Anita’s Magical Taos

“If you think about it, creativity is the opposite of violence. It can bring social change without violence. I deliberately paint for both intellectuals and people who don’t read because a lot of my people don’t read.” My name is Anita Otivero Rodriguez and I was born and raised here in Taos. I was born…

Family Bonds & Cultural Preservation

“I believe that moving to America did not affect my cultural practices. Our children still follow their culture; knowing the fundamentals are an important part of our heritage.” – Chung-Yun Yu Story By: Wei-Shuen Yu Photo Credits: Bobby Gutierrez Hui-Ming Lee-Yu My name is Hui-Ming Lee-Yu; I am originally from Taipei Taiwan. The reason why I…

Youth Development in the South Valley

Quote: “A lot of the times politicians don’t sit down and think about the different impacts students have. They don’t realize that kids from different high schools are going to react different to policy changes.” I was born and raised in Mexico City. The reason I moved to New Mexico was that my father was coming…

A Language of Cultural Preservation

Quote: “A lot of the culture here is a mixture of Spanish and Mexican cultures. The spirit comes from our Native blood.” Angélica Navarro Ceballos: Yo soy Angélica Navarro Ceballos y soy de Cómala, Colima, México. Soy Mexicana. Llegué aquí el 20 de Noviembre del 92 aquí a Ribera, San Miguel. Me vine a trabajar con…

Agricultural Soul of the Valley

Quote: “When people ask me “what is your religion?” I tell them: “chiles, tomatoes, lettuce and spinach, and the sun and the earth.” That’s my true religion. When you’re planting seeds, youre praying.” The Artist, The Farmer, The Dancer Every single culture, every single religion, every single model of art; it comes from agriculture. I mean,…

Artistic Armando de Abiquiu

Name: Armando Adrian-López Location: Abiquiu, New Mexico Topics: Art, Artist, Culture, Mexican, Sculpture Quote: “They say we create our own reality. You are responsible for who you really are. You create yourself. And I really believe that.” Artistic Origins & Coming to the U.S.  I’ve been living here for the last 25 years, so Abiquiú has been…

Mercedez Holtry

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Topics: Performance, Culture, Chicana, Nuevo Mexicana, Poet Quote: “Burque is a rough town. There’s a lot of bad that happens here, but in my heart I know there’s more good that tops that bad. Writing about that pain that we face here I think is so important because it not only helps us heal…

Molly Molloy / Las Cruces

Name: Molly Molloy Location: Las Cruces, New Mexico Topics: Education, Librarian, Immigration, Border, Youth Quote: “I’m the person that people come to when they need information about the U.S.-Mexico border and immigration topics.” My name is Molly Molloy and I’m originally from Louisiana, in the southeastern part of the U.S. I am currently a research librarian here,…

Kilko Paz / Albuquerque

Mi nombre es Kilko Paz, yo soy de Bolivia. Vine en el 2008. Bueno, me mudé porque estaba casado con una Americana y nos venimos aquí porque ella empezó a estudiar aquí en UNM. Y entonces yo encontré la oportunidad también de hacer mi maestría aquí en UNM, que ya la terminé, bueno ocho años…

Juan Carlos Martínez / South Valley

(English translations below) Mi nombre es Juan Carlos Martínez. Vivo en Isleta y Bridge y tengo 4 años de estar aquí en Albuquerque. Solo e visitado Houston, Tejas. Y el lugar este me gusta mucho por ser tranquilo, bien pacifico el ambiente, no esta muy poblado como otros estados. A pesar de que es algo…

Seeds: A Collective Voice – Mural Reception / Albuquerque

Priscilla Garcia | Chilili, NM – Listen My name is Priscilla Garcia. I come from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I come from a historic neighborhood, Martinez Town. I now live in the mountains close to Chilili. I’ve known Jade for many years and she brought me into the project about a year ago. Being part of the…

Jade Leyva / Placitas

So my name is Jade Leyva and I am a visual artist. I have been living in the United States for about sixteen years. I am originally from Mexico City. I was born and raised there, and lived throughout different areas in Mexico growing up. And yeah I create a lot of artwork, locally, and…