Every day on Art&Seek, we’re talking to people who have tips for socially distant art experiences. Share yours with us on Facebook, Instagram or @artandseek on Twitter. Click above to hear Marcela Rojas,  from the Dallas Arboretum share her tip with KERA’s Nilufer Arsala. 

Marcela Rojas, Special Events Coordinator at the Dallas Arboretum

Has life seemed a little less vibrant lately? Are you looking for a reason to get out and celebrate?

Join the Dallas Arboretum this Saturday as they kick off Hispanic Heritage Month with their annual Quinceañera Fashion Show. The event features 41 young women modeling their colorful celebratory dresses in the Jonsson Color Garden. 

“Participants will showcase their colorful quinceañera dresses and share their favorite traditions and plans for the future,” said Marcela Rojas, Manager of Public Events at the Dallas Arboretum. “Besides being a really fun event, this is also a way to celebrate the girls who were unable to have their quinceañeras this year because of COVID-19.”

Photo: Dallas Arboretum

Rojas said that the participants are mostly from the North Texas area, but there are two girls from the Rio Grande Valley who are making the journey from South Texas to be in the show.

A quinceañera is a religious and social event that marks a girl’s 15th birthday and is celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries and Latinx communities around the world. It symbolizes a girl’s transformation from childhood into womanhood and also includes a party with dancing, food, and music.

Photo: Dallas Arboretum

Besides the fashion show, the Dallas Arboretum has planned a variety of activities celebrating Hispanic culture and traditions throughout the garden.

At noon, guests can learn to make tamales from Dallas’ Casa Masa in the Test Pavilion at A Tasteful Place, a garden dedicated to learning about food.

And from 2-4 p.m. Havana NRG will perform on the Martin Rutchik Concert Stage and Lawn.

Photo: Dallas Arboretum

Vendors selling food and goods round out the celebration.  Merchants are confirmed Hispanic-owned small businesses, all of which have been affected by the recent shutdown and include the following:
• ABC Party Headquarters: apparel and party goods
• Everyday Statement Jewelry: jewelry
• Earthy Melina: Plants and crafts
• Pretty Things Maker: handcrafts
• Three Sweet Sisters: handcrafts
• Food vendors: Casa Masa, Empanada Cookhouse, Josephine’s Cakes and Patrick’s Pops

Got a tip? Email Therese Powell at tpowell@kera.org. You can follow her on Twitter @TheresePowell13

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