Written by: D.A. Diaz
Friday night, it’s nearly midnight and I’m at home, relaxing. My wife is asleep, my children are at their mother’s so I will get to sleep in tomorrow morning at least until the dogs start scratching at the door for me to let them out. As I sit on my recliner watching season two of The Outer Range, a sudden thought pops into my head, The Potluck!
Over the past few years I have grown into a private and reserved person in most aspects of my life. As a school teacher I am surrounded by hundreds of people everyday, my classroom is very active. When I step out into the hallways I am immersed in a multitude of colors, scents, voices, and stories ,non-stop until I get home.
Home is where I find serenity, it’s the balance an introvert like myself needs to re energize for the day. However, in a week’s time a handful of people will enter my sanctuary for a potluck. The very thought of that creeped into my head as I continued watching Thanos try to keep his family together in a time travel western. The thought of hosting people is a bit anxiety inducing for someone like me. So why put myself through something like this? Simply put it is the same curiosity the Arts give you, that drive when you’re trying to create a new work of art. Only when creating something new do I embrace the unknown.The endless possibilities and outcomes entranced me, the uncertainty of what could be outweighed the anxiety.
It has been a few months since Frankie acted as our Nick Fury, recruiting myself and a few others to be part of his ARTvengers, an artist collective known as the Eagle Pass Digital Arts Society (EPDAS). Founded by himself, Mr. Fuentes, and a group of young creatives, the Eagle Pass Digital Arts Society found itself in a bit of a renaissance of its own and needed reformation and enlightenment.
Summer 2023, during the City of Eagle Pass’ Dog Days of Summer event, I found myself watching a documentary on Jessie Treviño produced by KLRN, at the city’s art and culture center. Frankie had put the viewing together to celebrate a local art teacher, Mr. Martinez, who had a brief cameo in the documentary. It was limited to photos of the guided tour he had scheduled with his students; where they traveled around San Antonio to see murals with Jessie Treviño.
Mr. Martinez had always done more for the Arts, and his students. In my youth I was lucky enough to be one of the students who experienced a trip organized by Mr. Martinez, it was a trip to Dallas, Texas. At the time the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York was under construction and had one of their wings exhibiting in Dallas. It was the first time I got to see artworks by Salvado Dali, Alberto Giocometti, and Matisse to name a few. It was an indescribable experience for a low income student who had rarely traveled out of his small town. In that overnight trip, I got to experience more of the world through art, than I would experience for the next ten years.
Mr. Martinez was, for many of us, a guiding light into the Arts. Even though Frankie and I had experienced Mr. Martinez at different times, he had successfully cultivated in us the curiosity needed to create. I had taken a chance to meet up with Frankie, and through that encounter we realized how much Mr. Martinez had impacted our lives. We spoke about doing the same for our students and we were eager to discuss how we could make this happen. We had enough people with skills, and we were standing in the middle of the City of Eagle Pass Arts and Culture Center. We were at the right place at the right time, except we weren’t. Immediately after the viewing of the documentary we were asked to leave as the location was going to be used as a staging area for a modeling show.
The mismanagement of the Arts and the artists has always plagued the city’s efforts in cultivating an artist community since its first “Art on Main Street” exhibit. In 2018, after years of being disappointed by the way the city ran their programming I decided to create a program by myself called the Art Trike, a mobile art class that serves elementary aged kids for free. I soon found that doing it by yourself is very difficult. The Art Trike had its successes, but I got to a point where I just didn’t have the time, energy, or resources to continue the program, I had to put a pause on it for the time being. Just as I was contemplating selling the trike Frankie contacted me about the viewing for the Jessie Treviño documentary. With encouragement from another local artist and art advocate, Santos Polendo (Nightowl Artworkz and Studio), I kept the trike going and joined EPDAS. I was slowly finding my people.
Six months later EPDAS has almost tripled in membership, supports a local art studio and 3 art classes, and has members with skills in traditional, digital, and performing arts. EPDAS members are actively engaged in Art Education, and Art Advocacy. The diversity of people and skills they bring in is encouraging. While we are still growing as an organization I am hopeful this group will create a community where we can share ideas, and help each out grow as artists. As the saying goes, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I repeat the quote once more and the thought of the potluck happening in a week goes away. The anxiety of having people in my home is silenced by the excitement of endless possibilities this group offers.
UPDATE:
The potluck last night went well. It was the first time we had met as a group outside of meetings, classes or events so we were all a bit awkward. We usually fall into a role within the organization, but tonight was just us as individuals. The first to arrive was one of our youngest adult members, so it was a grueling 5 minutes for us both as we tried our best to make conversation. The decade between us was only a slight obstacle though. We got through it and as people arrived the mood was calming. The breeze was refreshing as the sun said its goodbyes and the potluck got into its rhythm. The food, just like individuals in an organization, was diverse. Each dish brought its own palette of flavors to the meal, which if you aren’t ready for can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily I had told myself I was going to try every dish and enjoy it for what it is.
There was a moment in the middle of the night when I looked up from the grill. I could see everyone eating, drinking, and laughing as time slowed. It was one of those instances where the universe stands still for a second to allow you to capture the moment. It’s the universe telling you that an important event is occuring. It’s pleading with you not to miss it, begging you to see what it really is. I took it all in, and there I saw endless possibilities.
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