Exhibit celebrates Roary through historic art

Walk into the piano lounge and art gallery at MMC’s Graham Center, and you’ll be transported into a world of historic art — with an FIU twist.

Displayed on the lounge’s walls are 22 paintings that place FIU at the center of some of the world’s most famous paintings. Roary is the main character in Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and Dalí's "The Persistence of Memory." The Green Library, the Panther statue and iconic palm trees stand along the blue swirls of van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” And the Kissing Bridge is the bridge in Monet’s “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies.”

All the works in the exhibit were created by alumni Wendy X. Ordóñez ’07, MAT ’10, MFA ‘23 and Oscar D. Hernandez ‘18, two talented artists who are staff members at Student Health & Wellness (SHW). The artists made the works on Procreate, a software program popular among artists and illustrators. Some of the works were created from scratch by the two artists, and others involved superimposing FIU art created by the artists onto the original, historic artwork. 

The exhibit was designed to provide Panther-filled art to the campus community while raising awareness about health and wellness services available to students. While the exhibit is on display, SHW — which houses a variety of units such as Healthy Living, the Student Health Clinics and Counseling and Psychological Services — hosts various health resource fairs at the piano lounge. During these events, students who participate in the fairs receive free shirts and sweaters that feature designs from the exhibit.

Five hundred and sixty people attended the exhibit opening. Students clamor for the creative merch.

“I love the shirt,” says finance major Oriana Hernandez, who attended one of the SHW events. She got a free shirt that features the “Couple Dancing” design. “Everyone that sees my shirt loves it. My boyfriend asked me about it…it’s beautiful.”

She adds, “The exhibit itself is really creative. I’m really into art and design, and I love how the exhibit merges both of them into an academic context like this. It also made me interested in learning more about the original pieces of art.”

Hernandez also appreciated the educational component. “I learned about different services that we can get, like free massages and free therapy,” she said. 

Marketing major Daniela Navarro-Balestena agrees. “It was interesting to learn more about the clinics and the free check-ups that are included in our tuition,” she says. “It was good to see all the resources available if we need help, and that it’s not a taboo topic to speak about. It really shows us that if we ever have a problem, they want us to reach out to them and they want to help us.”

As to the exhibit? “The art is wonderful,” Navarro-Balestena says. “Seeing how Roary is incorporated into the art was great, and the T-shirt is really cute. I got the sweater with the Roary Kiss. I love it. Wearing it fills you with Panther Pride. It’s Roary and shows FIU, but it’s also subtle enough that it just looks like a really nice design.”

Art for awareness

This is the second year the exhibit goes on display at MMC. Fourteen new paintings were added for this year’s collection. Ordóñez and Hernandez chose the historic works for the project based on SHW team recommendations, and they spent months creating the artwork.

The goal is to use art to create awareness about student health and wellness. SHW is intentional about improving student success outcomes through its events. To earn swag, students take a moment and learn about SHW services that could help them. They receive important information about the student health fee, including all of the services they can receive for free like counseling, clinical care, massages, nutrition education, STI testing and much more.

Additionally, students complete a survey that provides information about a specific health topic. Since the art exhibit runs during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the questions help students learn how to report an incident and receive help on campus. 

“While being responsive to students in crisis will always be a priority, proactive education is a cornerstone of Student Health & Wellness’s mission," says Breny DaParre Garcia, associate vice president for Student Health & Wellness. "My goal has always been to provide students with the proper tools they need to overcome life’s challenges. I want them to remain pawsitively aware of all available resources. When our marketing team approached me with idea last year on how to engage students in a different way, I absolutely loved the art exhibit idea. Research shows that art can be a successful way to improve mental wellbeing, so the merging of both perspectives was a unique way to reach students." 

For the Panthers behind the art, the exhibit is a true labor of love.

Ordóñez is a three-time alumna who studied under renowned classical artist and Frost Professor of Art David Chang. Whether creating art for FIU or for her personal work, she’s using the skills she mastered in Chang’s courses every day.

“FIU has such a treasure in Professor Chang,” she says. “He has brought the atelier world to FIU. He provides the same exact quality of work and education as the best artists in the world.” 

Ordóñez is happy to be using her artistry to give back to FIU and to help students connect with health and wellness.

“I love art and I love FIU," Ordóñez says. "This exhibit brought both loves together. Working at FIU, I know I’m making a positive difference in the world.”

She has another achievement to celebrate: Miami International Fine Arts will be hosting her first solo exhibit, titled “Valió la Pena” in December. The exhibit explores Ordóñez’s motherhood and pays homage to the sacrifices her parents made when they moved to the U.S. from Colombia to give her the best possible opportunities.

Hernandez, the other FIU artist on the project, is another proud Panther. He is a junior content strategist at SHW. He holds a bachelor's of fine arts in art from FIU and is a current student, pursuing another bachelor's degree in marine biology.

He says he enjoyed working on the special FIU exhibit. “It’s always very exciting to pick out well known artworks and turn them into FIU-themed pieces,” he says. “I enjoy trying out the different styles and trying to convey the original artist’s techniques as it provides a fun challenge when making these.”

His favorite part of the process? “Seeing the students enjoy the designs and comment on which one is their favorite or seeing the students spot a funny or interesting part of the piece,” Hernandez says. 

So, which one is your favorite piece? Let the team know by commenting on the SHW Instagram page, and keep up to date with health and wellness tips by following SHW.

The exhibit runs until Oct. 31, so if you haven't seen it yet, make sure to check it out.