Opening Party at TDAC Friday spices up 5-week Hispanic Celebration

Home Page

Aug 19

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Aug. 19, 2025 — The Dalles Art Center will launch a five-week celebration of Hispanic heritage Friday with Raíces, an inaugural exhibit and outdoor opening party designed to spotlight Latino/a/e/x culture through art, movement and tradition.

The free exhibit kicks off with an outdoor party on Friday, Aug. 22 and events run through Sept. 27 with pairings of gallery work and hands-on classes, dance nights and family activities.

Co-curated by local photographer and Community Arts Committee member Paloma Ayala, Raíces (“roots”) assembles traditional garments, ceramics, expressive painting, modern textile art and cultural artifacts from artists with ties to the Columbia River Gorge and beyond. Student pieces from the Migrant Education summer program — including handmade papel picado — will appear alongside works by regional artists.

“This is more than an art show—it’s a celebration of culture, identity, and heritage that brings together voices across generations,” said Ellen Potter, executive director of The Dalles Art Center. “We are honored to share this experience with our community.”

Deputy Director Emily Whitfield said the event is shaping up to be unlike anything the art center has hosted before.

“It is going to be super big — it’s a great community event,” Whitfield said. “There will be a ton of different foods, games, and prizes. It’s really about bringing people together to meet their neighbors, enjoy culture and have fun.”

The opening night street celebration on Aug. 22 at TDAC - corner of Washington and Fourth streets - will feature live music by Los Renegados, a performance by local Hispanic Dancing Horses, food vendors serving tamales and empanadas, wine from Tierra De Lobos, cultural booths and children’s activities.

Whitfield said organizers are planning traditional games such as mar y tierra — a lively hopping game of land and sea — alongside other contests designed to encourage interaction and connection. Please let us know if you are coming by clicking here and RSVP

Whitfield added that the exhibit reflects untapped stories and skills within the Gorge that often go unnoticed.

Adolfo Mollinedo of Tierra De Lobos Winery

“As strange as it sounds, I think there’s an untapped resource here in the Gorge,” she said. “There is so much culture that people don’t know about — Native American, European, Hispanic — all with different experiences and skills. I think it’s never too late to meet your neighbors.”

Beyond the opening, weekly themed programming will extend the celebration. Events include salsa-making, youth and adult dance sessions, ceramics workshops in English and Spanish, linocut printmaking classes, and author readings. Organizers expect hundreds of people to pass through the gallery and outdoor events over the course of the exhibit.

For Whitfield, who grew up in The Dalles, the project also carries personal meaning. She recalled the influence of Hispanic friends, her years living in Mexico City, and the deep sense of community she found there.

“Mexico City was the first place I understood how you can live your whole life in a single neighborhood without ever leaving — because you have everything you need right there,” she said. “That sense of culture and connection is what we hope to share here.”

Key dates and programs