Anderson Ranch Arts Center to continue its Latine programming into fall

Anderson Ranch Arts Center is continuing its Latine arts and culture programming into the fall with the grants from the J. Christopher and Anne N. Reyes Foundation, Aspen, and Snowmass Village.

While Anderson Ranch will not be hosting the Festival del Rancho event this year, leading contemporary Latino artist conversations, professional development opportunities for local teachers, and hands-on field trip visits for students will be offered this fall. The aim, according to a press release from Anderson Ranch, is to extend the reach of its Latine arts programming and ensure access to schools and community partners.

“Rather than hosting one large gathering, we’re focusing on deeper partnerships across the community — bringing leading contemporary Latine artists into our studios, schools, and classrooms, and creating meaningful opportunities for dialogue and connection,” Peter Waanders, president and CEO of Anderson Ranch, said in the release. “With support from our city partners and the continued generosity of the J. Christopher and Anne N. Reyes Foundation, we aim to celebrate the cultures represented in our valley while ensuring our programs are responsive, inclusive, and impactful.”

This is the fifth year of its Latine arts programming. Upcoming programming under the fall initiative includes:

Latine Exhibition: Steven Molina Contreras and Bridges High School

• Opening Reception 10 a.m. Sept. 10, on display Sept. 3 to Oct. 20
• Free and open to the public

The result of a collaboration between Bridges High School and Anderson Ranch Arts Center and as part of Anderson Ranch’s Latine Visiting Artist Program, photographer Steven Molina Contreras led a workshop where students created collaborative and self-portraits with people who have shaped their lives.

2025 Latine Visiting Artists

• Oct. 7 to 14
• The Visiting Artists will be working in the Ranch studios and leading the Latine Arts and Education Workshop

Molina Contreras, originally from San Salvador, El Salvador, is a Brooklyn-based artist and photographer whose work explores themes of migration, family, and belonging. Rooted in personal history and cultural memory, his images blend documentary aesthetics with performance and vernacular image-making to reimagine domestic and everyday spaces as sites of transformation and resilience. 

Carla Fernández was born in 1973 in Saltillo, Mexico, and is based in Mexico City. She draws inspiration from the geometric shapes of Mexican textiles and patterns, and works closely with communities of indigenous artisans and craftspeople to create her clothing, textiles, and housewares for her eponymous fashion label.

Latine Arts and Education Workshop

• Oct. 8

Anderson Ranch is hosting a free, one-day educator workshop where select local educators and community leaders have been invited to meet its Latine Visiting Artists, participate in a workshop, and take away an arts curriculum to their classrooms.

Latine Artist Panel Discussion

• Oct. 8 at 3 p.m.

Join in this conversation with artists and educators Molina Contreras and Fernández to discuss some of today’s leading voices in Latino contemporary art.

Day of the Dead Arts & Crafts

• Nov. 1 in the Dunaway Community Room at the Pitkin County Library

Celebrate the Day of the Dead with hands-on arts and crafts to create traditional altars and decorative skulls while learning about the cultural significance and customs of this special holiday. This is a bilingual program made possible by the Pitkin County Library and Anderson Ranch Arts Center.

Two Rivers Elementary School Field Trip Program 

This fall, students from Two Rivers Elementary School in Glenwood Springs will visit the Ranch for hands-on art-making activities and creating in the studios. These field trips meet the 3rd and 5th Grade Colorado State Standards in the Visual Arts.

Additional programming announcements will be made in the coming weeks.