Overview
- Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez’s Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá opened Feb. 3 at UNT’s College of Visual Arts and Design and was quickly covered over and canceled, with the artist notified by email on Feb. 11 that works would be returned to Boston University.
- UNT has offered no public explanation for the cancellation and has not responded to multiple requests for comment from reporters.
- Nine of the 11 graduating Studio Art MFA students say they will withdraw their thesis exhibitions in solidarity and plan to show work off campus.
- Students and faculty organized a vigil at the shuttered gallery and sent open letters demanding transparency, arguing the move violates UNT’s May 2025 “Art Exhibited on Campus” policy.
- The controversy is unfolding as the university projects a $45 million budget shortfall and faces heightened scrutiny from Texas officials, context observers cite in questioning the decision-making.