Our Mellon Foundation grant is an invite only grant. It means a small group of people took the time to truly see what is happening here. They spent months traveling through different communities, speaking with artists and nonprofits, walking the streets, listening to stories, and hearing needs firsthand.
We are deeply grateful to their team of culture warriors who made the effort to seek out communities, especially along the border, doing meaningful work often with limited resources. That level of attention is generosity in itself. The funding was intentionally structured so that the Laredo Cultural District, Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo Film Society, and Daphne Art Foundation all stand on equal ground.
By building a framework rooted in collaboration, the Laredo Cultural District made it possible for this grant to exist, not as a single award, but as a collective investment. Each organization receives support to strengthen its own work, with a separate portion set aside for a project we imagine and build together. We do not focus much on the exact dollar amount, but we can say it comes with a few zeros and, more importantly, with trust in how we collaborate, share responsibility, and move forward as a collective.
From the beginning, this work has been guided by a simple idea: community over competition. It is something I have carried with me for years, written in artwork by Ashley Tristán that has lived over my desk since the early days of forming the Cultural District. Two hands bound together by a ribbon that reads “Community over Competition.” It is black and white. It is simple. It is a steady reminder that none of this happens alone. What has always resonated with us about the Mellon Foundation is its belief that culture and the humanities are essential, not extras. That belief has guided decades of support for work that takes patience and care.
It mirrors our own story. None of this began when funding arrived. It began long before that, really centuries ago, in the creation of this place called Laredo. That spirit lives in Border Arts Rising, our effort to strengthen the Laredo Cultural Network. At its core, it is about working together, staying open to one another, and inviting ideas that bring more people to the table.
It is also about honoring the artists who have carried this work for years, donating artwork, sharing creativity freely, and continuing to give even when it required real sacrifice. For four years, this work has been powered almost entirely by volunteers. The Mellon grant allows the Laredo Cultural District, for the first time in five years, to support administration. That may not sound exciting, but it is transformative. It means the work no longer relies solely on goodwill and exhaustion. It means we can care for what has been built and help it grow in a healthier way.
Each organization has its own needs and ideas, but in the end it all comes back to growth and reach. I often think of a simple car sales analogy. You may need ten people to walk into a showroom to get five to take a test drive and one to make a purchase. Cultural work is no different. We have to invite thousands so that hundreds come experience Caminarte, a handful decide to participate, and maybe one chooses to volunteer or give back in a meaningful way.
That is how generosity begins. It grows from exposure, from feeling something firsthand, and from realizing you want to be part of making it happen. That is the story of rebuilding Caminarte step by step and growing committed volunteers you want to work alongside.
That same belief drives initiatives like partnering with Bethany House through “Streets to Studio,” opening their corner studio during Caminarte to showcase artwork created by members of our unhoused community. They expand who is seen, who is heard, and who feels welcome. They remind us that creativity exists everywhere, even in the most overlooked places, and that our role is simply to make room for it, open the doors to everyone and keep the lights focused on the creative energy.
As for our group project, we have ideas but are just pulling the chairs out to meet around the table and see what transpires. We’ll all have to wait for that.
(Architect and arts advocate Telissa Molano is a co-founder of the Laredo Cultural District, which in 2021 achieved official designation from the Texas Commission on the Arts.)
