“Hola Daniela”: Alumna returns to share her story through art

Augustana’s art department welcomed back alumna Gracie Rothering ‘22 with open arms and open minds. Through her exhibit at the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery from Sept. 11 to Oct. 2, Rothering shared her vulnerabilities regarding her heritage with educators she had during her time here, as well as with young artists like herself. 

At the exhibit’s reception, Lindsay Twa, director of the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery, reflected on her first interaction with Rothering as a student in her class.

“Not everyone wanted to be in the art FYS, but even back then, I remember just the amount of energy and thoughtfulness that Gracie brought to the group,” Twa said. “It was really amazing to sort of see her continue to evolve — sort of finding her feet, enjoying sculpture and then finding photography as a form and as a language.”

Rothering combined two photographic exhibitions for her showcase — “Hola Daniela” and “HomeTown.” The first focused on her upbringing as a Latina, indigenous and Black individual.

The title of the former comes from the first line of a letter written in Spanish by Rothering’s birth mother, explaining why Rothering was put up for adoption. The letter, titled “Fractured: Past, Present, Now,” is featured within the exhibition itself.

“I feel this weird, fragmented identity,” Rothering said. “Because I am [legally named] Daniela, but I’m also Gracie. It’s weird, like there are two people, but I’m the same person at the same time. I knew I wanted to integrate this letter into the show, and that’s when the whole thing kind of came together. I knew I needed to provide context.” 

Alongside the letter is a printed copy of Rothering’s birth mother’s driver's license. It is the only information she has about her mother. 

Across from these framed pieces is Rothering’s senior thesis, a colorful compilation of analog and digital images from her upbringing, produced via multi-exposure stacking.

“I wanted to have a conversation between the two [collections],” Rothering said. “Of, ‘Here’s me — here’s the explanation of how I got here.’”

The vulnerability throughout the pieces resonated with exhibition attendees, many of whom stood by them for long periods, reading the words and soaking in the images all the way from Bogotá, Colombia.

“I thought the entire collection was just so vulnerable,” junior art major and reception attendee Ava Hillberg said. “Especially how she used the actual letter from her birth mother before she was put up for adoption. If that were me, I would have a hard time reading it, let alone for other people.”

Across the room were scanned inkjet prints of photographs focusing on Rothering’s present life, known as “HomeTown.” The black-and-white scenes throughout Cochrane, Wisc., starkly contrast with her vibrant works. 

“I have a whole archive of my own heritage, and the only time I get to experience that is through looking at [the photographs],” Rothering said. “So that's when I started to introduce that aspect of the color. I also thought it was kind of fun, like poking at the trope of nostalgic things being in black and white. I kind of flipped that — my reality is in black and white, and my past is in color, so it was kind of fun.”

One print alludes to Rothering’s curiosity about Midwestern culture, familiarity and family. Titled “The Top: Grandparents’ House,” it features the chimney of Rothering’s grandparents’ earth home — a house that’s built into and sheltered by the earth.

Many of Rothering’s relatives attended the reception, including her mother, Cheri Rothering, who said she was “very proud” of her daughter. She also said she wished that Gracie’s birth mother could witness all that Gracie has accomplished and become.

“Gracie was always into art projects,” Cheri Rothering said. “So she was always, always making a mess. We used to call her ‘Gracie Make-a-mess.’ I think she thought that was actually her middle name.”

Gracie Rothering graduated from the University of Oregon this past spring with a Masters of Fine Arts and plans to reside in that state to establish her own sense of home. She looks forward to continuing to create, and she encourages students to do the same.

“You're in college for such a short period of time,” Gracie Rothering said. “Enjoy it. It's okay if you don't get an A on the paper or if you're a little behind in class. It's okay. Just enjoy your time. Because for me, I'm learning very fast, it's time to be an adult.”

Rothering’s work can be viewed further on her website.