I interviewed Telissa Molano, co-founder of the Laredo Cultural District (LCD). The Texas Commission on the Arts officially designated the LCD as the 50th cultural district in Texas in 2021.
Since its beginnings, LCD has tracked an impressive, inclusive, doors-wide open home for the arts at historic Casa Ortiz. Events there include exhibits, orchestra and chorale events by Laredo and Nuevo Laredo performers, screenings of classic Mexican films, cultural commemorations of important days in Mexican history, vendor markets, art and culinary workshops, and workshops for writers and poets.
Casa Ortiz is the starting point for Caminarte, the art walk on the evening of the first Friday of the month.
Jorge Santana (JS): What is the Laredo Cultural District?
Telissa Molano (TM): It is a gathering place — a mix of culture, heritage, and everyday joy woven into the fabric of our city. It gives you places to walk, celebrate, learn, and feel proud of where you live.
To the artist, it is a place that supports your work, showcases your talent, and connects you with opportunities, collaborators, and audiences. It’s a community that believes in what you create and wants you to thrive here.
To the visitor, it is an invitation to experience the real Laredo through its history, its creativity, its people. It’s where you can walk, explore, hear music, see art, and feel the character of the city in a way you cannot from your car.
To the entrepreneur, it is an economic engine that creates more foot traffic, more visibility, and a more vibrant environment for customers. A lively arts community makes downtown safer, busier, and more appealing for investment, dining, retail, and entrepreneurship.
JS: What is Caminarte; who is part of it, and who can join?
TM: Caminarte is our monthly arts walk, an in-person celebration where artists, performers, makers, and the community come together to activate the historic downtown streets with creativity. It’s less an event and more a ritual of cultural energy from gallery openings, live music, artisan vendors, food, performances, film screenings, and the spontaneous encounters that only happen when people gather around art.
Anyone can join — artists, performers, vendors, cultural groups, and community members are all invited to participate and shape the experience. Anyone and everyone can experience it in person.
JS: When did Casa Ortiz become a part of LCD?
TM: In Spring 2021 historic Casa Ortiz, which is owned by Webb County, was leased to the Laredo Cultural District. From that moment, LCD gained a place for exhibitions, events, cultural programming, community-driven art, and heritage activities under the LCD’s stewardship.
JS: What is your vision of LCD?
TM: It is both a responsibility and a part of who I have become. It’s a place where we can collectively nurture the creative heartbeat of the community I have come to love. It honors those who built Laredo, those who were born here, and those who now choose to make it home. It’s where I feel most connected to a place where I once was an outsider. Being part of the LCD gives me the chance to build something lasting, to open doors for others, and to champion the voices and talents that this community has built.
JS: What do you see for Caminarte in the future?
TM: I imagine it growing into something even more alive and expansive. I see it stretching across more of downtown, with new venues, arts-focused shops, curated markets, and restaurants spilling out into the streets. I picture live music drifting from the San Agustín bandstand or the balcony of the Tack Room, creating this unforgettable backdrop as thousands (not just hundreds) come out each month to experience. Caminarte becomes the spark that carries into Second Saturday afternoons and Third Thursday evenings, turning downtown into a steady, ongoing celebration of art, culture, and community. It’s the kind of rhythm we would all love to see Laredo grow into.
JS: Where do you see Casa Ortiz in the future, and what is LCD doing to protect this historic landmark?
TM: I see Casa Ortiz becoming an even stronger cultural anchor as a fully activated district where art, heritage, education, and community life happen daily. We see exhibitions, outdoor gatherings, workshops, film nights, and partnerships that bring continued visibility to our border culture. Alongside other venues, Casa Ortiz can help create a powerful cultural constellation downtown.
LCD is committed to protecting Casa Ortiz by keeping it open and preserving its history. We bring in fresh creative energy through ongoing programming, historic restoration, strong partnerships, and continued advocacy for funding.
JS: The art scene in Laredo is growing. What does it need to go beyond?
TM: You can sense its growth in every Caminarte for the past four years. To truly go beyond, our community needs sustained support including more creative spaces, more funding, more visibility, and more opportunities for artists to thrive here.
We envision a Laredo in which art is continually woven into the everyday fabric of the city. With deeper investment, stronger collaboration, and continued belief in our local talent, Laredo’s arts community can evolve into something even more powerful.
JS: Why is art important in a city like Laredo?
TM: It helps us see ourselves through our identity, history, struggles, and beauty. This is a city that began as an outpost on the frontier, lived under seven flags, and evolved into the nation’s busiest land port as a powerhouse of trade and commerce. We have to give people the opportunity to stay and enjoy, not to just drive through.
Government investment in the arts matters because it’s an investment in everyday quality of life. For someone living day-to-day, it’s not always about big museums or fancy events. It starts with having places where your kids can dance or draw, where you feel safe and welcome, where you can see your culture reflected back to you, and where you can enjoy something beautiful without spending a dollar. When our city supports the arts, it supports its people.
JS: Retail is leaving downtown. Do you see art venues as a replacement?
TM: To make downtown truly sustainable and viable, we need to layer in more than just the arts. We need a full ecosystem of uses that support one another. Arts and culture can be the spark, but they thrive best when paired with housing for all ages, cafes, boutiques, education partnerships, and creative industries that bring people downtown throughout the day and into the evening. It’s not enough to talk about solutions or rely on brain power alone. At some point, we all have to roll up our sleeves and commit to the work ourselves.
Coming from Kansas City along this same I-35 corridor (another city with a sister-city relationship), I saw firsthand how revitalization depends on people choosing to remain vigilant, invested, and present in the hearts of their communities. When we combine arts, community, and intentional reinvestment, historic districts like ours gain new purpose, momentum, and long-term investment.
JS: What do you love about Laredo, and what are its challenges?
TM: I love Laredo’s authenticity and how history, culture, and people blend so naturally; our borderland identity; the mix of languages and stories; our resilience; and the creative energy here. People can be passionately critical of Laredo, but there’s also a deep, unwavering love for this place.
We have challenges. The arts, preservation, and public spaces are underfunded. We’re often seen as “just a port,” though we’re much more. Downtown is still figuring out its next chapter, and creative talent sometimes feels it has to leave to grow. Our responsibility is to close the gap between Laredo’s potential and what people actually experience. Our cultural identity needs to stand alongside our economic strength.
If all you see in a city is the same malls and chain restaurants you find off the highway, how do you tell it apart?
All 95 blocks of downtown tells that story.
Downtown struggled when retail moved north, cross-border tourism slowed, and investment followed the suburbs. Revitalizing it is complex with aging buildings, hundreds of owners, and no single department charged with its future. Revitalization is a long-term commitment, coordination, and resources that have recently gone to trade and infrastructure. Arts and culture are often been seen as optional, though they are what give a city its soul.
We can shift that mindset. Downtown can come back through intentional investment in the arts, preservation, and a shared vision that outlives any single project or administration. We’re not missing talent. It is alignment. When everyone moves in the same direction, real transformation begins. That’s where the Cultural District comes in. We’re here to connect the dots, support the organizations already doing incredible work, and keep the momentum moving upward.
(Jorge Santana is a writer and an advocate for culture and the arts in all their iterations in Laredo and Nuevo Laredo.)
