Hispanic/Latino/a/x Archives - IndyArtsGuide.org

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Jonathan Angulo

Artist of Color; Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting

Jonathan Angulo was born in Izucar De Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico on December 17, 1988. Immigrated to the United States, from Los Ángeles, New York to now based out of Indianapolis Indiana. Has always had an interest in the arts since a child, being exposed to graffiti and other forms of art. Graduated from Herron School of Art and Design. Working with a mix of mediums mainly oil and spray paint. Jonathan has been influenced greatly by his Mexican heritage as well as from other cultures. Graffiti plays a big role in his work as well. He has shown work at the Big Car Service Center show Called Herencia, as a part of group shows and worked on murals in Indianapolis. Jonathan’s focus has been the idea of death through Dia de Los Muertos. Death not not being something that is sad but something that is celebrated and just another phase of life. Experiences, meeting people and cultures along with own cultural background influences provide him with a rich set of references and imagery that he uses to create his work. Experiences of meeting people and learning about different cultures have provided him with new perspectives and insights that he can incorporate into his work.

Rosaura Cazares Juan

Artist of Color; Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting, Works on paper; Oil paint, collage, and color pencil

Rosaura Cazares Juan was born in Veracruz, Mexico and has lived in the city of Indianapolis. She is currently pursuing her Bachelors of art in education at Marian University. Works with various mediums but mainly focuses on the two dimensional spectrum. Cazares is working closely with the Indiana Latino Institute to educate, advocate, and inspire young Latinos. She aspires to represent her Latino culture in the education field while promoting the arts in the youth in the community.

M. A. Dubbs

Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Literary Arts; Performing Arts: Spoken Word

M. A. Dubbs is an award-winning Mexican American and LGBT+ writer who hails from Indiana. Dubbs writes poetry, flash fiction, and interactive/visual media. For more than a decade her writing has been published in literary magazines and anthologies across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. She published her first collection of her poetry and short fiction titled Aerodynamic Drag: Poetry and Short Fiction (2021). Her poetry has been archived in Indiana’s Poetry Archive (INverse) and she served as judge for the 2022 Poetry Out Loud’s state competition. Dubbs has performed in several live and virtual readings including being a featured author for both Poets Laureate of Lawrence and Poetry on Brick Street. She also performed at the 2021 Grand Opening of Fort Ben’s Culture Campus. Dubbs lives with her husband, twin girls, cat, and dog and enjoys hiking, gardening, running, mushroom foraging, video games and watching 90s magical girl anime.

Laura Marenco

Artist of Color; Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Multiracial; Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Painting

Hello, my name is Laura Marenco. I was born in El Salvador and moved the United States in my mid 20s. I began my painting career using oils under the guidance of Salvadorian Painter Armando Solis. After moving to the US, I was primarily focused on completing my college education. I graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Purdue then moved to Indianapolis to pursue a job in social services. Painting took a back seat in my life in Indianapolis. I had started a new career, I met my husband, and then had a son, Diego, who is now 13 years old. A year after giving birth, I decided to start a business in the fitness industry. I had very little time to do anything besides family activities in addition to challenges of trying to break into a very competitive market. Now, 20 years later, after life has settled down some, I was in the process of remodeling my home and was searching for new art work. That search inspired me to ask the question, “why not paint my own???” So, here we are a few months later and I find myself in love again with art. I have chosen acrylics as my medium this time around and love the results. I had forgotten how important painting really is in my life and how much I enjoy it. I promise not to quit ever again!

Leyda Melgar

Artist of Color; Graphic Arts; Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Visual Arts: Ceramics, Graphic Arts, Mixed Media, Painting, Portrait, Sculpture, Textiles, Visual Arts Instructor, Works on paper

Leyda Melgar is a Salvadoran-American artist and educator in Indianapolis. She is the first born in her generation of her family, which resulted in a lifetime of learning and teaching others. Becoming involved in her family’s Mexican Panadería, she was able to communicate with others about their cultures and traditions. Being Salvadoreños, her family gained an appreciation of new traditions and old ones. She attended Herron School of Art and Design in which she graduated with a Bachelors of Art Education in 2022. Becoming a teacher, Leyda wanted to keep her artistic roots and continue to grow as an artist in the Indianapolis community. She has recently become a part of the Latino Artist Mentorship Program in Indianapolis. Currently, Leyda is exploring textiles and how they can be used to tell stories and aims to learn new art forms. As an educator, she feels it is important to consistently educate ourselves on new forms of expression and what we are capable of learning from others. She currently works as a high school digital art teacher.

mary mindiola

Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Multiracial; Visual Arts: Crafts, Mixed Media, Painting, Portrait, Works on paper; @marymindiolaart

Mary was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She is the fourth daughter of a marriage between an US citizen and a Venezuelan national. In 2000, Mary moved to Indianapolis IN., searching for broader artistic opportunities. She started accepting commissioned work by painting pet portraits. While working on commissioned pieces Mary developed an interest and liking for pet portraits. Looking to transform her work into something more meaningful and different, Mary started to use pieces of paper from magazines left behind by her daughter. The desire to use and recycle materials she had at hand worked perfectly and a new medium turned into a passion. This technique uses only glue, scissors, and lots and lots of magazines. No paint is involved here. This method has also greatly sparked her interest into recycled art work, conservation, and humankind effect on nature. Exhibitions include Venezuelan ArtFair in NYC JUNE 2021, winner of people choice award for the Indy High Art Billboard Project 2022, and selected as one of 5 artist for the Indy 500 2022 artist pieces.

Billy Brandon Rios Aguilar

Artist of Color; Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Visual Arts: Printmaking

My work is rooted in traditional art forms. I have always been fascinated with the visual language of printmaking and the idea of creating something that can last forever. My work is not abstract, but it is also not representational. I am most interested in exploring how traditional methods can be used to create pieces that are beautiful, functional, and timeless. In my work I tried to make the images as large as possible, but also I like to leave most of my paper clear from anything – just having the piece in the center for the viewer to get up close and be intimate. Even though the piece is large scale, I aim for viewers to be up close with the art so they can be able to see the little details and textures of the print. That applies to my illustrations. Although they are smaller forms, they still obligate the viewer to get up close in order to understand and appreciate the details.

Frances Ruiz

Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Visual Arts: Constructions/Collage, Mixed Media, Painting, Works on paper

My name is Frances Ruiz. I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico and have lived in Fishers, Indiana for almost two decades. I studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Washington DC and returned to Puerto Rico to study law. I practiced as a licensed attorney in Puerto Rico for several years until I moved to Indiana in 2004. I was not entirely satisfied with practicing law, therefore, I got certified as a professional translator and interpreter. I worked in this field for many years, including interpreting for Hispanic families in the Westfield School District, until 2019. Since childhood, I had always gravitated towards the visual arts, taking elective courses in painting, creating art works in oils for my own leisure. For approximately 11 years, I have taken private lessons with Jane Roberson, owner of Kaleidoscope of Art Studio, in an open studio environment where I have learned to improve my skills and try numerous art mediums. When 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, I was asked by friends and family quarantined in different parts of the world to provide them with virtual art lessons on a weekly basis. I immediately accepted their request. While preparing and teaching the lessons, I learned more about different masters and their techniques. It was through this experience that I fell in love with Matisse’s drawing with scissors technique, collage mediums, specifically working with painted paper. My collage paintings are closely related to my cultural background and life experiences. I also focus on my love for nature, dance, and music. I strongly believe art can heal and provide boundless joy!

Beatriz Vasquez

Artist of Color; Hispanic/Latino/a/x; Performing Arts: Theatre; Political Artist; Visual Arts: Constructions/Collage, Crafts, Murals, Sculpture, Visual Arts Instructor, Works on paper; Contemporary Papel Picado Inspired Art

Beatriz Vasquez About Me Beatriz Vasquez Contemporary | Papel Picado Inspired She, Her, Ella Artist Bio Beatriz Vasquez is a visual ARTIVIST, whose work experiments with the conceptual use of Papel Picado, a Mexican Folkloric Art. With the manipulation of paper she transforms layers of intricate cut paper into murals, creates wearable sculptures, and exhibits large scale installations. Her work focuses on her Mexican-American ancestry, cultural memory, border culture, and current social issues on immigration, human rights and climate change advocacy. Vasquez received her BFA in 2006 from Indiana University’s Herron School of Art and Design.

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