36th Annual Conference
Arts, Education, and Activism: Transformation for Social Change
Mexico City, Mexico — March 12-15, 2025
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In addition to the conference schedule on this page, you can also download a PDF suitable for viewing offline.
Conference Activities and Sessions
Our 36th Annual Conference, Arts, Education, and Activism: Transformation for Social Change, took place March 12-15, 2025, in Mexico City. AAPLAC is grateful to our host organization, ConArte, and to co-sponsors Natik and BYU Kennedy Center for their support of the conference.
*All times are shown in Mexico City time (same as US Central Standard Time, CST).
| Wednesday, March 12 | |
| 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM | Registration |
| 12:30 - 5:15 PM | Far from the Comfort Zone: 3 Mini Arts Workshops (optional) ConArte This 3-part workshop by our hosts ConArte showcases transformative methodologies to reduce violence and implement creative peacebuilding tools. Participants will engage in embodied expressions and movements, as well as voice and musical creation, to foster spaces of coexistence, harmony, camaraderie, empathy and respect. Download detailed description. The fee for this optional activity is $35. |
| 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Keynote Address Dr. Lucina Jiménez |
| 7:30 - 9:00 PM | Welcome Reception |
| Thursday, March 13 | |
| 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM | Registration |
| 9:00 - 9:30 AM | Conference Opening and Welcome |
| 9:30 - 10:30 AM | Session I: Bridging the Gap: Empowering Underrepresented Students in Study Abroad through Arts and Activism in Brazil Annie Gibson, Tulane University Carolina Timoteo de Oliveira, Tulane University Melissa Hernandéz, Tulane University Carolyn Barber-Pierre, Tulane University |
| 10:30 - 10:40 AM | Coffee Break |
| 10:40 - 11:55 AM | Session 2: Fostering Ethical Community Engagement Moderator: Rebecca Smith, Saint Joseph's University Art for the Earth: Publishing for Climate Justice Marley Stuart, EcoStudio Foundation / River Glass Books Local Connections: Enhancing Internships and Academic Programs through Collaborative Partnerships in Latin America Deborah Karen Colvin, Natik Esperanza Beyond Service Learning: The Difficult Work of Connecting Students with Grassroots Organizations Stuart Schussler, University of Waterloo Migrant Shelter Pedagogy: Understanding Pedagogies, Learning, Teaching and Praxis at Spaces That Aid Migrants in Sonora, Mexico Juanita Sandoval, University of Arizona Peace and Love or Drugs and Death Haydn Tiago de Azevedo Mafra Jones, Campbell University |
| 11:55 AM - 12:10 PM | Coffee Break |
| 12:10 - 1:10 PM | Session 3: Participación y reflexión sobre la relación entre arte y activismo desde el quehacer académico Moderator: Rocío Ruiz Lagier Artivismos feministas en América Latina por la memoria y por la no violencia contra las mujeres Gemma Leticia Sánchez Juárez, Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS), México El arte como bálsamo. Acompañamiento psicosocial a familias buscadoras de personas desaparecidas Cristina López, Dancer, Student, and Advocate El caso de los murales de personas desaparecidas en la CDMX Adriana Chávez Hernández, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa El estudio de las intervenciones en el espacio público. Una experiencia de acompañamiento Rocío Ruiz Lagier, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa |
| 1:10 - 2:30 PM | Lunch on your own |
| 2:30 - 3:45 PM | Session 4: Art, Identity, and Resistance Moderator: Annie Gibson, Tulane University Embodying the Creative: Queer in Brazil Jacqueline Amezcua, Tulane University The Centro Urbano Presidente Alemán: Latin America's First "Multifamiliar" Government Housing, A Unique Example of Cultural Unity, Architecture, and Sustainable Urbanism Merin McDivitt, Bennington College Maria Anna of Austria: Queen Consort by Chance, Patron of the Arts by Choice Cristian Gabriel Toro Meza, Tulane University Indigenous/Non-Indigenous Intercultural Collaborations Following the P'urhépecha Ethos of Mutual Support / Colaboraciones interculturales indígenas/no indígenas siguiendo el ethos p'urhépecha de apoyo mutuo Jan Hanvik, Crossing Bridges LLC (US) Desde una casa menonita: procesos de empoderamiento femenil y activismo social (virtual) Patricia Islas Salinas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez Justina Dyck Janzen, Instituto de Capacitación para el Trabajo del Estado de Chihuahua |
| 3:45 - 3:55 PM | Coffee Break |
| 3:55 - 4:55 PM | Session 5: Experiential Learning through a Social Change Lens in Short-Term Programming Della Burke, ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara Andrea Sánchez Galván, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de Mexico Ricardo García Ceceña, ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara |
| 4:55 - 5:00 PM | Break |
| 5:00 - 6:00 PM | Session 6: Promoviendo la comprensión intercultural: Experiencias de un seminario con estudiantes y académicos de diferentes nacionalidades Abel Rubén Hernández Ulloa, Universidad de Guanajuato Todd Fletcher, Universidad de Guanajuato Dania Abigail Acosta Ramírez, Universidad de Guanajuato Alexis Chagollan Carretero, Universidad de Guanajuato |
| Friday, March 14 | |
| 9:00 - 10:15 AM | Session 7: Learning through the Arts Moderator: Jacqui Amezcua Pathways to Equitable Teaching Practices of Hope and Social Justice-Affirming Student Identities and Academic Voice Using Expressive Arts and Daily Culturally Responsive Teaching Methods Kevan A Kiser-Chuc, PhD, Tucson Unified School District Learning from the Process: Developing Communities of Practice through Arts-Based Inquiry in Teacher Education Ekaterina "Katya" Koubek, James Madison University Aaron Bodle, James Madison University Shin Ji Kang, James Madison University Melanie Shoffner, James Madison University Dance as a Catalyst for Cultural Connection: A University Dance Education Field Study in Costa Rica Karen D. Jensen, Brigham Young University Diana Córdoba Pérez, Educator, Instructional Designer How Local Artivists Can Inspire Global Student Artivism Ann Lutterman-Aguilar, Augsburg University Center for Global Education and Experience |
| 10:15 - 10:25 AM | Coffee Break |
| 10:25 - 11:25 AM | Session 8: Transformative Change Initiative: Honoring and Supporting BIPOC Teaching Artists Jenny James, Young Audiences of Louisiana Renee Benson, Young Audiences of Louisiana Sallay Shameka Grey, Young Audiences of Louisiana |
| 11:25 - 11:30 AM | Break |
| 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM | Session 9: Emerging Voices Poster Session sponsored by the BYU David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies Narrative Storytelling Videos: A Catalyst for Reflection and Cultural Understanding Abroad Mali Weitzman, Tulane University Olivia Shackelford, Tulane University Incorporating Spanish Language Instruction into Short-Term Faculty-Led Programming in Latin America and the Caribbean: Student Outcomes and Benefits Max Courval, University of Utah Jordan Lopez, University of Utah La Danza Folklorica como herramienta para formentar la educacion cultural en ninos y jovenes Aileen I. Villalba, Brigham Young University Community Engaged Research with ONG Oro Negro: Lessons on Intercultural Exchange Jennifer Xiomara Herrera Cano, Tulane University Tejano Music: Constructing Alternative Feminine Subjectivities Dakota Shelton, Tulane University Coloring in the Dots on a Map: Art Creating Tangibility for Global Citizens, Not Abstraction Keona Patel, Tulane University Music as a Tool for Teaching/Learning K'iche'-Maya and Connecting with the K'iche'-Maya Community Malcolm Miguel Botto Hortal, Brigham Young University / Tulane University Open Borders, Closed Opportunities: The Paradox of Immigration Policy and Socioeconomic Integration for Venezuelan Migrants in Ecuador Anna Francesca Hobbins, Tulane University Luke Volpe, Tulane University |
| 12:15 - 2:00 PM | Lunch on your own 12:30-1:30 PM AAPLAC Board Meeting |
| 2:00 - 3:15 PM | Session 10: Curriculum Design, Pedagogical Communities, and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Moderator: Cyntoya McCall Linguistic Apartheid: A Testimonio of Immigration and the Dynamics of Schooling Socialization along the Community College Pathway Kevan A Kiser-Chuc, PhD, Tucson Unified School District Jesus Jaime-Diaz, PhD, University of Arizona At the Intersection of Interculturality and Criticality: Strategies to Help Students Engage in Complex Social Issues in Ecuador Steven Gardner, Illinois College Building a Collective to Support Atlanta Teachers in Policy Advocacy and Critical Pedagogy Nadia Behizadeh, Georgia State University Empowering Student Agency in STEAM through Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Jorge Hernandez Cervantes, Georgia Institute of Technology Nisa Floyd, Georgia State University Michael Turner, Georgia Institute of Technology Diversidad pedagógica y cultural: contraste entre enfoques tradicionales y críticos en las aulas de México, EE.UU. y Francia Marco Antonio Sierra Quezada, Universidad de Guanajuato Karol Naomi Díaz Rodríguez, Universidad de Guanajuato |
| 3:15 - 3:25 PM | Coffee Break |
| 3:25 - 4:25 PM | Session 11: Intercultural Visual Fluency, Art, and Social Culture: The Transformative Power of Global Learning Moderator: Stephanie Athey The Codex Behind the Comix: Mesoamerican Roots and Contemporary Pop Culture Stephanie Athey, Lasell University How to Read a Wall Mural: Artist, Activist, and Art Historian Cynthia Becker, Boston University Haiti – Nation and Migration: Haitian Art and Identity Amy Bracken, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Collaborative Mural and Quilt-Making: A Response to Black Horror Charlotte Frazier, Lasell University |
| 4:25 - 4:30 PM | Break |
| 4:30 - 5:15 PM | Session 12: Sostenibilidad y Movilidad Académica: Innovación, Mitigación y Acción Climática Daniel Ponce-Taylor, Intercultural Outreach Initiative (IOI) Karina Ruiz, Tecnológico de Monterrey Sebastián Ferndandes, Fixterra |
| 5:15 - 6:00 PM | Business Meeting and Conference Closing All conference attendees have voting rights |
| 7:30 PM | Transportation to Maiz de Cacao Lobby of the Hotel Ritz |
| 8:00 - 10:00 PM | Conference Dinner Maiz de Cacao Córdoba 148, Roma Nte., Cuauhtémoc, 06700 |
| Saturday, March 15 | |
| 9:00 - 10:00 AM | Travel to Comunidad Nueva (optional) C. Lerdo, Guerrero, Cuauhtémoc, 06300 Estimated time between Hotel Ritz and Comunidad Nueva |
| 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM | Walking Tour: La Guerrero Through Its Arts Spaces (optional) This four-hour walking tour presents a view of Mexico City's central neighborhoods through its grassroots arts spaces. We will visit community centers, reclaimed historic sites, and museums to experience how their work has been shaped by and shaped the surrounding communities. The fee for this optional activity is $15, which includes refreshments and a meal at the final stop. |
Register Now
Register now for AAPLAC 2026 in Cuenca. You'll find conference registration fees and costs for optional activities here as well.
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