From learning to teaching art
When Carolina Mendo was offered elective classes for the first time in middle school, she chose art, thinking it would be a fun activity. She had no idea she would end up finding a passion for it.
Over the span of five years, Mendo majored in fine arts with a concentration in studio art at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley before graduating this past spring.
During her time at UTRGV, Mendo said she learned and experimented with different art methods.
“I tried a little bit of everything,” the 23-year-old said. “I took a few drawing classes, a bunch of painting, a little bit of printmaking, a lot of ceramics, so I was back and forth on different mediums. Because I did want to try to learn and explore as much as I could.”
In March 2020, Mendo became a member of the Ceramic Organization on campus after a former UTRGV professor encouraged her to, and it was a rewarding experience for her.
“You’re never working on something alone [there],” she said. “You give a lot back, but you also get a lot in return, whether it’s just advice or just learning about new opportunities around us.”
Ceramics is also Mendo’s favorite medium to work with. One creation that she received lots of positive feedback on was a stoneware set of a Game Boy, game cassettes and a packaging box for the Game Boy.
The set was part of a class assignment that required students to make a sculpture based on something they owned. When Mendo decided to replicate her Game Boy, she said she realized she also had game cassettes from her childhood and began making those too. The only item she did not own was the packaging box, which she based on online photos.
This was a special assignment for Mendo because she needed to paint with acrylics, which was new to her.
“It was definitely a change because I was so used to working with glazes and then going with the more crafty medium,” she said. “It was definitely something new that I liked.”
When she submitted her life-size assignment, people, including her professor, were shocked to discover the materials were all handmade.
“Some people thought that either the Game Boy was the actual Game Boy or the cassettes weren’t made out of clay. But I just had to remind people, ‘No, everything is made out of clay. I made it,’” she laughed.
Even though Mendo has graduated, that assignment has stayed with her and inspired her way of making art.
According to Mendo, “[It] push[ed] myself to make more things based off of real life. There are a few artists that … replicate simple, everyday objects, but they enlarge it. So I think that’s one thing I definitely do want to try, even if it’s not with ceramics, like even if it’s just experimenting with cardboard. I do want to push myself to work on bigger things.”
Recently, Mendo started making small prints. She said some of her biggest inspirations for prints and ceramics are the moon phases and coils or “weird shapes.”
“I get inspired by that and just knowing that I can actually turn a 2D piece into something tangible. That’s what pushes me to try new ways to create 3D pieces,” the artist said.
Now, the UTRGV alumna inspires students to create art, too.
She is currently employed at the IDEA Public School in McAllen. During the day, she assists with operations and sometimes, she helps younger students with their art classes. Additionally, she manages the art club for sixth to eighth graders, where she plans to teach art.
“I kind of want to teach them the same way that I was taught in middle school,” Mendo said. “Sometimes, worksheets with grid methods that will help them ease into seeing how they can improve their work. I do want them to become familiar with as many mediums as they can … I do want them to get the most out of it, whether it’s something simple with color [or] working with color pencils. I do want to push them to push their own boundaries.”
Mendo’s dream is to become a middle school teacher and while her style may change, she said she knows she will find new ways to continue incorporating art into her life.
