One of my goals in the Latin Rock Community in Minnesota has been cultivating a vibrant poster culture inspired by the illustrative art I have seen at music festivals. Various artists create posters for bands, enhancing both the presence and the value of souvenirs. While covering the press for Ruido Fest, I became passionate about collecting uniquely designed t-shirts and posters. This is how I discovered Dr. Alderete's work and numerous posters for bands I love, which inspired me to explore the world of rock poster illustration.
These posters are truly unique, with only 25 printed to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Facebook Group, part of the 00.0 Sound System project. The Rockeros en Minnesota group is dedicated to fostering a Latin rock and alternative music community. It provides a platform for local bands to promote their shows, for people to share songs and discover new bands, to exchange opinions, and to highlight concerts that might otherwise go unnoticed. The group aims to build connections and support the vibrant live music scene.
Uni officially made its debut on February 22, 2024, coinciding with the “Unidos We Build the Future” day at the Capitol. This event marks a significant day of advocacy and community building, and we are proud to have Uni as our mascot leading the way.
To create an authentic camp experience, I drew upon my own memories of camping. I aimed to make the environment cozy and simplistic, channeling the essence of being immersed in nature. Additionally, I developed an entire system for the camp, including a cohesive color scheme consisting of orange, beige, and brown. The concept of "less is more" guided our approach, and the youth responded positively to the thoughtful design choices.
Through these illustrations, we aimed to tell a powerful story: that we, the affected individuals and our parents, are well-versed in the rules of the road, and we deserve the opportunity to obtain driver's licenses for a better future.
Working with Unidos MN on a campaign that was both challenging and inspiring. Our goal was to organize healthcare access for all Minnesotans, regardless of their immigration status. The passing of the healthcare spending bill by the state Legislature was a significant victory, as it allows undocumented individuals who meet income eligibility requirements to enroll in MinnesotaCare.
“Queremos ROCK" is a series of posters created to raise funds for my father's eye treatment. The inspiration for these illustrations came from various doodles I had in my sketchbooks over the years, some of which were from my subconscious, while others paid tribute to the character “el Flanagan" from comedian Hector Suarez. I noticed that Latinx rock communities in Minnesota didn't have many posters like these, so I decided to create this series.
For the "Home of Latinx Artists" (HOLA) project, I was responsible for designing the logo and developing elements of the brand identity. The project began with an initial sketch by the renowned local artist, Pacha Galvis, featuring a waving hand motif. Building on this creative foundation and with valuable insights from Brenda Navarro, we refined the concept into the distinctive "house" logo, accompanied by dynamic typography.
The result is a visually captivating and vibrant brand image that is now prominently featured across various platforms such as the website, social media posts, and stationery.
This poster was an alternative design I proposed for the 2018 Festival de las Calaveras. Inspired by street art and one of my favorite illustrators, Dr. Jorge Allderete, who has created artwork for similar festivals and bands, the illustration features several elements. It highlights the festival's venue, La Doña Cerveceria, and aligns with Día de los Muertos themes, including a Catrina illustration based on the festival's founder, Deborah Ramos. The design also incorporates motifs such as Flor de Cempasúchil and pan de muerto, along with a logo created for that edition of the festival by Luis Fitch.
Photography
Ana Tijoux is a Chilean hip-hop protester. Touring behind her first album in nine years, VIDA, with media outlets like The Rolling Stones naming her as the best rapper in Spanish, The New York Times pointing toher as the Latin American response to Lauryn Hill and magazines like Newsweek ranking her as the most important Latin American rapper on the international scene - The Cedar is super excited to be presenting this show in our very special 35th Anniversary year!
Making Movies is a psychedelic Panamanian band that makes American music with an asterisk: because Making Movies’ sound encompasses the entirety of the Americas. It’s through this broader perspective that Making Movies crunches classic rock into Latin American rhythms - African-derived percussion and styles like rumba, merengue, mambo and cumbia — in a way that feels oddly familiar, yet delivers the invigorating chills of hearing something singularly special.
El Tri is a Mexican rock band that originated from the breakup of Three Souls in My Mind in 1985. Led by the iconic Alex Lora, the band has been an influential figure in the Latin American rock scene. Their music, often characterized by a raw, urban edge, blends rock with blues to address social, political, and cultural issues, making them a voice for the Mexican working class. Celebrated for their live performances and Lora's engaging stage presence, El Tri's enduring popularity has made them a legendary act in the rock en español genre.
From Monterrey, Mexico, the Villarreal sisters, Daniela (guitar and main vocals) 20, Paulina (drums) 18, and Alejandra (bass) 15, have provoked full-on headbanging of the most demanding audiences in the global rock scene, thanks to their 2014 viral video covering Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” at the young age of 14, 12 and 9. It caught the attention of Metallica as well as Rolling Stone Magazine and fell into the hands of Ellen DeGeneres, who turned them into the first Mexican band to perform at The Ellen Show.