Associate Professor of Chicanx-Latinx Studies Martha Gonzalez was quoted in an by a former student, Corina Silverstein 鈥�25, regarding how she inspired the student鈥檚 curatorial internship.
Silverstein discussed the unique way Gonzalez leads her class Collective Songwriting: Theory and Knowledge Production. Rather than focusing on individual performance, Gonzalez builds a classroom structure that is dependent on collaboration, or convivencia, a term derived from the Spanish convivir.
Corina Silverstein ’25
鈥淐ollective songwriting is about coming together; it is all about the convivencia that takes place,鈥� Gonzalez said to Silverstein. This rupture from the conventional academic setting 鈥渞adically created a communal learning environment,鈥� writes Silverstein.
Silverstein鈥檚 initial exposure to convivencia and Gonzalez led her to research the work of Ofelia Esparza, whom Gonzalez had invited to Scripps for her class. Silverstein pursued a Getty Marrow Curatorial Internship through the Vincent Price Art Museum where they participated in the creation of an , set to open on October 18, 2025.
The show is not Silverstein’s first foray into curatorial work. Thanks to an introductory course in modern Latinx art, they expand the collection of Chicanx and Latinx art at the El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA), with a focus on the representation of women and queer artists.
“I researched around 60 pieces that contained Latinx and Chicanx women,” Silverstein said of the EPMA experience. 鈥淚 helped suggest pieces that would be removed from the checklist to better prioritize Latinx women artists agency in articulating their own narrative.鈥�
Gonzalez鈥檚 impact on her students spans far beyond Scripps campus, and Silverstein鈥檚 work is just one example of that. Read more about Silverstein here and about Gonzalez here.