The Mills international Center will unveil its winter art show, “American Voices,” tomorrow evening at the center inside the EMU. The event will run from Jan. 28 until March 18.
Open to the public, tomorrow’s opening will feature a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., offering attendees the opportunity to mingle with the four featured artists. The reception will also feature entertainment by Colombian guitarist Kenji Ota and dancer Carolina Caballero.
“We started the reception to build a mission of opening up a linkage with us and the community. We wanted to have more participation,” said Kelly Tavares, art curator for the Mills Center.
Inspired by the concept of featuring the artistic voices surrounding “us,” the exhibit features artists who live in either Eugene or Portland. The exhibit brings a much more diverse group together that spans the Americas.
“We always have one North American artist,” Tavares said. “The idea is to really promote the linkage between cultures. There are many different things between language and culture. It’s good to promote that and get everyone together speaking different languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish.”
The concept behind the Americas came about when Tavares met local artists Sarah Brothers and Roberto Arroyo. Following an organic, natural collaboration, the other two artists were found by Tavares. She didn’t have a set idea; rather each artist was either found through friends’ recommendations, or the artists actually came to her. 
Together the four artists bring a great variety of cultural background to the exhibit.
Roberto Arroyo, whose drawings and oil paintings will be featured, is of Chilean descent. For first-time artist Arroyo, the center’s appeal of creating an inviting space for international students helps bring different cultures together. Arroyo says this allows people from other parts of the world to mutually share their knowledge and respect.
“We are not here like an empty glass in search to be filled by the academic life.” Arroyo said. “We share the same level; we are all human beings.”
Arroyo has ten pieces on display, some from a series called “Love against Forgetting”, which came from Arroyo’s time with a national human rights organization called Vicaria de la Solidaridad. This organization helped people who suffered from political persecution during the military dictatorship in Chile that lasted from 1973 to 1990.
After seeing the Army’s brutality against the Chilean people, he shows this trauma in his drawings while balancing “love as a weapon against the sadness.”
“In this manner my drawings reflect not only my people’s tragedy,” Arroyo said. “But also those gestures of solidarity, love, compassion and fraternity that supported.
Hampton Rodriguez grew up in the Dominican Republic. His art, made from recycled materials, is a representation of his experience growing up there. 
Hailing from Mexico, Alejandro Ceballos grew up around art and uses that foundation to create his spontaneous style of painting. 
Sarah Brothers represents the ultra-local artist. Her acrylic, oil and mixed media art was developed all over North America. She grew up in Ithaca, N.Y.; received a master’s degree in art education from Florida International; and is currently pursuing an Arts Administration degree at the University.
“When I was hired, there was a while where the artwork had not been put on the walls,” said Tavares, a graduate student in the Arts Administration program. “The people from the community pointed out the space, so they hired me to do that.”
Located on the second floor of the EMU, the Mills International Center stands as a pillar for international diversity. The center holds monthly poetry readings that highlight the importance of an international community, while Monday night language circles allow University students to practice their language studies with native speakers. The center also welcomes international guests to speak about experience and their work on a weekly basis. While not hosting events, the Mills International Center is a nice spot to simply unwind in a comfortably quiet atmosphere. 

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