Trucha RGV planning art exhibit showcasing ‘issues in the 956’

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McALLEN — As a platform for local stories, social movements and art that empowers the migrant and queer communities, Trucha has positioned itself at the forefront of the cultural landscape throughout the Rio Grande Valley since its inception in 2021.

The nonprofit will now have a space to continue their mission in the heart of the arts district in McAllen.

Ponte Creative Studio and Gallery, located at 1305 N. Main St. in McAllen, will serve as a conduit for local artists of all mediums to share their works while also serving as a space for aspiring artists to hone their crafts.

The new gallery and studio space was funded in part by the Mellon Foundation as part of their Frontera Culture Fund.

“We’re very grateful to have received some funding from them that has allowed us to move into a bigger space with our studio and now this front facing gallery,” Josue Ramirez, co-founder and director of Trucha, said. “This really is like a next step for us in terms of engaging with the community and providing a space where people can come and be creative, see creative stuff, and engage in unimportant issues.”

The space is set to kick open its doors with the debut of its inaugural exhibition titled, “Únete, Únete,” which features multimedia artwork from nearly a dozen local artists.

“It is an exhibition that features artists from the Rio Grande delta,” Ramirez explained. “Most of these artists are either born and raised here or have a long history in the Rio Grande Valley. Really the purpose of the exhibit is to showcase artists that are making work around important issues in the 956 that are affecting our everyday lives.”

The exhibit features the work of artists including C Diaz, Enrique Palacios Alvarez, Guadalupe Navarro, Jessica Denise Villegas, Josie Del Castillo, Marco Lopez, Michel Flores Tavizon, Nansi Guevara, Sam Rawls, Souther Recio, and Xandra Treviño.

The artwork featured in “Únete, Únete” include themes of immigration, environmental justice, women’s rights. The themes are presented in various formats that uniquely capture each artist’s voice.

“What we want to do is show that artists have a voice in terms of fighting back against the attacks on creativity, on free speech, on the ability to use our bodies how we want,” Ramirez said. “We think that artists have that capacity to not only create beautiful things, but to create powerful things, and so these artists are doing that. It’s really important to showcase that and to celebrate them.”

The front portion of the space serves as a gallery, while a doorway towards the back of the room leads to a small studio which Ramirez and Trucha plan to utilize for local artists to create their works.

“It’s not a huge space, but we do intend to utilize it for people to come in and to make art,” Ramirez said. “We also intend to utilize this space weekly with offerings of like come hang out, see some art, or come talk, hear somebody talk, come do artist critiques, or we have a lot of programming that we are looking forward to. It’s just about being creative with people in McAllen and the 956.”

A public reception is scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 23, with many of the featured artists of “Únete, Únete” in attendance. The event will be free of charge.

“Únete, Únete” will be on display until July 25. The gallery will be open from 1 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information about Ponte Creative Studio and Gallery, or Trucha, visit their website truchargv.com or follow them on all social media platforms.

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