June 2023 STAResident: Ruby Rivera
IN RESIDENCE: JUNE 8 - 28, 2023
About Space Taking Artist Residency
The Space Taking Artist Residency is Fresh Arts’ annual summer artist-in-residence program that provides traditionally underrepresented local artists with the physical space, financial support, and marketing platform to experiment with their craft and share their work with the public in new and innovative ways—often including interactive community events, exhibitions and other unique experiences.
Fresh Arts is proud to highlight Ruby Rivera and her organization Texas Salsa Congress (TSC) as our June 2023 STAResident. Her project, titled Summer of Salsa y Mas, featured three fun-filled weeks of salsa workshops and performances, multi-disciplinary artist collaborations, and interactive paint & dance parties for the community.
Watch the video below for a recap of Summer of Salsa y Mas plus Ruby’s firsthand take on it’s background and impact:
About STAResident: Ruby Rivera
Ruby Rivera was born of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent and raised in Houston’s Northside. In her career as a college readiness professional, she creates initiatives for students across Houston and holds a personal commitment to increasing enrollment across the United States. Her initiatives include special programming for first-generation students, immigrants, and students interested in arts careers.
Her passion for creating community access to opportunities via the arts fueled her to create the Texas Salsa Congress. The Texas Salsa Congress has curated events across Houston to bring more arts experiences to students and families, and has generated revenue for artists from Houston and around the globe.
Texas Salsa Congress has spent over a decade building communities and creating opportunities through their curation of public events designed to highlight and connect artists, dancers, performers, musicians, and DJs from Houston and beyond.
Ruby was bestowed with a city proclamation declaring August 4th “Salsa Appreciation Day”. The TSC also received a city Proclamation declaring March 14th “Texas Salsa Congress Day” for Houston, Texas.
In 2022, Stages’ Latinx Theatre Festival, Sin Muros, awarded Ruby the Puente Prize for her contribution to the Latinx Arts community. Also in 2022, Ruby Rivera completed a year-long National fellowship program called Latinos for Education.
Follow Ruby and Texas Salsa Congress on social media to stay up to date on their upcoming events and other news!
The Space Taking Artist Residency is funded in part by a grant from Texas Commission on the Arts, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment, and Brown Foundation. A special thank you to MECA – Multicultural Education & Counseling through the Arts – for opening its doors to Fresh Arts for this year’s STAR program.