This Hispanic Heritage Month, Explore Asheville is celebrating Latino artists who infuse our mountain city with color, rhythm and new perspectives.
These painters, photographers, sculptors, musicians and storytellers are shaping Asheville’s deeply rooted, ever-evolving creative landscape. Step inside the studios and stories of seven artists bringing their heritage and creativity to Asheville.
Andreina Bates
Inside a sunlit studio in the River Arts District’s historic Wedge Building, Venezuelan-born painter Andreina Bates transforms loss and renewal into vibrant canvases. Inspired by her father’s Sumi-e brushwork and her mother’s decades championing Latin American art, Andreina’s work channels spontaneity and intention in equal measure. After relocating to Asheville in 2020 — and later navigating the upheaval of Hurricane Helene — she found not just a home but a creative kinship. Today her studio is a living testament to the healing power of art, brimming with bold colors and stories waiting to be shared.
Learn more about Andreina's work >>
José Pablo Barreda
Sculptor and illustrator José Pablo Barreda rescues forgotten wooden chairs, reimagining them as animals in his “Chairismatic” series. This act of transformation reflects Asheville’s own nature — grounded in history yet constantly reinventing itself. His sculptures echo the wildlife and abundance of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, turning everyday materials into something enduring and new.
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Daniela Guerrero
Daniela Guerrero’s visual art and fine-art wedding photography explore identity, impermanence and belonging. “Each image is a witness,” she says, “proof of connection, of memory, of story.” Her lens captures the beauty of fleeting moments in Asheville — from mountain light to intimate milestones — anchoring them as part of our shared creative narrative.
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Juan Diego Reyes
Colombian-born documentary and editorial photographer Juan Diego Reyes has spent more than two decades exploring cultural history, conservation and folklore across the American South and South America. His visual storytelling examines the relationship between humans and the natural world while weaving in questions of identity and belonging. “Fueled by curiosity and a desire to understand the world more deeply, my work emphasizes the human experiences and connections that shape each moment,” he says. As an educator with National Geographic Expeditions and a member of Diversify Photo, Juan Diego credits Asheville’s engaged and supportive artist community as a foundation for his creative growth — a place that’s allowed him to delve into critical social and cultural topics while fostering dialogue and collaboration.
Learn more about Juan's work >>
M A R
Peruvian singer-songwriter M A R landed in Appalachia nearly three decades ago, blending Latin American roots with Appalachian folk and blues. Founder of Óyelo Music Productions and winner of the LGBTQ+ Music Forward Foundation Emerging Artist Award, he performs everything from cumbia to salsa to indie-acoustic sets. “Asheville welcomed me,” he says. “It’s super important now more than ever to highlight our Latine artists — and to have Latin music become more popular in our town.” Catch him solo or with his bands M A R & The Marmeladies, Las Montañitas and La Sonora Carolina.
Learn more about M A R's work >>
Edwin Salas
Toy designer, block printer, VR artist and puppeteer Edwin Salas embodies Asheville’s paradox of ancient mountains and cutting-edge innovation. His creations have appeared from San Diego Comic Con to La Luz de Jesus Gallery, and his immersive installations like “Last Chair in the Forest” at the Asheville Art Museum blur the line between digital and tactile craft. “La curiosidad es la puerta a la creatividad,” he says. Curiosity, indeed, has taken him — and Asheville’s audiences — around the world.
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Martha Skinner
Born in Colombia, Martha Skinner is an interdisciplinary visual multi-media artist whose practice treats life itself as a drawing—spanning installation, participatory “play,” and time-based works that connect public space and digital frontiers. Over a 25-year career as artist, researcher and professor with international exhibitions, she explores cycles of life, environment and human connection. “My life is a drawing. I am the drawing. The drawing is my process.” Based in nearby Marshall, NC, she transforms everyday places—like alleyways—into living drawings while also experimenting in Web3 to expand collaboration and exchange.
Learn more about Martha's work >>
Honoring Heritage, Shaping the Future
These artists don’t just showcase their heritage; they reshape Asheville’s creative topography. Their work is a living example of how our mountain city welcomes diverse voices, making space for stories that are bold, compassionate and ever-evolving. This Hispanic Heritage Month, explore their studios, attend their performances, and take home a piece of Asheville’s vibrant Latino creativity.
