Hola Carolina

Inclusive Public Art Initiative

Hola Carolina, in Asheville, NC, received an Inclusive Public Art Initiative grant from ZSR.

The mission of Hola Carolina is to build bridges between cultures, embrace diversity and create more economically vibrant communities. Their vision is for immigrant communities and people of color to live in a just, multiracial society, free from oppression and exploitation, in which they can thrive with power and purpose. They are an immigrant-led organization that operates by and for the Latinx community. Hola Carolina, Centro Unido Latino Americana and UNIDXS Western North Carolina have worked together on various projects for years. 

Western North Carolina immigrant communities live in extreme geographic isolation, and together these partners leverage the power of collaboration by going beyond organizational boundaries, aligning complementary strengths and resources to achieve more. Their programs are based on the cultural challenges and strengths of a community as defined by its most precious resource, the people, and together their programs adapt and change to meet the most urgent community needs.

These partners believe that art can create change. The mission of the “Migration is Beautiful” public art project is to document, narrate and curate stories about Latinx immigrants, to promote empathy and advance an inclusive community. The project will address the ways that the Latinx community has shaped North Carolina and the ways they continue to do so today, including fighting for justice, and supporting fair labor practices, education access, immigration reform, criminal justice reform and LGBTQ+ rights, among other issues, while building community beyond ethnicity or nationality. They wish to create greater understanding regarding the myriad of reasons people emigrate from their home countries. While many Latinx immigrants arrive seeking work and opportunity, access to education and a better quality of life for future generations, some are fleeing war and violence. The story of the migration of the Latinx community has seldom been told in Western North Carolina. In this era of heightened tension around immigration issues, these partners celebrate the rich history and changing demographics of the South.

The partners plan to take a participatory approach to the creation of the artwork, working in collaboration with community members in a relationship-building process, fostering a sense of ownership, cultural pride and authentic representation. The result will be a 2,500-square-foot mural in Franklin, NC, created on a building that houses Vecinos, Inc., a nonprofit healthcare organization serving and advocating for Latinx farmworkers and uninsured adults with low income in Western North Carolina. They intend to create a work of art that fosters a spirit of welcome and inclusion for this important community, and a digital component of the project will further the access and reach of the artwork and stories.