Publishers Note: This post was written by Theresa Rosado who is the Director of Casa Rosado. I simply couldn’t have explained all that Casa Rosado offers so I asked permission to use Theresa’s post on Facebook.
Casa de Rosado has had well over 1,000 visitors pass through its doors since opening on February 2017. Having this space of our own is essential to the expression of our beautiful culture and heritage.
Since then we’ve hosted 3 Dia de Los Muertos celebrations, a black velvet exhibit highlighting its Mexican traditions, artist Nora Chapa Mendoza, a Retablo exhibit, a video documentary installation of Efren Parades, holiday mercados, a social justice exhibit, a documentary exhibit on hate crime following the beating of a man from Mexico in our community as well as a painting tribute to the Ayotzinapa students by Reyna Garcia.
We’ve crafted sugar skulls to raise money for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico and held sugar skull making sessions with over 100 children in the Lansing School District this past year. We’ve hosted school groups as well as community members in our annual Dia de Los Muertos celebration to encourage future generations to practice our traditions.
Our workshops and drop in classes have reached diverse groups. In the gallery we’ve held drop in retablo and mask making sessions as well as nicho making, papel picado, papel flora, jewelry and scrapbook workshops, Azteca danza sessions and Latinx and Mexican dance rehearsals. We hosted a discussion with Nani Chacon, two Latinx Film Fest director meet and greets, an enchilada cooking class, a gardening class emphasizing plants originating from Mexico, a May Day sing along as well as had a hate crime panel discussion with community leaders.
We look forward to new programming this season with a Dia de Los Niños celebration this summer as a kickoff celebration for a summer reading readiness program called JJ Reads Here. JJ Reads Here will match volunteers with kids in our community for one on one reading sessions with books focused on people of color and bilingual books followed by cultural art and activities that encourage reading readiness.
We also look forward to expanding Dia de Los Muertos to two locations to accommodate more community members, with the gallery continuing to serve as an intimate sacred space to remember our lost loved ones.
I wish to thank all that have volunteered to make this monumental work possible to our community. Your work secures the future of artistic and cultural expression of our unique heritage and in our community. I hope to secure funds to expand our new outreach and strive to continue to provide a safe space to experience Chicanx/Latinx and Indigina arts and culture in Michigan.
Built in 1918, Casa de Rosado is REO Town’s premiere gallery and small event space serving as a showcase for Michigan’s diverse Latinx/Chicanx/ Indígena community. Each year Casa de Rosado collaborates with community groups and hosts a large Dia de Los Muertos celebration. We also serve as a platform for social justice initiatives centered on art, danza, film and photography within our community through exhibits, forums, classes, cultural events and collaborations with MSU and educators throughout Michigan. Exhibits and events currently run October through May. The gallery is also available for small private events. Casa de Rosado is located on the south side of REO Town.
Address: 204 E. Mt. Hope Ave. Lansing, Michigan 48910
Phone: 517-402-0282
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/casaderosado/
