As I entered the 2025–’26 school year, I never considered myself to be a “writer” or someone competent in English. But over the five months I spent at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, not only have my literary/analysis skills been enhanced, but also my confidence in writing.
Better still, I gained new appreciation for an artist very dear to me, in my own family.
Like most things in life, this class had its complications and a rocky start due to a calendar confusion. Despite this, my teachers Brooks Turner and Kylie Hoang gave a wonderful education experience. Assignments were mostly readings from artists and other curators, giving their very wordy thoughts on many different aspects of art. The class culminated with one big project: an art gallery experience, in any medium, that connected at least three art pieces.
But first we were assigned a one-page paper about one piece in the gallery. I already knew which piece would be my focus: the painting St Anthony Falls and the Minneapolis Exposition Building by Alexis Jean Fournier. As an artist, this piece captured two things I love in real life: moving bodies of water and clouds. I completed the assignment quickly, much faster than I have finished any writing assignment before. When I walked into class the next week, I received a comment about my work, which gave me a large boost in my confidence.
For the final project, I planned to focus on clouds and seascapes. But that September, my beloved grandmother, Rosalinda Abrigo (Salinas), passed away from liver cirrhosis. This was a heartbreaking time for me and my family. I thought of the painting she created so many years ago, and the chair she painted which sits in my room now. I decided to do a project about her. I not only talked about her art, but about her story as a single mother raising two kids, all the while attempting to pursue her dream in science and getting a master’s in art history.
In her honor, I curated pieces she had made while I was alive into a digital exhibit. Her work was eye-candy: colors and lines that pulled you and gave you a sweet pop of joy. She once told me that Pablo Picasso was one of her favorite artists. His influence is prevalent in her pieces, especially when you compare their abstract lines and their smooth, grainy color gradients.
By the end of the class, I gained greater confidence in my writing, which is valuable. Even better, I learned that, as a curator, I could introduce an artist near to my heart, where she will never be forgotten.
Minnesota Museum of American Art
350 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55101
Located in the Historic Pioneer Endicott
Office: 651.797.2571
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