Calling all Tampa Bay Artists

Reclamando Our Untold Stories

Curator Ketsy Ruiz invites local artists with ties to Latin American and Spanish speaking Caribbean heritage to submit entries for the upcoming artist exhibit  'Reclamando our Untold Stories' Art Exhibition presented by Mi Gente Mi Pueblo.

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Across time and space, our understanding of the past and its impact on our present and our becoming, has always been filtered by who sits on the throne, literally and figuratively. Stories have been crafted about us, but not always by us, not enough. These other voices often dictate and influence our understanding of nuestras raices. 

Mi Gente is deeply committed to elevating our stories, our traditions, our healing and our cultura. Because of this, we invite you to come join us en nuestro reclamo: co-creating what we have lost, what was taken away, and or what was misused–Reclamando Our Untold Stories to ensure our present and future generations can be visible, connected, and thriving. 

This exhibit is all about centering ~untold~ stories as individuals and as a comunidad. It is inspired by Mi Gente’s intergenerational healing through writing workshop series-Reclamando. In this ancestral ritual and sacred space, we alchemize through the power of words and visual art. “To thrive, we must remember/reclaim our power (Risa Dickens);” in Reclamando, we explore our root system, nuestras raíces, that have shaped the formidable tree we are today, and the forest, nuestra comunida, in which we live. Reclamando has revealed the magic in remembering, reclaiming, and reimagining nuestras historias en comunidad and art, of all forms, is the “remedio” through which we connect back to ourselves and nuestra gente. 

We are asking artists of all disciplines to respond to this question through a creative medium (visual art, mixed media, performing arts, literary, or film):  What story can you reclaim from or for your ancestors?

Together, we will uplift our untold stories and build a shared narrative as Mi Gente! One filled with love, resilience, authenticity, and a beautiful tapestry of who we have been, who we are, and who we are becoming. 

Reclamando Our Untold Stories will run from August 29, 2025 to November 2, 2025  at Creative Pinellas, Largo Florida 

Submission details:

• Full name, artist name, contact info (email and social media), personal background, and a headshot

• 3 quality images of current work 

• link to online portfolio (website/Instagram/Facebook art page)

• written response to theme question (a specific date will need to be named in this response to be used as a “title” and as a source of inspiration for your piece. This date will also be used to help place the gallery visitors in the moment in history you are referencing). 

Timeline expectations: 

Submission Deadline: June 20, 2025 

Acceptance Emails will be sent by: June 30, 2025

Drop off dates will be included with acceptance notices.

Click to Apply

Event expectations: 

Mi Gente Mi Pueblo hosts Movida—an annual multigenerational, Latinx-led cultural experience that transforms storytelling, art, and ancestral practice into tools for healing, community connection, and civic power. In a time of cultural erasure, social fragmentation, and inequitable access to public systems, Movida offers a joyful and justice-rooted intervention. The art exhibition is one of many components that will take place during our 5th annual Movida on September 20th, 2025. 

We have no desire to police or censor our artists.  Mi Gente Mi Pueblo will be speaking intentionally about this event to ensure all participants are comfortable and free to express their truths. 

Gallery expectations: 

The Gallery at Creative Pinellas is free and open to the public. The Gallery showcases the work of both internationally recognized artists and talented creatives from Pinellas County, providing a welcoming and inspiring environment for all to experience high-quality visual arts.

Click to Apply