a studio art major. “When I was doing bio, it had something to do with, yes I am passionate about this but it had more to do with the fact that I wanted to be taken seriously and I wanted to be seen as smart…now I am at a place where I’m like you know what? You can think I’m stupid, but I know what I produce now. I know I produce good work and I know I produce good things.”
The exhibit on Feb. 6 consisted of six photos, all in black and white. The photos ranged from one to three models in each photo, each representing something different and unique. “Every model I chose inspires me, Simara Rodriguez said.
Under each frame was a short excerpt that explained the vision and meaning behind each photo. “Black and white film had changed a lens for me in terms of photography, because with black and white, the pictures, the picture, you can’t count on the color…when you take these black and white pictures, you strip them of everything else so you really really have to search for something, you have to make sure these pictures mean something,” Simara Rodriguez said.
Jeffrey Mendez, a senior music industry major said that Simara Rodriquez has been a close friend he has had the honor of knowing at Monmouth and that he attended the photo gallery to support her and her vision. Mendez explained as someone who is an artist himself, in the form of music, that people don’t realize all different types of arts are connected. “Everything has a story,” Mendez said.
Simara Rodriquez reflected on how this idea came to be, jogging her memory back to high school. She remembered the events that her high school would have for Black History Month, and the display case in between the auditorium doors that reflected the national theme each year.
After helping with these displays for two years, she was entrusted with the entire display case her junior year. “I took black and white portraits of Black and Brown people at my high school and we printed them out and we put them up,” Simara Rodriguez said. “When I thought about the theme this year I was like dang it’s 100 years that we have celebrated Black History in America,” she added.
After proposing an idea, she was encouraged to pursue it.
Gabe Rodriguez said he watched all the hard work that she put in behind the scenes, leading up to and executing this event. “When she came home for winter break she was never off her computer, she was never not busy, she was always busy trying to figure this out,” he said.
She works hard not just in art. She works hard in her studies, she works hard in being the president of her school’s Black Student Union. She’s been working hard since I’ve seen her, my freshman year, her senior year in high school. I’ve seen the work and she definitely inspires me a lot to work hard and go after what I want to do,” he added.
The name “The Beauty of Being” was inspired by Olivia Dean’s album “The Art of Loving”.
“I listened to the first track which is called “The Art of Loving” and I was like, The Art? Wait a minute. And my brain just started going and going and going and it landed on “The Beauty of Being.”
With tears in her eyes, Simara Rodriguez expressed her level of gratitude for the support she had while planning and executing her vision and beyond that. “Amir, Jihad, Dr.Z, when I got here they have done nothing but support me. The more I get to know them, the more support I have…this event, I felt so loved and so supported and it’s attributed to them.”
Jihad Johnson, the Assistant Director for the Intercultural Center said, “Like many other students, the transition to college was not easy for Simara. We had a lot of conversations about finding community, changing her major, and positioning herself for success, some conversations easier than others. I told Simara to “Trust the Process.”, I wanted her to find the joy and motivation to reach her full potential at a time when she was starting to lose it. I encouraged her to spend more time doing things she loved, put forth her best effort, and embrace the process. It is amazing to see her goals come to fruition. She trusted the process, and I am grateful she trusted me and allowed me to be a part of her journey.”
“I can transform a world, I can paint a picture. So this show was about the beauty of just being. Being where you are,” Simara Rodriguez said.
