eduardo gardea | what we carry opens sept. 4

BENSON - Ming Toy Gallery, in partnership with The Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement (CIRA), is pleased to present Eduardo Gardea's "What We Carry" during the month of September. The opening reception is Friday, Sept. 4, from 6:00 to 9:00pm at 6066 Maple Street in downtown Benson. The event is free and open to the public.

"What We Carry" brings together a body of work centered on ordinary moments that quietly reveal extraordinary human experiences. Gardea, a Mexican American painter, muralist and sculptor, created the works after relocating to Santa Fe from Nebraska. "The work became less about documenting a place and more about honoring the values, relationships and experiences that continue to travel with us wherever we go," he said.

Presented during Hispanic Heritage Month in collaboration with CIRA, the exhibition recognizes that movement, belonging and identity are deeply human experiences. Rather than offering definitive answers, Gardea's paintings invite viewers to slow down, look closely and consider the quiet humanity that connects people across backgrounds, generations and lived experiences.

A recipient of the LALA Fellowship, Gardea has exhibited at the Mountain Plains Contemporary Art Biennial, the Arte Latinx Biennial, Care at the South Haven Center for the Arts and the annual art auction at the Bemis Center for Contemporary arts.

"What We Carry" runs through Sept. 26. Regular gallery hours are Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 6pm, Thursday from 3 to 8pm, Saturday from 10am to 1pm and by appointment (call or text 402.681.1901).