NALAC to Host 30th Regional Arts Training Workshop Next Weekend

What better way to celebrate NALAC's 27th Anniversary than with a regional gathering of intergenerational artists and cultural thinkers representing multiple Latinidades, arts disciplines and geographies.

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures proudly presents the 30th Regional Arts Training Workshop to take place in our hometown of San Antonio, April 28-30. The 3-day multi-media event will activate different culture hubs in the City to bring dynamic, timely, thought-provoking experiences, resources, and more than 40 speakers from the region and across the country.

"We are having deep, important, cultural discussions on how we further the Latino arts and culture field in the United States and elsewhere," explains María López De León, executive director of NALAC. "We aren't just learning from one another-we are challenging one another about how art and culture makes communities better, how it strengthens economies, and how together, we can do more."

The San Antonio arts community has recently been at the center of public discussions around equity, inclusivity, stewardship and advocacy. No stranger to the urgency of taking corrective action and responding to community, NALAC has curated a series of resourceful, accessible and aesthetically powerful experiences thanks to feedback from the regional artistic community.

Investment in Latino arts is an investment in the national arts and cultural landscape. With this in mind, the Regional is sure to inspire and empower members of all artistic communities, from all backgrounds, all are welcome! Just ask participants from the 2015 Detroit and Miami Regionals: 100% of the attendees surveyed said the gathering was so powerful, that they would recommend it to their peers!

The convening of artists, administrators, educators and more is just $20 for NALAC members, and $40 for future members. Youth 18 and under can attend the Regional for free by entering the following code upon registration: FUTURE.

Register now at www.nalactienda.org/regionals.

The three-day convening begins with a free public event at the San Antonio Central Library on Thursday, April 28 from 6:30-8:30 pm. The evening will feature pan-Latino artists and scholars from different generations and disciplines, who will launch into a fast-paced multimedia experience responding to the theme: "Nuestras Historias: Latin@s in the Arts." The core of the Regional Arts Training Workshop will take place at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center on Friday and Saturday.

Featured sessions and speakers include: Keynote with Sheyla Rivera Rios, Artist and Artistic Director of AS220 in Providence, RI- not only an arts organization, but a groundbreaking agent for social change and social justice. Public Art Workshop with Rebecca Blume Rothman (Phoenix Office of Arts and Cultures) and James LeFlore (Public Art San Antonio); Texas Mexican Cuisine in Context: Cooking as an Aesthetic Practice with Chef Adan Medrano of Houston, TX; Art and Social Activism and more!

The Regional will close with Future Forward, a panel of youth artists from local arts organizations including SAY Sí and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, as well as 16-year-old Jackelyn "Jackie" Barrera, selected as the "Best Mariachi Vocalist in the US" at the 2014 Mariachi Vargas Expo.

The gathering will also feature performances and artwork by El Tallercito del Son, DJ Despeinada, Poet Michael Reyes from Detroit, Azul Barrientos, Conjunto Heritage Taller, and the Multiples Exhibition at Galeria Guadalupe featuring 70 plus artists.

"There is a rich community of artists in San Antonio, and we are so pleased to present these artists as part of the workshop," says De León. "We know they are planning extraordinary performances."

NALAC's Regional Arts Training Workshops are convened around the country to provide comprehensive professional development, training and a space for community dialogue among the Latino arts field and other diverse arts sectors. These opportunities for relationship-building and networking are essential to the advancement of the Latino arts community, and the nation's art sector as a whole. Workshop presenters and participants are of diverse backgrounds, representing all artistic disciplines and perspectives.

"The workshops are an opportunity to create new networks of cultural workers that bridge stubborn divisions between generations, neighborhoods and cultures," explains Gabriel Magraner, director of programs at NALAC. "As we have seen most recently in Miami, and Detroit, the workshops have demonstrated great potential for increasing the visibility and organizing Latino artists and arts professionals across the country."

Critical dialogue and creative thinking transpires through interactive workshops, discussion forums, artistic interventions, technical assistance, and performances. Through the workshops, NALAC listens to and learns from the field in order to more successfully understand and advocate for the changing needs of artists and arts professionals across the nation. By empowering the field and providing new opportunities, NALAC can reduce economic inequalities, galvanize multigenerational networks and actualize social change in the realms of racial equity and civic engagement.

NALAC is the nation's leading nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development, and cultivation of the Latino arts field. In this capacity, NALAC stimulates and facilitates intergenerational dialogues among disciplines, languages, and traditional and contemporary expressions.

For more information on the workshop or to register, visit www.nalac.org or call Gabriel Magraner, director of programs, at (210) 432-3982.

Things to Know When You Go:

What: NALAC San Antonio Regional Arts Training Workshop
When: April 28-30, 2016
How much: $20 for NALAC Members, $40 for Future Members; Youth 18 and under can use the code FUTURE
Agenda: www.nalac.org/ncloud/index.php/s/etgeVPTgxbmeo2D
Register: www.nalactienda.org/regionals

Where:

Day 1 Kickoff Event (Evening)

San Antonio Public Library - Central Library

Days 2&3 (Daytime)

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

1301 Guadalupe St.

San Antonio, TX 78207

Day 2 (Evening)

Lone Star Studios

Freight Gallery & Studios

3rd Space Art Gallery

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