This week on Great Arts at Eastern, Jeff Gentry guests today are Diego Gonzalez and Alla Parsons about the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration.
Diego teaches at the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja in Loja, Ecuador. Diego talks about how he met Professor Alla Parsons of Eastern New Mexico University: "in between March and April, I became some news to connect and network. And somebody in the University told me, somebody here it is interesting and to maintain this cooperation. I started to be put into contact with Alla. I wrote to her and also to ask the University for support for this interchange. So things happen, and it happens well."
As Diego finishes up his week here at Eastern, he talks about the things that he has learned that he is going to be taking back with him to Ecuador.
"I have a lot of things I'll be taking back with me. Since the first day, I became so surprised about the various interesting things that I am making here — especially the people. The warm people bring me the welcome here, especially with Alla and Michael, her husband. And all of you, your staff and the other people, the (New) Mexican people that live here, are very funny people and warm, especially. Of course the other interesting things around this place, for example, the place of Clovis with its history. Also, the different ways to invent space in the desert. It is an interesting and new experience for me. Alla and I are a lot of things, also the Art students. The interest of them when we were in the classes-. They are so interesting about there, their demonstrations so on. I am so impressed."
Alla is likewise an artist who features in painting and drawing. She finds that Diego's recent work is: "Well Diego and I. We are both artists, but we are very different artists. So if I am more inclined to surrealism, Diego is more inclined to maybe Abstraction and expression, and that is a wonderful addition to my classes. So students are learning from different perspectives, and they learn a national and global perspective of things. It broadens there view of art and Exposes them to a different perspective. Different than mine. Diego is a warm personality. And that he's a great teacher. He did a great demo for Figure Drawing Students, and it was great."
Alla, you now get to visit Loja, where you will be Diego's guest. What's in store for your visit there? "I am getting ready to visit Loja, and that is a famous international arts festival that is going to happen in Loja in November. So I will partially participate in that festival. Then after the festival ends, I will teach a few classes that Diego teaches, so It is still under discussion about what I will be doing. I am sure that the art festival will be participating in will be great. So it is an international Art Festival, some different countries will be participating there. So I will be there."
The CONAHEC faculty exchange program helps establish and strengthen academic collaborations across borders.
You can find all the great arts at Eastern at <enmu.edu/fineartsevents> And learn more about this program at KENW.org.