Austin's Mexic-Arte Museum is shining a light on an ongoing program that celebrates the work of over a hundred Latinx artists from Texas and beyond, including some of San Antonio's own. Celeste De Luna is a current artist in residence — a special position as a retrospective of the residency unfolds.
An exhibit that opened April 12 collects works that originated in the museum's art vending cart residencies — from 2012 until now — for display together through August 25, drawing a more explicit line between the permanently held works.
According to the Mexic-Arte website, “changarrito” refers to the vending carts scattered around the streets of Mexico selling antojitos (street food) and more. Artist Maximo Gonzalez conceptualized the changarrito as an alternative platform for artists to present their work to the public beyond the confines of traditional art spaces or official curatorships.
Today, the informal art vending carts exist throughout the world (including online through “changarreando”), allowing artists to expand the reach of their work and connect to the public through social media and special exhibitions. Leslie Moody Castro first brought the concept to Mexic-Arte in 2012, implementing the Changarrito residency as a platform for artists to share their art and foster community in Austin and beyond.
Celeste De Luna is the current Changarrito artist in April. Hailing from Harlingen, Texas, and now based in San Antonio, De Luna is inspired by nature and is enjoying discovering the birds in her home base of four years so far.
A print by Celeste De Luna, shared by the Mexic-arte Museum on Instagram.Art by Celeste De Luna, via Mexic-arte Museum/Instagram
“This print was inspired by my love of nature and birds, how this love connects me to ancestral memory, and after a painting by artist Frida Kahlo titled 'My Dress Hangs There,'" De Luna explains on the museum's Instagram. "This work addresses climate equity and how it should include indigenous peoples’ connections to nature. These ancestral connections to nature and animals should be preserved and indigenous voices and concerns should be taken into consideration when considering climate equity for all people in cities.”
This year, the museum celebrates the program’s history and legacy with an exhibit of artworks from its permanent collection, each acquired during the residencies of Changarrito artists over the past 12 years.
Creating Encuentros: Changarrito 2012-2024 includes a newly commissioned sound piece by Lisa Salidvar (Mexico City), an interactive artwork by Gil Rocha (Laredo, Texas), a hand-painted exhibition sign by Alán Serna (San Antonio), and a mural by Stephen Longoria (San Diego, California), titled Tejas Forever.
Creating Encuentros: Changarrito 2012-2024 opened with both live music and a DJ, drinks from Dulce Vida tequila, snacks from Licha’s Cantina and Ross Cake’s Bake & Sweets, and a chance to engage with the artists whose works comprise the museum’s Changarrito exhibition.
The opening reception was also the first of a series of "encuentros" – a variety of media mixers, panel discussions, pop-up art sales, and more. Mexic-Arte will host additional encuentros throughout the exhibit’s April-August run, including a free family day on Sunday, May 19, as part of the museum’s H-E-B-funded Domingos Gratis en Familiar grant. More information on the exhibit and special events, including ticketing information, is online at mexic-artemuseum.org.
