Artists
Meet our artists!
Name: Betsie Pio
Nationality/Ethnicity: Chicana
Residence: San Diego, California
Fun Facts:
- Love exercising.
- Lived in Ciudad de México (Mexico City) for a year during her childhood.
- Use Lengua de Señas Mexicana (LSM) and still learning.
Name: Blanca Altamirano
Nationality/Ethnicity: Chicana
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Fun Facts:
- I do spells.
- It's always Halloween in my soul.
- Stickers are my obsession.
Name: Celso Lozano Martinez
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican-American
Residence: New Mexico
Fun Facts:
-I was born in a car and transported to a hospital by fire truck.
Name: Diana Lopez
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican and Honduran
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Fun Facts:
- I love going to the beaches, go hike, and walk around the lake.
- I love to watch movies.
- I am an animal lover and love to play with my pets.
Name: Drago Renteria
Nationality/Ethnicity: Chicano
Residence: San Francisco, California
Fun Facts:
- Drago is a long-time Deaf LGBTQ / social justice activist, community leader, historian and organizer.
- He is originally from El Paso, Texas and was a cholo in his youth.
- Drago is also a photojournalist and social documentary photographer and has been working to document the hyper-gentrification taking place in his barrio, the Mission (Latinx) District of San Francisco, where he has resided for over two decades.
-Find him on Instagram at @eselqueso and @dragomedia.
Name: Gabriel Ponte-Fleary
Nationality/Ethnicity: Venezuelan
Residence: Rochester, NY
Fun Facts:
-I'm multilingual (English, Spanish, ASL, LSV [Venezuelan Sign Language])
-I love latin dancing (salsa, bachata, merengue)
-I'm a filmmaker in the making and recently became finalist in Coca-Cola Refreshing Films competition where I was the producer of a short commercial and the first ever Deaf person to be involved.
Name: Geraldo "Obed" Flores
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican
Residence: Santa Ana, California
Fun Facts:
- Works at Disneyland
- Loves fishing
- Wants to become a tattoo artist
Name: Iris V. Martinez
Nationality/Ethnicity: Puerto Rican
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Fun Facts:
- Loves Mexican culture, arts and foods.
Name: Isabel Laínez
Nationality/Ethnicity: Salvadoreña
Residence: Ontario, Canada
Fun Facts:
- -I love to look at the volcanoes in El Salvador.
Name: Jose' O. Granda
Nationality/Ethnicity: Cuban
Residence: Miami, Florida
Fun Facts:
-My fingerspelled name (José) comes with an accent mark above the letter “e” signed with a check which is expressed beautifully, visually and verbally.
-I am Cuban.
-I was born in Old Havana before Cuba became communist.
Name: Kyra Nicolasa Ayala
Nationality/Ethnicity: Salvadoran and Mexican
Residence: La Mesa, California
Fun Facts:
- Had 6 pets in her dorm
- Animal lover
- Loves biking
Name: Lisa Montalvo-Diaz
Nationality/Ethnicity: Puerto Rican
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Fun Facts:
-I love to sew which led me to make wine bottle covers. This was something I wanted to do to represent my Puerto Rican culture.
Name: Lynn Morán
Nationality/Ethnicity: Salvadoran-American
Residence: Los Angeles, California
Fun Facts:
-I am CRAZY about Legos and mini blocks!
-I love to do Do It Yourself (DIY) projects, solo and with my adorable nephews/niece!
-I love to play retro games like Nintendo, Sega, and more!
-I am a huge food lover!
Name: Margarita Lozano
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican
Residence: Austin, Texas
Fun Facts:
- Mother of 4 Deaf children.
- Able to sign two languages: Mexican and American.
- She loves to make many dresses, blankets and others.
- From a large family of 8 siblings.
Name: Pedrito "Wrisper" Garcia
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican-American
Residence: Wilmington, California
Fun Facts:
-I used to go to Cal. State University, Long Beach for my Bachelor's of Fine arts (BFA)
-Mister Cartoon is my role model
-I love strawberry lemonade.
Name: Raul Lozano
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican
Residence: Austin, Texas
Fun Facts:
- Attended Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as 90 SVP.
- Worked at a local bank as clerk, loan officers, and teller where I had been robbed twice and both of them caught.
- Love collecting comic books.
Name: Ruthie Staley
Nationality/Ethnicity: Navajo/Spaniard
Residence: San Marcos, Texas
Fun Facts:
-I enjoy living out in the country.
-I love to share gospels.
-Loves spontaneity, last-minute plans (with the guidance of God).
Name: Salvador "Sal" Sanchez
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican
Residence: New Rochelle, New York
Fun Facts:
-My favorite childhood memory is riding my white horse every morning. I rode for two hours trying to catch a rainbow before riding home.
Name: Thomas Xavier Mulligan
Nationality/Ethnicity: Cherokee/Spaniard
Residence: Tucson, Arizona
Fun Facts:
- Finds inspiration and enchantment in navigation around the Americas and its peoples.
Name: Victor Arellano, Sr.
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican - Aztec - Mayan
Residence: Austin, Texas
Fun Facts:
-Enjoys gardening, traveling and visiting museums.
Name: Yordi Morales
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Fun Facts:
-I make rugs for fun at home
-I enjoy baking.
-I enjoy taking photographs of all the pastries I make.