Rose Cervantes is a Cuban creative committed to building community and deconstructing harmful stigmas. Her poetry and art centers on mental health, Latinx heritage, and the dualities of the human experience. Through her website, local publications, and poetry events, she illuminates taboo topics like family, identity, addiction, death, and sexuality. Rose is fueled by uplifting people who don’t fit inside
“the box” of dominant white culture and passionately creates vulnerable spaces where art encourages authenticity. Rose is the narrative lead for the Latinx equity collective Mi Gente Mi Pueblo where she plans community art events and practices empathetic listening. With her communication and teaching background, she uses a toolbox of storytelling techniques and research analysis to connect the arts with inclusive impact.
Steph Hargrove is a painter and installation artist engaged in social practice art. Steph collects community donations of items such as cereal boxes and junk mail to create interactive installations that raise money and awareness for social and environmental issues. Her work saves rainforests, feeds hungry families, provides arts education for orphans, and supports ocean conservancy. Steph spent two years as an artist in residence with Rick Lowe at Trans.lation Vickery Meadow in Dallas, Texas, and she has hosted annual art gatherings to fund arts education for Kenyan orphans since 2014.
