WHAT WE ARE DOING
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Creating change by creating art.
In April, we will produce our pilot workshop, a five day event in
Portland, Maine, led by internationally acclaimed artist
Vicente Telles. The workshop will be hosted by the Indigo Arts
Alliance in collaboration with the Maine College of Art & Design.
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​​​​​​​While art has long been used in therapeutic and clinical settings
for atrisk individuals, Estoyart aims to go further—producing
powerful work that affirms dignity and amplifies immigrant voices. By bringing together a noted Latino artist with museum and gallery credentials and a group of immigrants, we merge individual artistic practices with the tradition of art as social commentary. The result is work that fosters understanding, challenges prejudice, and shares immigrant stories with a broader audience.
​ Vicente Telles is a Santero (painter of saints) and cultural iconographer whose work honors the traditions of his native New Mexico while pushing the boundaries of traditional Catholic and cultural iconography.
His practice includes social commentary retablos and an ongoing border culture series, using diverse materials such as textiles, fine papers, and repurposed objects.
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In 2026, Vicente will join Estoyart following major international engagements, including an opening at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, a residency at the Sydney Biennale (Rememory), and preparations for the Border Biennial in El Paso and Juárez—bringing timely relevance and momentum to the workshop.
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​Our partners, Indigo Arts Alliance and the Maine College of Art & Design, bring deep experience in artist mentorship, community engagement, and exhibition development, ensuring a supportive environment and meaningful public outcomes for the work created.
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