Panel Talk + Exhibition: Chicanx Photographers as Documentary Historians
About this Event
Panel Talk + Exhibition: Chicanx Photographers as Documentary Historians
Join us at Casa de Cultura for Chicanx Photographers as Documentary Historians, a roundtable discussion bringing together Chicanx photographers for a thoughtful conversation on the role of photography as a tool for cultural preservation, community memory, and social documentation.
The Panel Talk:
Moderated by Isaac Rodriguez of Chicano Boulevard, this conversation brings together photographers Alejandra Quintos, Emily De Leon, Mike Lazo, and Violeta Alvarez to explore how photography documents and preserves community histories.
Through personal experiences and open dialogue, panelists will discuss what it means to photograph their own communities, the responsibility that comes with shaping visual narratives, and the power of images to preserve culture, document lived experiences, cultural identity, and ensure that community stories are not erased.
Featured Guest Photographers Exhibition Display:
Casa de Cultura is honored to welcome three Houston photographers whose work is deeply connected to community, identity, and personal experience. Chicanx photographers and community storytellers Alejandra Quintos, Emily De Leon, and Mike Lazo, will present work alongside resident artist, Violeta Alvarez's solo exhibition Con Sangre y Corazón: Portrait of Our Community.
Emily believes "Houston deserves to be heard and seen in an authentic way." Alejandra's lens is rooted in the thousands who sacrificed for a better life. "I'm honored to do something that showcases the beauty of this world." And for Mike, photography is more than a craft. "It's a way of living." Together, their work celebrates community memory and makes sure our people are never erased from history.
Featured guest photographers' work will be on view, August 13-16, 2026.
Experience:
• Immerse yourself in the exhibition, connect with photographers and creatives, and engage in conversations around photography, memory, identity, and cultural preservation.
• Become part of the story and add your handwritten reflection directly on the gallery walls, adding your voice to the growing collective Living Archive.
• Experience the community-built archive installation bringing together objects, photographs, sounds, and living materials that explore memory and identity.
• Snap a selfie at our photo booth and leave with memories that will last a lifetime.
Con Sangre y Corazón: Faces of Our Community on view through August 22, 2026.
About Casa de Cultura
Casa de Cultura is Violeta Alvarez's Space Taking Artist Residency, a deeply personal project exploring cultural identity, heritage, and memory. Inspired by her mother's journey from Mexico to the United States, the project honors the strength, sacrifices, and ancestral roots of communities native to Mesoamerica. Through personal visual stories and community participation, the residency shapes an archive where reflection, connection, and visibility take root in response to narratives that have tried to erase and diminish presence.
Casa de Cultura is a project as part of the Space Taking Artist Residency program, powered by Fresh Arts, running July through August 2026
This is an intimate experience with limited space. Reserve your spot today!
Community Donation Bin
Visitors are welcome to bring a food or essential item donation. Most needed: dry beans, rice, canned tuna or chicken, peanut butter, soups, cereal, pasta sauce, baby food, formula, and toilet paper. Every donation makes a difference. Thank you for your generosity and support.
Casa de Cultura: The Living Archive by Violeta Alvarez
Space Taking Artist Residency Powered by Fresh Arts
Winter Street Studios #C105 • Sawyer Yards • Houston, TX
Agenda
🕑: 07:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Doors Open/Check-In
Info: Show the staff at the check in table your reservation, check in and grab a refreshment. Browse your way through la Casa De Cultura and connect with other guests as we wait for the event to kick off!
🕑: 07:00 PM - 07:45 PM
"Con Sangre y Corazón: Faces of Our Community" Exhibition
Info: Browse the curated exhibition featuring Chicanx photographers will be presented alongside Violeta Alvarez’s solo exhibition, 'Con Sangre y Corazón.
🕑: 07:45 PM - 08:00 PM
Welcome/Words from the Resident Artist
🕑: 08:00 PM - 08:45 PM
Panel Talk: Chicanx Photographers as Documentary Historians
Host: Isaac Rodriguez
Info: Bringing together photographers whose work is rooted in documenting Chicanx and Latinx communities, this event examines how image-making functions as a form of historical record, storytelling, and resistance. Through personal experiences and open dialogue, panelists will discuss what it means to photograph one's own community and the responsibility that comes with shaping visual narratives from within.
At a time when Latinx communities continue to face anti-immigrant rhetoric, mass deportations, and the dismantling of ethnic studies programs, photographers are doing more than creating images they are preserving culture, documenting lived experiences, and ensuring that community histories are not erased.
The conversation will explore questions of identity, representation, accountability, and authorship while reflecting on the power of photography to witness, honor, and protect community narratives across generations.
Explore the community-built archive installation bringing together obj
🕑: 08:45 PM - 10:00 PM
Browse la Casa de Cultura
Info: Immerse yourself in the living archive of Photographer and Artist in Residence, Violeta Alvarez.
🕑: 09:45 PM - 10:00 PM
Event Closing
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
