MEZTLI PROJECTS

Meztli Projects supports the creative development of Native and Indigenous artists.

We were founded with the intent to address the severe lack of artistic opportunities for Native and Indigenous Artists as-well-as systems-impacted youth living and creating in Los Angeles County (Tovaangar). This work takes shape in several forms such as for-hire opportunities, advocating for truly equitable resources such as but not limited to funding and culturally authentic (not just relevant) programming, and training future and emerging cultural workers. 

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Artist Information

Rihanna Barrera

rihannabarrera27@gmail.com

@theworldisyayas


Rihanna Barrera is a Chicana mixed-media artist born and raised in Los Angeles. She is also an emerging art director and curator pursuing a degree in art at Cal State University, Los Angeles. She focuses on transforming the pain from her community into power and pride through art. Her art is heavily inspired by her upbringing in South Central and East LA, as well as Chicano culture, including the Lowrider Community and LA’s Graffiti styles.

She works primarily in sculpture, painting, stained glass, ceramics, and photography. When asked about her work, she explained, “I don't make art to profit off struggle or to glamorize the issues my community faces. I strive to empower, reflect, and document real experiences—my own and those of my family and neighborhood. I know people outside my community might feel uncomfortable or not understand my work, but what I hope is that for anyone who sees their own story in mine, they feel proud of their community.” Her art is raw, thoughtful, and with an observant but nuanced perspective. “My work is grounded in real experiences and real life. The message I hope my art conveys is: this is where I come from, this is what I’ve seen, and this is what I’ve made of it.”



Barrera says her sculpture El Castillo, which is her representation of the pink apartment complex where she grew up and  reflects much of her community. She shares that the piece is an homage to her upbringing in South Los Angeles, her family, and childhood inspirations that influence the artist she is today. Barrera writes “[f]rom graffiti to street murals, I have learned to appreciate this expressive art form, which is evident in my work style. This building was a doorway to the realities of the world, but also a refuge from it.”

El Castillo was exhibited during Meztli Projects’ exhibition Waning Crescent at OXY ARTS located at 4757 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90042 (June 12 to July 19, 2025).

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More Art




INDEX            ARTISTS           EXHIBITION


Exhibition Photos by Miranda Aquino and OXY Arts 

                                                                                                                                             


Waning Crescent, a meztli projects group show        

This group show celebrates the journey of meztli projects in supporting Native and Indigenous artists. The exhibition features works created between 2024 and today by artists engaged in their collaborative ecosystem. These pieces signify a new phase for the artists, showcasing growth into new creative realms. For instance, River Garza and Emilia Cruz have evolved toward sculptural work, Kimberly Robertson's intricate beadwork creations into large beaded tapestries, and Kenneth Lopez's documentary photography blended into woven visions.

Meztli is the Nahuatl word for "moon." For this collective, the moon and its phases symbolize their approach to cultivating relationships with young Indigenous artists, culture bearers, and the general public. Taking time to reflect on important values such as stewardship, the meaning of reindigenizing spaces and technologies, and the deep connection between ceremony and artmaking. Their work mirrors the changing seasons and is responsive to the moment.

A waning crescent represents the small sliver of the moon visible just before it enters the New Moon phase. This exhibition symbolizes what comes next for meztli projects and highlights their partnership with OXY ARTS, which has hosted various creative efforts and exemplifies a nurturing, reciprocal relationship for Indigenous artists and institutional spaces.







Exhibition Photos by Miranda Aquino and OXY Arts 


                                               


What We Leave, What We Keep, 2025 by Cj Calica

I photograph people in the spaces where they feel most like themselves like their bedrooms, studios, living rooms, anywhere they call home. These spaces tell stories. They hold the messiness, the comfort, the quiet moments that often go unnoticed but mean everything.

Growing up, my room was my sanctuary. It was the one place I felt grounded. But after moving during high school and again in college, that sense of home started shifting, from my childhood bedroom to a dorm room, to a small apartment in Koreatown. And when the Eaton and Palisades fires hit, it made me think deeply about how fragile and important these spaces are. I realized how easy it is to take them for granted.

This project is about honoring those personal spaces and the people in them and just as they are right now. I use a Sony A7iii with a Sigma 24-70mm lens and a Flashpoint eVOLV 200 Pro flash, keeping lighting true to how my subjects actually live in their spaces. I want these images to serve as a time capsule, a way of holding onto something we’re always growing out of. Because we don’t live very long, and our spaces change, but in them, we find pieces of ourselves.





Opening Night
Exhibtion Photos by Miranda Aquino

                                                                                         
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