Buffalo Literature: Los Artistas del Barrio has started monthly third-Thursday series

By Yamilla M. Tate

Last month, Los Artistas del Barrio Buffalo begun a new poetry open mic series in El Museo in Buffalo’s Allentown. The series, which debuted last month, returns on Thursday night for its second edition.

It will be hosted every third Thursday of the month and it’s currently Buffalo’s only announced bilingual open mic.

The LADB Buffalo is a collective of Latino/a/e/x artists  in Buffalo. LADB are in partnership with Asbury Arts Center alongside these groups: Buffalo Chamber Players, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, Buffalo String Works, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, and Starlight Studios and Art Gallery.

This writer spoke with the two hosts for the open mic, Julio Montalvo Valentin and Dr. Michele Agosto.

Julio Montalvo Valentin: Spaces as “Cultural Baptism”

Julio Montalvo Valentin and I met at Original Tea House in Downtown, Buffalo. The conversation that ensued was one of reflections of what Buffalo’s art communities have been like throughout the years, the importance of seeing oneself in spaces while still being welcoming to those outside of one’s immediate community, the realities of tokenization for artists of marginalized communities, how LADB have and continue to respond to these themes, and how they intend to continue to do so.

LADB was founded 10 years ago. Montalvo describes it as a collective that seeks to find spaces for Latine/a/o/x artists, and if not, occupy a space. He brings attention to the fact that there is a conglomerate of Latine/a/o/x artists in WNY that needs to be acknowledged. As a result, LADB was formed to provide spaces for the acknowledgment of Latine/a/o/x artistic contributions and to provide community for those artists.

Montalvo himself is a testament to the work LADB is committed to. He described the profound impact his first LADB event made in his life. “Cultural baptism” was the term he used to describe the feeling of arriving to a space filled with artists and audience members that shared his cultural background. Their expression was the purpose, not the tokenization of the heritage they were so proud of. This moment occurred for the organization’s second anniversary and Montalvo has been involved since.

The new LADB poetry open mic is a further display of that mission. Despite the initial launch date being pushed back by two weeks, the first open mic was full and curated a space where experienced and new poets felt safe to express and celebrate. El Museo was vibrant with the cheers of cultural pride, celebration, resistance and joy. Poetry was delivered in both English and Spanish. The night was cold, but the warmth of the venue could be felt through the laughter, the applause, the smiles and genuine conversations before, during and after the open mic.

The open mic furthers the collective’s desire to create spaces for the appreciation and celebration of latine culture while striving to be a place of unity and invitation across communities. It is spaces like this that combat erasure.

When asked where he sees the open mic going, Montalvo said he plans to begin printing a zine where the works performed and/or shared at the open mic are published and preserved.

You can listen to the full conversation here:

Dr. Michele Agosto: En la cocina de abuela

I met with Dr. Michele Agosto at Mokha Reserve on Hertel Ave. The setting brought back memories of conversations with an abuela, speaking through the clatter of coffee prep. Though she was asked the same questions as Julio Montalvo Valentin, she provided a different perspective and observations concerning LADB and the open mic.

Agosto is a founding member of LADB. She said it was formed as a response to a lack of Latine/a/o/x artistic spaces. Agosto described the first event as an exhibition of her and her friends’/co-founders’ art. She retold the moment she realized the event was beginning to fill with people outside of the Latine/a/o/x community and how she felt when she noticed there was a genuine want for authentic engagement with their art, a desire from within and from outside of their community.

The conversation led to a discussion on the desire to desegregate Buffalo’s clearly drawn cultural lines. This is a desire I’ve heard various local artists express. There is a desire for unity and for authentic expression. To be able to live authentically proud of one’s roots while welcoming others to enjoy what you are proud of.

Agosto described El Museo’s relationship to LADB as a partnership. Agosto said El Museo was initially a gallery interested in the showcasing of Latine/a/o/x arts, but as time passed, they expanded their vision to showcase artists across marginalized communities. Today, though they proudly showcase a variety of communities, they honor their roots through partnerships like the one they maintain with LADB.

Agosto approaches the poetry open mic’s function from the perspective of an educator. When she thinks about what the open mic seeks to accomplish and what it can contribute to the future, she envisions a space where new poets can come and be received by a welcoming community and culture. Her wishes are for the space to be a place for mentorship, for care, a place where the new generation of poets will go on to mentor the next.

You can listen to our full conversation here! Pardon the background sounds. Imagine you’re in abuela’s kitchen!

Final stanza

It was a pleasure speaking with the LADB poetry open mic hosts. Conversations with the open mic hosts put much into perspective concerning the things the people in our community are wanting and feel like they’re missing. It was inspiring to see how this collective works hard every year to combat erasure and to create spaces that annul the possibility for tokenization through genuine celebration and engagement.

LADB demonstrates it’s possible to showcase pride in your culture and the contributions of your community while still being welcoming and warm to those outside of your culture/community. This is how we generate the possibilities for appreciation instead of tokenization.

The development of this poetry open mic is a showcase of this possibility. The first open mic of the series clearly set up the goals that both Valentin and Dr. Agosto expressed. The night was filled with the warmth of community and the “cultural baptism” Montalvo experienced was everything that was being offered to the many young poets who shared the stage with the experienced poets who were overjoyed to meet them.

The third Thursday open mic is at El Museo, 91 Allen St. Ven y goza with them. Meet folks, feel the warmth of the barrio community, share your poetry, enjoy the food and engage with a community that receives with open arms.

Yamilla M. Tate is a Buffalo-based writer/poet.