The Journey North: Hope, Labor and Culture
January 23 – February 27, 2026
This group exhibition curated by Latino Arts Project explores how an artificial border cuts across shared cultural experiences. It reflects the physical and emotional reality of migration — a story of movement, purpose and resilience through art, stories and lived experience. The Journey North expands beyond why people leave to what they bring: hope that binds us in shared humanity, labor that builds and sustains the nation and culture that enriches and redefines American life.
Elevar La Cultura
On view at the Latino Cultural Center through March 30
There is a unique kind of creativity born from resilience; an ability to transform the ordinary into opportunity. For many immigrant communities, creativity is not only self-expression; it is a way to build livelihoods, strengthen community, and carry culture forward.
This spirit inspired Elevar La Cultura, a monumental, immersive installation by internationally acclaimed artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez. Standing over 20 feet tall, the work reimagines a Mayan pyramid constructed from everyday ice coolers; objects commonly used by street vendors across the country. Through this striking transformation, Marka27 blends ancestral symbolism with contemporary materials, inviting viewers to reflect on cultural continuity, adaptation, and creative resourcefulness.
The installation incorporates cultural textiles, spiritual objects, and mural elements, creating a layered environment that honors heritage while engaging with the realities of modern urban life. The coolers that form the structure become vessels of story and memory; carriers of labor, tradition, and aspiration, elevated into a powerful visual monument.
Elevar La Cultura is part of a traveling series of installations presented in cities across the nation. The Latino Cultural Center is proud to host this temporary exhibition and welcome the community to experience the work up close.
