Major Programs

In 2012 we launched the only state-wide contest for original literature in Spanish. It includes prizes for high school-aged and adult-heritage Spanish speakers and non-heritage speakers. We partner with the SLCC Community Writing Center, together we offer poetry workshops in Spanish. Every year we choose eight winners who then have the opportunity to perform at the Humanities Book Festival and at the Utah Arts Festival representing the voice of the Hispanic/Latino community.

In 2018, we created a visual arts contest to identify and promote local artists in photography, sculpture, drawing, digital media and painting. For the last three years we have published a book that compiles these artworks and the poetry from the Sor Juana contest. This book is now part of the Utah Humanities Book Festival selection.

Offered in English and Spanish, these classes are focused on the history of Mexico and its connection to Utah, and the U.S. and world history. Topics from the establishment of Mesoamerica to contemporary art are covered. We reach seniors at senior centers, college students and adults, and many families with kids when we present them in community centers connected with our urban public schools (50% Latin Americans, mainly of lower income backgrounds)

A core program of ours created in 2019. Offered to the community in collaboration with Wasatch Community Gardens where we involve students and families to learn about the cultural legacy of our native foods. Harvests create social and cultural connections based on the traditional and historic concept of the “Milpa”, a unique planting ecosystem that not only nourishes the land, but also the culture and the identity of the people that grow it. School and community gardens are the venues where we encompass culturally celebratory workshops to acknowledge our land, our indigenous people, and their ancestral living practices.

In 2018, we launched “Nuevas Voces” (New Voices), a 20-episode podcast in which we discuss Mexican and U.S. history, through art from multiple points of view: Anglo-American Utah born, Mexican immigrant, and Chicano (including personal experiences and family
histories). This podcast is being offered for free on our website and also used in our classes as well as in schools.

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Two-day Mexican Independent Film event, with featured and short films, and filmmaker Q&A. This is Utah’s only annual Mexican film event which we cofounded in 2011 along with the Salt Lake Film Society. We are the main co-presenter every year.

Every year we partner with “Amigos y Libros” (Friends and Books), the only Spanish language literacy club sponsored by the Salt Lake City Public Library.

We own three major exhibits depicting the art of Mexican lithographist José Guadalupe Posada, the paintings of José María Velasco, and the insightful photography of Agustín Casasola. For every exhibit we provide educational support for the presenters. Our
exhibits have been presented at the Weber University, Moab Cultural Center, The Cultural Celebration Center in West Valley and Utah Valley University.

We provide educational workshops in local public libraries, schools, museums and community festivals. Every workshop delves into the cultural meaning of traditional celebrations to acknowledge the source of such traditions and their relevance for the identity and
integration of our communities.