DES MOINES, Iowa — Sunday marks the start of Hispanic Heritage month, a time to celebrate and honor the rich culture and contributions of the Hispanic community.
Iowa's Latino Heritage Festival is aiming to shine a spotlight on the talented Latino artists here in Central Iowa, whose art has played a pivotal role in expanding our cultural landscape.
Seso Marentes says participation from Latino artists has grown for this year's festival. The first time they held the event, there were only a few Latino artists. But now that's changed.
"There is so many of us, you know to see that there are 13 or plus more at the tent, and there's more artist there you know that to me is amazing," Marentes said.
Marentes will show a range of his painting but you can expect a wide variety of art, like Juan Lourido, who uses movement as a way of enriching Latin culture here in Iowa.
"Capoeria is a Afro-Brazilian art form so it combines music martial arts a little bit of acrobatics, but most of all it combines a lot of different cultures and arts because of that," Lourido said.
Artist Manuel Delafuente hopes you come admire all the talent, and he has a special way of making sure you learn more about his culture through his art.
"The storytelling you can see it on the physical product so that's stated on the back of the package I did this because of this, and I really want people to take something from it," Delafuente said.
For lowrider artists like Andrez Lizarde it's about ensuring people know they are champions for the community.
"We want to be a positive thing and a positive change for the community," Lizarde said.
For Paula and Randy Garza it's about planting roots in Iowa and embracing the growth in visibility of Latin art.
"Living in the Midwest where we are a little bit of the minority. It's nice to be able to have representation in homes and businesses," Paula Garza.
The festival will be held at Western Gateway Park on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.