Artesanas

The Artesanas are a group of talented women living in Baltimore who are natives of Latin American countries, such as Mexico, El Salvador, and Ecuador, who honor their Latin American heritage by demonstrating, sharing, and teaching traditional crafts.

Artesanas provide enrichment programs in area schools and community workshops at festivals, libraries, and universities. Artesanas produce bilingual programs for all ages that include piñata making, alebrije mask making, papel picado, sugar skulls, Day of the Dead altar making, corn husk art forms, paper flower making, and much more.

The Artesanas focus on artist exchanges, workshops, and public events. The program includes professional development training in Spanish for immigrant artists, after-school enrichment programs, and public community workshops at family festivals and area schools. They organize bilingual cultural events for all ages including Día de Los Muertos and Las Posadas!

The Artesanas are a part of the bilingual CIELO department, which honors the artistic traditions of community members and immigrant educators of Latin American origin. By engaging youth in learning and preserving these cultures and traditions, the program focuses on passing knowledge along to future generations through art, music, dance, and cuisine.

Jóvenes en Acción

This performance troupe brings together Latin American teens to encourage self-expression and promote team building through traditional Mexican and Latin American dance. The teens also perform service-learning projects that foster giving back to the community while planting new roots in Southeast Baltimore. As a dance team, they discuss and plan new community outreach events, which include free performances at churches and community centers, and engage community members in discussions about important topics such as homelessness.