Miguel Cortines
Casa Mexico founder talks about fostering artists and sharing Latin American arts and culture.
A business leader, entrepreneur and community-builder, Casa Mexico founder and president Miguel Cortines created the organization in 2009 to provide a platform for sharing and promoting Mexican arts and culture.
“I think there is a strong connection between Canada and Alberta and Mexico,” he says. “We bring a little piece of Mexico here. There are a lot of aspects that we can share about our people, about our culture, about all the talent that we have in the community — this is something that I feel very, very proud of, of the work that we do. There are performances, there are dancers, there are speakers, there are poets… altogether we create a mosaic of opportunities and it’s very powerful when you see it all together…. It’s an explosion of this mosaic of talent.”
Cortines says one of the goals of Casa Mexico is to have an active cultural centre that is representative of all Latin American communities. “With the Latin American Arts & Culture festival we organize, we are learning… we are very similar in many aspects, but in other aspects we are very unique. It’s very nice to learn about how different we are, but also what are the similarities that we have as a community.”
Casa Mexico is currently working hard on the production of its upcoming event for Dia de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, at Arts Commons on Sunday, October 30, 2022. Cortines and Casa Mexico want to welcome the Calgary community to this joyful celebration and hope it will grow in the years to come.
Listen to this week’s podcast to hear more about Miguel Cortines’ aspirations for Casa Mexico, its collaborations in promoting Latin American culture and the upcoming celebrations for Dia de Muertos.
About The Storytelling Podcast
Sharing diverse stories of creativity in our city, The Storytelling Podcast shines a spotlight on artists and projects that connect Calgarians to the arts. Part of The Storytelling Project, this series raises awareness about Calgarians who, by living creative lives, are making Calgary a better city, affecting positive change and enriching others’ lives.
Have a story to share? Email us at submissions@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
