Artist Panel- Celebrating Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month ( Sept. 15-Oct. 15) we are highlighting three Latinx artists with our September Artist Panel. The evening will start with showcasing their work from 5:30-6:30. You will be able to see the work and interact with the artists. At 6:30 we will convene the panel discussion in the Kwame McDonald Studio. The moderator and studio audience will be able to ask questions. The event will be recorded and shared on our channels and podcast. The three media makers are Pedro Juan Fonseca, Gisell Calderón, and Luis Fitch.

Pedro Juan Fonseca: actor/videographer/writer
Pedro Juan Fonseca was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico and grew up in the Midwest. He is an Actor, Screenwriter, Videographer, and Content Creator. He holds a B.A. in Theater and a B.A. in Cinema Studies and Media Culture from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Currently he is the Video Content Specialist in the Communications Department at Saint Paul Public Schools. He is also the Assistant Producing Artistic Director at Six Points Theater.

As an actor Pedro has appeared in commercials for Anytime Fitness, Buffalo Wild Wings, Xfinity, Target, Best Buy, and a spot for Cenex that aired during Super Bowl LI. He made his Off-Broadway debut in "Christmas Carol" with Titan Theater Company, and has performed internationally in Canada, playing the Emperor Montezuma in the opera Vivaldis Motezuma with Ensemble Caprice. Regionally, he has performed in "West Side Story" and "Shakespeare in Love" at Hope Summer Repertory Theater in Michigan, worked closely with The Playwrights Center, and appeared at the Guthrie Theater, Children's Theater, and Park Square Theater in the Twin Cities area.
 

As a playwright he wrote and produced the sketch comedy show "The Spooking Hour with Vincent Price" and the comedy play Space Crew: in Space!" In 2022 his pitch for a web series about investigative journalists, titled Screed, was accepted into the Catalyst Content Festival. And in 2023 he wrote his first full-length dramatic play, "Children of the Night, about a translator on the movie set of the Spanish language version of Dracula.
 

Pedro's short films and web series tell high-concept stories with enigmatic plots, following the intimate journeys of complex yet relatable characters. Through dynamic camera work, extreme color, and multi-temporal editing, his films present parallel worlds where heartfelt character interactions, dramatic reversals, and intense action drive the narrative, evoking in the viewer a strong emotional response.
 

Pedro is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
 

Gisell Calderón: filmmaker

Gisell Calderón is a media and art maker based in the Twin Cities. Her personal work deals with ancestral memory, personal and societal structures, and the ephemeral. She has shown work at the Walker Arts Center, Trylon Cinema, Bryant Lake Cinema, and many basement and diy screenings. She views cinema as a means for exploration and processing, as a ritual form of storytelling that is ancient at its roots.
 

Luis Fitch: co founder and creative director of UNO Branding

An internationally renowned Mexican artist, mentor, and creative entrepreneur specializing in fine art and working across gallery and urban art settings. His artistic repertoire encompasses various mediums, including screen prints, stencils, stickers, masking film illustrations, wheat paste, collages, sculptures, posters, paintings, and murals.

As a young adult, Luis grappled with the challenges of maintaining a solid connection to his Mexican culture and roots in the face of the influences of the Mexican-U.S. border. This struggle catalyzed his creative growth, as he keenly observed and responded to his surroundings.

Growing up in Tijuana, Luis found himself amidst a vibrant community of individuals migrating from South to North in search of improved opportunities, resulting in significant new subcultures. During this period, he developed a remarkable ability to visualize and articulate the cultural discontinuities between the South and North, recognizing that migration reflects individuals' societal needs and aspirations within a specific environment.

Raised in the 70s and 80s in the most visited border on the planet, Tijuana, Mexico, Luis relocated to the United States in 1985. He pursued his artistic education at the esteemed Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1990.

Luis's artwork has garnered widespread recognition both nationally and internationally. His art pieces are featured in over 380 private and institutional collections throughout the United States, Mexico, and Latin America, including prestigious institutions such as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis, the Minnesota History Museum in Saint Paul, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago, The City of Albuquerque, and the Tamarind Institute.

In addition to his extensive collection of accolades, including the McKnight Visual Artist Fellowship, the Ohio Art Council Fellowship, the AIGA MN Fellowship, the Peter Glen Special Award for Public Services, and the 2018 City Pages Artist of the Year, among others, Luis frequently shares his expertise at creative art conferences and universities worldwide, delivering lectures on the intersection of art, design, and commerce.

Luis has been busy with a range of exciting projects. He's crafted four stamps for the United States Postal Service and curated and designed an art collection for Target that celebrates the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) for their stores nationwide. Adding to his achievements, he was recently chosen by the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs to serve as a commissioner for the redesign of the State Flag and Seal.