The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC)’s 30th Regional Arts Training Workshop

The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) proudly presented the 30th Regional Arts Training Workshop from San Antonio, Texas livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 29 April to Saturday 30 April. 

In Twitter use #CafeOnda and #HowlRound. 

The 30th Regional Arts Training Workshop, which is taking place in NALAC’s hometown of San Antonio, TX, is a 3-day multi-media event that 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.

NALAC is proud to work with HowlRound TV to present four sessions from the convening: a plenary panel Art and Social Activism; the Keynote Address “Our Powerful Cultural Currents: Strengthening Collaborations” by Shey Rivera (AS220, Philadelphia); a presentation and cooking demonstration “Texas Mexican Cuisine: Cooking as an Aesthetic Practice” by Chef Adán Medrano; and a panel featuring presentations and performances by youth artists entitled “Youth Leading Forward: Aesthetics Invervention.” Full session descriptions are included below.

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.

The San Antonio Regional Arts Training Workshop is made possible thanks to generous support from our sponsors and partners: Southwest Airlines, Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Texas Commission on the Arts, Surdna Foundation, The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio Public Library, 3rd Space Art Gallery, Lone Star Studios, Freight Gallery & Studios, and JM Communications.

Livestream Schedule:

Friday 29 April 2016
12:15 p.m. EDT (New York) / 11:15 a.m. CST (San Antonio) / 9:15 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)

Plenary Session: Art and Social Activism
Cultural workers will discuss strategies and practices for linking arts, culture, and social justice in a way that does not use the arts as a tool but as an integral practice of community building. How do we advance the dialogue and support artistic practice and cultural participation as an essential aspect of a democratic society?

Moderator: Agustina Woodgate, Multimedia Artist (Miami, FL)
Panelists:
Graciela Sanchez, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center
Mari Hernandez, Blue Star Contemporary
Diana Lopez, Southwest Worker’s Union
Mary Cantú, Spare Parts

1:45 p.m. EDT (New York) / 12:45 p.m. CST (San Antonio) / 10:45 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)

Keynote: Our Powerful Cultural Currents: Strengthening Collaboration
*Performance by Conjunto Heritage Taller: 1:45 p.m.–2:15 p.m. EDT
*Keynote: 2:20 p.m.–2:45 p.m. EDT
Speaker: Shey Rivera, Artist and Artistic Director at AS220 (Providence, RI)
As cultural producers and practitioners, we are part of international currents that transcend geography and nationality. Much of our power lies unseen to the white mainstream, yet we inform the world and the world speaks back. What actions can we take to break the barriers of mainstream, while maintaining our integrity and purpose? What makes the Latino arts and culture environment a critical intercultural bridge that addresses national and global issues? What do we need to realize our vision for the future? 

Saturday 30 April 2016
10:00 a.m. EDT (New York) / 9:00 a.m. CDT (San Antonio) / 7:00 a.m. PDT (Los Angeles)

Texas Mexican Cuisine: Cooking as an Aesthetic Practice
Presenter: Chef Adán Medrano (Houston, TX)
This presentation explores how cooking is an aesthetic practice of cultural identity, memory, and ethical choices. Using maps and archaeological evidence, chef and author Adán Medrano describes the culinary history of the indigenous peoples of Texas and Northeastern Mexico. The presentation includes Q&A, with a cooking demonstration featuring indigenous ingredients: cactus, dried chiles, and corn masa. It concludes with a tasting of "Gorditas De Nopalitos Con Camarón" a cactus, shrimp, and corn masa dish.

4:45 p.m. EDT (New York) / 3:45 p.m. CDT (San Antonio) / 1:45 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles)

Youth Leading Forward: Aesthetics Intervention
The future is now and young artists are taking the reins of artistic expression in new and surprising ways. Witness the work by artists coming of age as they report back from the edges of perception.

Presenters:
DeMasio, Awkward Theory (Detroit, MI)
Francisca Vargas, Intern at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Maria Teresa Concha, Visual Arts Student at SAY Sí
Joaquin Linn, Student at Conjunto Heritage Taller
Jackelyn “Jackie” Barrera, Student and Mariachi Singer at Roma High School (Roma, TX)

About NALAC
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.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based peer produced, open access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and to develop our knowledge commons collectively. Participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected], or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal/WhatsApp. View the video archive of past events.