Silver City has long been a crossroads for cultures, ideas, and art. From murals on downtown walls to poetry readings, music festivals, and the performing arts, the town's creative life carries the stories of its people.
This fall, hosted by Silver City Theatre, those stories take center stage in El Movimiento Revisited: Telling Our Story – Chicanos in the Arts.
The program brings together five artists with deep ties to Silver City, Grant County, and Los Angeles: Simon Sotelo III, Fred Barraza, Rick Garcia, Dina Madrid, and Daniel E. Mora. Each works in a distinct medium, yet all share a dedication to expressing community, heritage, and identity through their art.
Simon Sotelo III: Art and the Gila's Voice
For Simon Sotelo III, art and activism flow together. A multidisciplinary artist, Sotelo creates paintings, beadwork, jewelry, and porcelain infused with the colors and landscapes of southern New Mexico. His family's roots in the Mimbres Valley reach back to the early 19th century, and that sense of place informs both his work and his advocacy. As an organizer with New Mexico Wild, he has led campaigns to protect the Gila, San Francisco, and Mimbres Rivers and organizes cultural events linking conservation with Latino and Indigenous identity.
"Art is how I tell my story," Sotelo says. "But it's also how I fight for the land and the people who shaped me."
Fred Barraza: Teaching and Tradition
Fred Barraza is a multimedia artist whose practice includes printmaking, painting, drawing, illustration, and sculpture. Born in Silver City and raised in Fort Bayard and Central (now Santa Clara), Barraza showed artistic talent early on. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, he earned his degree in fine arts and spent 25 years with the New Mexico State Library's Rural Bookmobile Southwest, bringing library services to remote communities. Following his retirement, he taught art and art appreciation at Western New Mexico University.
Barraza has illustrated two children's books, designed numerous book covers, and served on both the New Mexico Arts Commission and the Museum of New Mexico Board of Regents. His work bridges education, community, and cultural preservation.
Rick Garcia: Preserving the Culture through Music
For more than two decades, Rick Garcia has been the driving force behind Illusion Band, one of Grant County's best-known musical groups. Rooted in Chicano, Tejano, Country, Blues, and Oldies traditions, Illusion Band is a family affair: Rick's wife, Mónica, is the lead singer, and their son, Ricardo, is the drummer. Their extended family often joins in, creating a multigenerational sound that keeps Chicano music alive across New Mexico and beyond.
The band regularly represents Grant County at the Tejano Music Festival in San Antonio, and Garcia's guiding principle is simple: "The band never cancels—no matter what."
Dina Madrid: Keeping Chicano Music on the Air
Dina Madrid, a retired bilingual teacher, now preserves Chicano musical traditions through digital radio. She hosts a show on KDNA, a Silver City–based internet station that features Tejano, Conjunto, Country, and classic Oldies. For years, Madrid was the voice behind a beloved program on La Sabrosa, where she introduced listeners to Chicano musicians from across the Southwest.
Her passion for community and her encyclopedic knowledge of regional music have made her a cultural connector—both on the air and in person at music festivals throughout the state.
Daniel E. Mora: From the Silver Screen to Silver City
Daniel E. Mora is an actor known for his work in the multiple Oscar-winning Disney film COCO, a recurring role in the Peabody Award-winning FX Network series The Bridge, and another regular part in the web series Sin Vergüenza, which earned him an Imagen Award nomination for Best Actor in a Series.
A native of Los Angeles who was raised in San Diego, Mora joined the Army after graduating from high school. After spending three years as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he studied business administration at San Diego State University. Rediscovering a love for acting that had been planted in elementary school and rekindled in community college, Mora moved to Los Angeles to pursue the movie business—and success followed.
His film and television credits also include Fresh Off the Boat, Avenge the Crows, 9-1-1, The Mentalist, and Filly Brown, a Sundance Film Festival favorite. Mora will reprise his role in a September 2026 production of The Last Angry Brown Hat, presented by Silver City Theatre.
Why It Matters Here
This conversation isn't just about art—it's about how communities define themselves. In a region where cultural memory is sometimes overlooked or fragmented, these artists remind us that creativity is an act of continuity. Through their work, they honor the past while shaping the narrative of what it means to be Chicano in southern New Mexico today.
The Community Conversation on Chicano Activism in the Arts invites Silver City residents to listen, learn, and join in the dialogue. The stories shared on stage reflect both the struggles and triumphs of our region, showing that art is never separate from life.
Event Details
Telling Our Story: Chicanos in the Arts
Saturday, November 15, 2025
2:00 p.m.
Parotti Hall, behind and to the right of the Fine Arts Center Theatre
Presented by Silver City Theatre, in partnership with the Silver City Museum, WNMU, KRWG Public Media, Silver City Daily Press, and the Town of Silver City.
