Meet Our Grantee-Partner: Artes de México en Utah

Mission: To build communities and a sense of belonging united by cultural connections through the appreciation and creation of art. Art in all its expressions is the pathway to reflect on our past and present to find commonalities among one another.

In 2010, an exhibit of Mexican art at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City drew the community together in celebration and positive interaction. Inspired by the reaction to the exhibit, Susan Vogel and local community members formed Artes de México en Utah (AMU) in 2011. Poetry is intertwined throughout AMU’s arts programming, which aims to encourage Latine youth and adults to celebrate their rich history and develop a sense of belonging.

AMU operates out of Salt Lake County and offers programs in locations throughout Utah that have a predominantly Latine population. Its community conversations, workshops, and events are open to the public. They focus on connecting Latine people to their roots, building cross-cultural competence, and fostering pride in multicultural heritage through creative outlets. 

In addition to filmmaking, podcasting, and visual arts, AMU has two programs dedicated to the literary arts. Escritores de Utah is AMU’s monthly Spanish-language workshop operating under the maxim “we can all write.” Workshop participants share their work at community events such as festivals and open mics. The program currently features nine emerging writers who are working on a project titled "Stories and Tales." The previous year’s project was entitled Retos Poéticos. 

AMU’s second literary program is an annual writing contest named after Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the 17th-century Mexican nun who was known for her exceptional intellect, poetry, and writing. The Sor Juana Annual Contest provides an opportunity for those who write and are inspired by the Spanish language, the second most spoken language in Utah, to be published for poetry and prose. Nine poets are presented with beautifully designed copies of the year’s collected works at the annual Sor Juana Ceremony. In front of an audience, they read their prizewinning work, share their inspiration, and make deep connections between their stories, histories, cultures, and communities. The annual publication of awardees’ work is available to download for free on AMU’s website. 

AMU received an Equity in Verse grant from the Poetry Foundation in spring 2024. The grant helped AMU pay a salary for Aarón García, who had been volunteering as the poetry coordinator for two years, affirming the value AMU places on the labor of its artists. The grant allowed García to continue facilitating Escritores de Utah and leading Spanish poetry workshops at the Utah Arts Festival and Utah State University. The grant also supported printing AMU’s annual publication of Sor Juana awardees and covered related expenses, such as design and publicity. Additionally, it supports poets' presentations within local educational institutions.

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