When the University of Wyoming’s Board of Trustees met in March, members told concerned stakeholders they’d work to protect what lawmakers had just put on the chopping block — the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and related programming. 

“Tribal Legacy,” acrylic, by Ricardo Islas. (Courtesy)

“Broad brush, generalistic statements,” had led to misunderstandings about campus and its services, one trustee said. 

A student-led art exhibit opening Friday is intended to explore the finer details.

“Diversity Unveiled: An American Mosaic” was dreamt up and curated by Gerald Lovato, an artist and graduate student in the American Studies program.

Art is a powerful tool, Lovato told WyoFile. 

“I think this will allow us a chance to have those conversations about what this bill means,” Lovato told WyoFile, referring to the Legislature’s decision to restrict UW from spending state money, endowments or matching funds on the DEI office and DEI resources. Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed the prohibition on funding DEI resources. 

“I feel like DEI gets a bad rap for being almost anti-white, or becoming an institution that excludes certain populations,” Lovato said. “So I wanted to include everyone, not just students of color.”

“Hyacinth,” oil on canvas, by Julie Atkinson. (Courtesy)

Lovato put out a national call for submissions last fall and the show includes artists from 20 different states. 

Friday’s event is twofold, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a keynote presentation at UW’s Visual Arts Building by Jen Delos Reyes, the associate dean of diversity and equity at Cornell University. 

An opening reception will follow at UW’s Cooper House at 6:30 p.m. The exhibit will be on display until April 21.  

Maggie Mullen reports on state government and politics. Before joining WyoFile in 2022, she spent five years at Wyoming Public Radio.

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Art is such a wonderful way to reach people. Kudos to them for going ahead with the project! I hope to make it over there to experience the project!

    Reply