The exhibit, In the Name of the Bloodshed, showcased the connection between art and history in the social disruption in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. A Friday night closing reception, attended by about 25 people, marked the end of the display.

Photos of buses in flames and prints of street art were exhibited together, revealing the period of social unrest in 2006, when a teachers’ strike developed into a large-scale movement aimed at overthrowing the governor.

“Every day lives were affected while this was going on,” said Ben Smith, a professor of history and one of the curators. “There was a lot of poverty and quite a bit of political oppression.”

The collection highlighted the function of art within social movements. Included was work by Antonio Turok, Edith Morales Sanchez, as well as street art collectives Lapiztola and Zzierra Rrezzia, which came from the social movement. Some of the street art came directly from the walls of buildings in Mexico, said Jerry Garcia, a history professor and curator of the exhibit.

“Art then becomes something that doesn’t belong just to the elite,” he said.

The goal of the event was to try to fulfill the university’s vision of growing into a world-grant institution, he said, and to bridge the gap between Mexico and the United States.

Psychology sophomore Sheila Trammel said she attended the closing reception to gain an awareness of Mexico beyond news reports and spring break trips.