When people enter Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery, their eyes are greeted with compelling photographs, paintings, and unforgettable colors and shadows that set the tone for the emotional experience they are about to undergo.
The art gallery, located in the White Center Seattle neighborhood, is working to bring in artists, both novice and veteran, to amplify their voices and bring people together to celebrate Chicano culture’s beauty.
Owners and artists Jake Prendez and Judy Avitia-Gonzalez have poured their hearts into Nepantla since it opened in October 2018. They recently celebrated the gallery’s sixth anniversary.
“We’re really proud,” said Prendez, “We are the only public Chicana/Chicano art gallery in the Pacific Northwest.”
From being friendly hosts who greet everyone as they enter the door, to their expansive understanding of Chicano and Latinx cultures which defines their mission, Prendez and Avitia-Gonzalez have made Nepantla a place of community.
Both have roots in Southern California, where the Chicano art scene is deeply ingrained in the culture.
With her extended family in East L.A, Avitia-Gonzalez said she was surrounded by beautiful murals that depicted Chicano warriors and beautiful women.
Owners and directors of Nepantla, Jake Prendez and Judy Avitia-Gonzalez, pose proudly outside Nepantla. Jake’s paintings and Judy’s photos are often on display in Nepantla.
Photography: Makenna Schwab
“It feels like Seattle has this Latino amnesia that we’re not included, we’re not seen, we’re completely overlooked,” Prendez said. “[But] there are hints, they are here…and they’re amazing artists.”
In Nahuatl, a language native to Mexico, Nepantla means “the space between.” Avitia-Gonzalez said she resonates with the concept as a Mexican American.
“You know, are you Mexican enough? Are you American enough? Sometimes you feel in this in-between state. Sometimes, you’re not in there or here. And so I think this space really fills that void,” she said.
The duo strives to make Nepantla an accessible gallery that highlights the work of incredible Chicano artists in the area. They introduce a new exhibit every month.
The Chicano artists’ pieces often showcase their families or represent different aspects of their identity.
The two owners are committed to new artists–particularly because they’re artists themselves.
Prendez’s paintings and Avitia-Gonzalez’s photographs hang in the gallery or are available on merchandise throughout the shop.
With a heart for the arts, Prendez and Avitia-Gonzalez knew Seattle needed a place where Chicano/Latinx artists and non-artists could come together.
“Our mission really is to make art an accessible experience and to provide a safe space for our community,” Avitia-Gonzalez said.
And it truly is an accessible place of art – for artists and consumers.
There are no price markups or commissions for Nepantla. It is just a space to show and sell art for up-and-coming artists in the area. To continue to foster local talent, they host classes with professionals, free of charge to participants.
The intersection of Seattle and Chicano representation is evident along the walls of Nepantla. The light in the center of the photos hits the replicas of the Space Needle so that the shadow is prominent on Jake’s painting.
Photography: Makenna Schwab
With the help of local grants, the couple has brought in high-caliber artists to lead workshops on drawing, painting and other creative endeavors.
This opens up opportunities for community members to encounter art in new ways and allows artists to be recognized and compensated for their expertise.
Because of all of these efforts, Nepantla is quickly growing.
With a gift shop, the gallery, and the classes, the owners said they hope to move and grow sooner than later.
“We’ve kind of outgrown this space,” Prendez said. “We’re just looking for … a large space so we can increase what we’re doing and more room for those workshops, more room for art.”
But they have limited options in White Center.
They said that corporate businesses coming in to buy storefronts make it even more difficult for small, locally owned businesses to stay local and community-focused.
With a growing presence in their community, Nepantla has partnered with local school districts for fundraisers, hosted Dia De Los Muertos events for Evergreen High School and gathered students to celebrate Chicano, and Latinx cultures.
“I had gone to school there,” Avitia-Gonzalez said. “I remember going there, and nobody spoke Spanish. Fast forward to now … we’re celebrating our culture. It was really something special.”
Filled with people, incredible art, and great food, Nepantla did what Nepantla does best – gather people together in a community for a bigger hope.
A hope in a future where Chicano art isn’t only happening in corners or small pockets of a city. A hope in a future where their culture isn’t just addressed in schools, but earnestly celebrated. A hope for a future where people find their place, their people, their joy.
“I think what we’ve been is this like glue, you know, like that got people together like the talent was here. We didn’t create the talent,” Prendez said. “But what we did was bring folks together and really start this kind of Chicana/Chicano, Latinx art movement in Seattle that really is blossoming.”
Makenna Schwab is a senior pursuing a degree in Journalism and Public Interest Communications at the University of Washington. A Washington native, she hopes to pursue a career in strategic communications and public relations to reach communities with the most important and accessible information.