ARTES DE LA ROSA

The Hidden Gem of the Northside

By Jade Emerson Photos by Martina Treviño

The education director and dance instructor of Artes de la Rosa begins to count

down from 10, her students rushing to their places backstage. When she reaches “one,” she reminds each child to take a deep breath together. Then, the music begins, and the lights start to shine. The students mirror Sara Herrera’s movements as she stands in front of the stage at the Rose Marine Theater, where countless Latin American artists have gathered and performed for the past 100 years.

Sara describes Artes de la Rosa as a place filled with hope and laughter. It’s a place to promote past and present Latin American artists. And it’s a place where the next generation of artists is being taught in a community of support and growth.

“It’s just like a safe haven. Not because of the teaching, but because of the kids that are out there. They’re making friends. They’re building that camaraderie. They’re building their own little community of creative minds,” Sara says. “It’s really beautiful to see.”

I want to use all the opportunities here to continue to do what I love. Artes is the building block for what I plan in the future in the arts.”

– REGINA RODRIGUEZ

Sara has been a dancer almost all her life, her career taking her from her hometown of Fort Worth to the East Coast. She now uses her almost 20 years of dance teaching experience to teach children at the Artes Academy, both in their summer camps and after-school program.

“Coming back here now, working with the students, working with this organization, specifically with the Latinx students, is very, very important. You represent. Representation definitely matters, no matter what,” Sara says. “It’s just been very humbling to be around them and to share my experience with them.”

The nonprofit also teaches creative writing, theater, visual arts, film and animation, 3D printing, claymation and digital art to young people of any race who may otherwise not have access to such a creative outlet. And to students like 14-year-old Regina Rodriguez, the academy is home, a place where she can express herself free of judgment.

A lot of people will ask, ‘Who are your mentors?’ [They are] my students. They’ve helped shape the person that I am today because I’ve learned so much from them.”

– SARA HERRERA, education director

“The community there is something you can rarely find anywhere,” Regina says. “It is a loving family willing to open their arms out to anybody new who chooses to be there.”

She always looks forward to going to the academy after school, even if she has a bad day. Her first perforance was there where she overcame fears and learned that with time and practice, and the patient care of her teachers, she would get better. “I want to use all the opportunities here to continue to do what I love. Artes is the building block for what I plan in the future in the arts,” Regina says.

Artes de la Rosa offers creative writing, theater, visual arts, and so much more to the young people in our community.

Artes de la Rosa also hosts the Artes Academy, a summer camp in the community cultural center located in the historic Northside district. The students spent one recent week learning six different dances to songs from the movie “Encanto.” At the end of the week, the students will perform in front of their friends and families taking pride in what they learned and overcame.

The Artes Academy is only one element of Artes de la Rosa, formerly known as the Latin Arts Association of Fort Worth. The nonprofit also hosts festivals, film nights, live entertainment and art galleries throughout the year. Tucked on North Main Street between downtown and the Stockyards in its original location, a green marquee with the signature red rose has “Bienvenidos” — welcome in Spanish — written out. Executive director William Giron says there’s a misconception that the theater is only for the Latin American community, and everyone is welcome at Artes de la Rosa.

At Artes Academy, 100% of the students receive scholarships with 98% of them receiving full scholarships. Many of the academy students come from Title I schools, single-parent homes or have parents working multiple jobs. William said that families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and paying tuition for art programs.

Artes de la Rosa production of Las Soldaderas and Vinyl Dreams.

William describes how Artes de la Rosa takes a holistic approach to community engagement and has worked with food banks, back-to-school drives, toy drives and federal programs to distribute protective gear throughout the pandemic. Like the domino effect, if the basic needs of the students aren’t met, they aren’t able to participate in the arts, William says.

“We’re all artists because all of us have stories,” William says. “We have our own stories, and how we convey our stories is through different ways of expressing ourselves.”

Sara encourages her students, whom she calls “artivists,” to use art as a means to tackle important issues, from family and culture to climate change. Recently, Artes de la Rosa teamed up with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Each month, the academy students are taken through a different program that highlights a different artistic perspective, including Hispanic Heritage month, Black history month and women’s history month. In July, the students took a trip to the museum — many for the first time.

“A lot of our students here that take classes never ever stepped foot into any of the museums. So, it’s really important that we’re able to bring that to them,” Sara says. “So we’re able to [say], “Don’t forget you belong in there as well.”

We have our own stories, and how we convey our stories is through different ways of expressing ourselves.”

– WILLIAM GIRON, executive director

Marine theater.

5 1

3 2

7 6 4

8

ACROSS

3 Grasshoppers

5 Kristen’s therapy

7 Sara encourages her students to use art as a means to tackle important issues, from family and culture to climate change.

8 The practice of growing more than one crop species in the same space.

9 Everyone wants to save the earth but not help mom with this chore.

11 What Danika calls her experience.

9

SCAN THE QR CODE for answers to the crossword puzzle.

11 10

DOWN

1 Let these predatory worms give you a mercury facial.

2 DJ K-Sprinkles

3 These strong, determined female leaders, who strive to better .

4 Agriculturalists who founded one of Fort Worth’s first urban farms after her father suffered from heart disease.

6 The trends toward body positivity in modern culture is .

10 Lizzie chucked it into the hills of the Tuscan countryside.

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