Curator and Editor

The Dyer Arts Center is offering a virtual viewing of the La Descolonizacion del Arte: A Celebration of Our Raíces introducing part three of the exhibition series: Las Raíces Jovenes of Tomorrow. This virtual exhibition was curated by Leticia Arellano with editor Francisco "Cisco" Arias. This exhibition wouldn't been possible without the support from previous curators, Roberto Sandoval, Carmen King, Norma Morán and Nicholas Sánchez.  They recruited young artists, determined the art theme, selected artworks, planned the virtual exhibition design, wrote texts, and organized event programs. Leticia and Cisco had the opportunity to experience the many aspects of curatorial work. Editing and proofreading are essential parts of the writing process. The editor also works on each image description that the DeafBlind audience can access the information of the all images on the virtual exhibition. This celebration will be entirely virtual thus more accessible to the community within this border and beyond.

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[Image description: A smiling brown-skinned Mexican with long black and silver hair; wearing a pair of colorful earrings, a blue blouse, a heart-shaped necklace, and a pair of white-framed glasses with black speckles. She is standing behind a light blue wall.]

Name: Leticia Arellano
Role: Lead Curator
Nationality/Ethnicity: Mexican-Mixtec
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Leticia Arellano was born in Ciudad Juárez, México, and later moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where she obtained her formal education at the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Leticia was always fascinated by the colorful, cultural, and indigenous art of Mexico and New Mexico. From an early age, she was always eager to immerse herself in art by visiting museums, art galleries, and various art installations--an undying fascination that continues to this day. Leticia attended NTID/RIT and Gallaudet at a much later time where she was the first in her family to receive a bachelor’s degree. She then continued her education at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel) for her master’s degree in Deaf Education. She traveled to Japan to live with Eiichi and Nariko Mitsui who are deaf Kutani porcelain painters in Komatsu and was immediately influenced by their work. Arellano was a curator for the Arte del Corazón exhibition at the Dyer Arts Center in 2017 and is currently a board member. Leticia loves to travel and has a passion for collecting deaf artwork from all over the world. Fun fact about Leticia: she has countless pairs of eyeglasses!

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[Image description: Cisco is light-skinned with medium-length hair, full beard, and he is smiling, looking towards the camera. He is wearing a light-blue, band-collared, long-sleeve buttoned shirt with small white spots. The background is filled with swirls of grey, white, black and teal colors.]

Name: Francisco “Cisco” Arias
Role: Editor
Nationality/Ethnicity: Chicano
Location: Long Beach, California
Pronouns: He/His/Him

Cisco was born in Long Beach, California and became the first person in his first-generation Mexican family to graduate with two degrees: an Associate of Arts in Political Science from Cerritos College in 2012 and a Bachelor of Arts in Deaf Studies from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 2014. During his time at CSUN, he was a Political Action Committee Chair for Deaf CSUNians. He was a volunteer editor for California Manos del Corazón (CMC), and contributed to the official launch of the organization’s website.

Fun facts about Cisco: hungry foodie, comic book reader, loves collecting movies!