Guichelaar Gallery

July 12-21

Opening reception July 12, 6: 9:30pm

“On this patriotic month help us spotlight the hidden American. Escondidos y Americanos (Hidden and American) is a space for artwork that challenges the colonial notion of the average US American. This exhibition aims to give first and second-generation immigrant Latino-Americans and all-generation Indigenous Americans their flowers. We recognize these communities as the foundation of this nation; we also acknowledge their creativity and cultural excellence in the contemporary and fine arts world. Join us in celebrating the artists and artwork that reveal the once-hidden American. May we never have to hide again.”—Curators Alejandra Carrillo and Leyda Melgar

About the curators

Leyda Melgar is Salvadoran-American artist and educator in Indianapolis. Her work centers themes of her mental health, experiences of assimilation, and her personality through sculptural and mixed-media works. She attended Herron School of Art and Design in which she graduated with a Bachelors of Art Education in 2022. Becoming a teacher, Leyda wanted to keep her artistic roots and continue to grow as an artist in the Indianapolis community. She recently completed the Latino Artist Mentorship Program in Indianapolis by participating in a group exhibition at Newfields. She is currently working towards developing a body of work and currently works as a high school digital art teacher.

Alejandra Carrillo is an Indy-based Chicana artist and muralist known for her multidisciplinary work focusing on the Mexican-American experience in the Midwest. Her printmaking work conveys narratives of displacement, decolonization, and activism. Carrillo aims to bridge together the imagery and stories of historical Mexican heritage, the contemporary Chicano experience, and the challenges undocumented Latine communities face in America today.Carrillo earned a double bachelor’s degree in Printmaking and Art Education from Indiana University in Indianapolis in 2023 and is now a multidisciplinary printmaking instructor at the Indy Art Center. Her work has been showcased locally, through Arte Mexicano en Indiana’s community events. Nationally, she has received juried show awards from the 2023 El Paso’s Print Pachanga, Once: Emerging Artist Exhibition at Cleve Carney Museum of Art, and the 2023 Manhattan Graphics Center National Print Exhibition.