BETHLEHEM, Pa. — As a band played a medley of bomba music, the crowd took notice of the brightly colored paintings inside the Charles A. Brown Ice House.
The lively scene was part of the Latino Ice House Committee's first networking event held Saturday at Sand Island.
About 15 artists and businesses set up their works on tables in hopes of meeting new customers and making business connections.
A tropical night..warming up #IceHouse @Latino Leadership Alliance’s celebration for Latino artists 💃🏻🇵🇷🇨🇺 pic.twitter.com/AWtFfWfndO
— Micaela Hood (@micaelahood) February 4, 2024
'We need that sense of community'
Mixed-use artist Genesis Rodriguez, a graduate of Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts, describes her work as "self-portraits but in bunch of various different ways."
"This is like probably one of the best opportunities to come to Lehigh Valley, especially for Latinos because a lot of the time people get recognition for their culture, but as a Latino it doesn't happen that often and I don't know why that is," Rodriguez said.
"Especially here in the Lehigh Valley. We need that sense of community. We need to come together and support each other."
Abstract artist Dready Dee of Allentown agreed.
“As a Latino artist, I want to feel represented more in the community, so it’s nice that we have people that do these sorts of things to spread the word that there’s another side to art,” she said. "It's competitive out there."
Dee's art features bold colors and quirky characters.
“I’m very big on cross-hatching and ink drawings," she said. "When I [create] my characters, it’s based on funny humor and emotions that happen within everyday life."
While her original paintings cost hundreds of dollars or more, she also sells smaller items, such as stickers and keychains.
“I know that a lot of people can't afford big and original
stuff, so I wanted to offer something affordable... things that are wacky and cool, that can be put on a laptop or skateboard," Dee said.
A family affair
Among the members of the Latino Ice House Committee are Edith Gutierrez-Hawbake, founder of Te Le Juro Collective, and Rafael Menendez, of Maltas Con Leche.
The commitee held its first event in partnership with the Latino Leadership Alliance of Allentown.
Menendez and his children — Luz, Esperanza, Binico, Caterina, Camila and Santiago, all are artists — were selling their works at the celebration.
"This is like probably one of the best opportunities to come to Lehigh Valley, especially for Latinos because a lot of the time people get recognition for their culture, but as a Latino it doesn't happen that often."Artist Genesis Rodriguez
Along with supporting his kids, Menendez assisted the fellow artists in hanging larger-scale portraits on the walls.
"I want to do for everyone else what I didn't have, a platform. I'm really happy to see people here who've never displayed their work," he said.
"This gentleman's work on the wall, he has never shown outside of his own barbershop.
"There is a lot of gatekeeping and [artists] that keep to themselves, but the more that people see events like this, they will feel validated because the art is important, it's part of our culture."
