9 April 9 - 15, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents discussed the closure as early as Feb. 6, say- ing it would “manage any barking” from pol- iticians in Austin. Campbell identified the large leak as a significant addition to existing tensions. The Observer contacted more than 45 members of the CVAD teaching faculty; three expressed a willingness to speak off the record, fearing retaliation. Campbell was the only professor who agreed to speak on record. He hopes he can inspire other tenured staff to share their perspectives. Students Wait For Answers T he student body is at the heart of the dispute. It was a group of concerned students who initially contacted Qui- ñonez to notify him that the installation had been closed. Jenny Yanez, a photo- journalism student, was one of them. She was on site when the news broke, and she’s remained dogged in her coverage since. As a photography student, Yanez takes courses within CVAD, and she says while the university has made it obvious it’s wait- ing out the media scrutiny and hoping to brush things under the rug, the rest of the school won’t forget. “People are still mad,” she says. “It’s been a whole mix of concern and frustration, and it’s still circulating. They’re thinking it’s go- ing to go away, but it’s still definitely affect- ing everyday life at CVAD.” Yanez says her classmates, especially people of color, have begun questioning their freedom of expression, worried their artwork might be removed. “They’re all saying, ‘This makes me feel like I can’t make artwork because I’m scared that they’re going to somehow censor it,’” she says. Some master’s students protested by moving their thesis projects to other galler- ies, refusing to show inside the CVAD build- ing. Yanez says the student body is still waiting for an apology, and they’re not above holding a grudge. “They haven’t released any statement whatsoever, even though they did have [the faculty senate] meeting,” she says. “... They just kept repeating the same thing about it being a ‘higher institutional directive.’ He just kept repeating the same thing. They haven’t put out a statement yet, so that’s what I feel the students want.” The Artist Waits for Accountability T he University of North Texas has not contacted Quiñonez beyond an ini- tial offer to cover expenses related to the closure and coordination of its next campus home. Nor has it offered a thor- ough explanation for why the installation was canceled. “The students are owed an apology first and foremost,” he says. “Besides an apology, I’m more interested in accountability.” But it’s not just university officials who have stonewalled Quiñonez. The artist says faculty could just as easily reach out to him, but no one has tried. “I can’t tell faculty what to do, but I know that they’re not helping students and they’re not helping themselves by feeding into the fear in the long term,” he says. “I think it’s a Band-Aid solution at the end of the day. If you don’t speak up, then, as they’re finding out now, it’s affecting them either way. Why not be honest with yourself, your students and your community? [The university] is cutting programs, they’re letting go of fac- ulty, they’re not really protecting anybody at this point.” But using the art installation to prove UNT has lost sight is a waste of time. In- stead, this incident should put a spotlight on institutions that stand to protect art and ed- ucational freedom, he says. “I’m more interested in what other uni- versities and institutions are going to take from all this,” Quiñonez says. “I’m really cu- rious as to see who’s going to decide to step in and say, we’re going to do the right thing, we’re going to support artists that are speak- ing truth to challenges and to authority.” Steve Visneau Scenes from the art installation Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá, which was forced to end its run early at University of North Texas. Steve Visneau D INTERESTED CANDIDATES PLEASESEND YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME TO [email protected]
