The Mellon Foundation has launched Frontera Culture Fund, a $25 million initiative that supports artists, cultural leaders, and tribal communities in the U.S./Mexico border region.
In a press release, Elizabeth Alexander, the President of the Mellon Foundation, said, “The U.S./Mexico borderlands are home to an abundance of cultures and creative traditions, yet remain a region minimally funded by arts philanthropies in the United States. Our long-term support for the artists, culture-builders, and stewards of creative expression among these communities will help amplify and sustain the profoundly varied arts and histories taking place in the borderlands.”
The Frontera Culture Fund was designed in collaboration with artists and cultural leaders from across the borderlands region, an area that is home to millions and spans nearly 2,000 miles, encompassing four U.S. and six Mexican states. The area is also home to 26 federally recognized tribal nations as well as numerous unrecognized Indigenous communities, with at least seven Indigenous homelands divided by the border.
Image courtesy of The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of South Texas
The 32 inaugural grantees provide vital contributions to the region and integrate the arts to address other issues affecting border communities, such as racial and climate justice, migrant and refugee rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Indigenous cultural sovereignty, public memory, and community health. Among the cohort are 14 organizations based in Texas, including the Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas, ENTRE Film Center, Trucha, the El Paso Museum of Art, and the University of Texas at El Paso.
While a full list of grantees has not been made publicly available, the Mellon Foundation has shared information about some of the supported projects. The Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas, a federally unrecognized nation, is among the grantees. Funding from the Mellon Foundation will support a Community Land Trust and an Eso’k Gna Education Center. Azul Arena, based in Ciudad Juárez, is a gallery and project space. The organization will use its funding to grow its artistic programming, binational collaborations, and archive of artistic production.
Azul Arena. Photo: Edgar Picazo
Edgar Picazo Merino, Creative Director of Azul Arena, commented, “For years, the creative production in the Ciudad Juárez-El Paso region has suffered underfunding and neglect from the public and private sectors. Artists and cultural workers have adapted to the situation, creating networks of support that have allowed us to realize our ideas and practices in service of border communities. The support provided by the Mellon Foundation has allowed us to set the foundation for a stronger, dignified creative infrastructure as we continue to produce art for positive social change.”
Learn more about the grantees and their funded projects below, via descriptions provided by the Mellon Foundation.
Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center (San Diego, California)
The Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center, located in the heart of Barrio Logan — San Diego’s oldest Mexican American neighborhood — preserves and interprets the history of Chicano Park and the borderlands. Mellon funding supports the assessment, conservation, cataloging, and digitization of two significant archives that document the work of generations of Chicanx artists and activists at the park and beyond.
Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc. (Floresville, Texas)
The Carrizo Comecrudo Nation of Texas (Esto’k Gna), though federally unrecognized, wields a strong political and cultural presence in the region. Mellon funding supports a Community Land Trust protecting 170 acres of Rio Grande riverfront ancestral land — new model for regional conservation. It also supports an Esto’k Gna Education Center to preserve culture, teach lifeways, and address Rio Grande delta environmental degradation.
Fandango Fronterizo (Tijuana, Baja California)
The Fandango Fronterizo is an annual event at the Tijuana-San Diego border that brings together musicians, dancers, and community members in a celebration of poetry, dance, music, and humanity through son jarocho. Mellon funding facilitates organizational and programmatic capacity for the annual event and provides support for son jarocho elders and contemporary practitioners.
Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras (Tucson, Arizona)
The Alianza Indígena Sin Fronteras/Indigenous Alliance Without Borders (Alianza) is a 26-year-old organization that supports a network of Indigenous organizations and communities divided by the border, and works to strengthen cultural, linguistic, historical, and ceremonial ties between them. Mellon funding bolsters organizational sustainability and cultural programs, including memory projects and Indigenous healing practices.
La Semilla Food Center (Anthony, New Mexico)
La Semilla Food Center operates a community farm that promotes agroecology and food sovereignty through land-based programs and regional arts and culture initiatives. Mellon funding supports development of shared narratives, story-mapping, and La Semilla’s Chihuahuan Desert Cultural Fellowship, which supports artists and culture bearers whose practices uplift the desert bioregion.
Haitian Bridge Alliance (headquartered in San Diego, California)
The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, focusing on Black migrants and asylum seekers from Haiti, the Caribbean, and Africa. As Haitian immigrants face renewed attacks, HBA continues to uplift the voices and stories of those impacted, working to create a culture that values and defends Black immigrant lives. Mellon funding supports a significant expansion of HBA’s artistic partnerships and storytelling.
Azul Arena (Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua)
Azul Arena, a gallery and project space located miles from two international border crossings, provides a platform for artists and cultural producers to develop and exhibit work while collaborating with curators, writers, and academics to document and preserve contemporary narratives about the Chihuahuan region. Mellon funding provides capacity for Azul Arena as it grows its artistic programming, binational collaborations, and archive of artistic production.
October 24, 2024: This article has been updated to accurately reflect the total number of awardees.
