An in-depth look at how Latina/x artists transform art into activism and reclaim space in the Twin Cities
In Place-Keepers, Jessica Lopez Lyman examines how Latina/x artists in the Twin Cities navigate and challenge the region's deep-seated racial injustices. Using ""Inter-Latina movidas""-subtle yet strategic actions through which Latina/x artists forge solidarities, mobilize for justice, and reclaim space-these artists respond to systemic oppression through public performances and behind-the-scenes negotiations with the state, nonprofits, and other institutions.
Centering Latina/x women and gender nonconforming artists from Chicana/Mexicana, U.S. Central American, and Caribbean backgrounds, Place-Keepers confronts reductionist theories of Latinidad that flatten ethnic and racial identities. It demonstrates how the creative and activist practices of these cultural organizers address urgent social struggles from resisting gentrification and environmental destruction to opposing police violence. Lopez Lyman situates these efforts within the broader history of racial justice organizing in Minnesota, tracing a lineage of resistance that long precedes the 2020 Minneapolis uprising following the murder of George Floyd.
Through firsthand accounts and revealing case studies, Place-Keepers charts how these artists harness aesthetics as a tool for movement-building, strategically redistributing resources and transforming policy. Expanding the foundational concept of ""movidas"" in Chicana/o/x and Latina/o/x studies by highlighting maneuvers of infiltration, improvisation, individual ritual, and interdependence, Lopez Lyman establishes a crucial framework for understanding art as activism.
By:
Jessica Lopez Lyman
Imprint: University of Minnesota Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 216mm,
Width: 140mm,
Spine: 13mm
Weight: 425g
ISBN: 9781517920029
ISBN 10: 1517920027
Pages: 248
Publication Date: 11 November 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Contents Tracing Movidas, or How to Read This Book A Note on Terminology Introduction. Movidas in the Whiteout: Latina/x Art and Organizing in Minnesota Teresa Ortiz, Lupe Castillo (La Lupe), Deborah Ramos, Adriana Rimpel (Lady Midnight) 1. Navigating the Creative City: Music, Murals, and Gardens María Isa Pérez-Vega, Lorena Duarte, Olivia Levins Holden, Magdalena Kaluza, Deborah Ramos 2. Improvising the Gallery: Mira Gallery and Electric Machete Studios Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra and Maria Cristina Tavera 3. Rituals Across the Diaspora: Healing Through Performance Adriana Rimpel (Lady Midnight) 4. Interdependent Solidarities: Connecting Through Climate Justice María Isa Pérez-Vega Coda: Place-Keeping for the Future Teresa Ortiz, Lupe Castillo (La Lupe), María Isa Pérez-Vega Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index
Jessica Lopez Lyman is assistant professor in the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota.
Reviews for Place-Keepers: Latina/x Art, Performance, and Organizing in the Twin Cities
""A refreshing perspective on the intersection of art, activism, and community dynamics, Place-Keepers focuses on Indigenous and Black Latinx artists while also emphasizing the rich heterogeneity within these communities. Jessica Lopez Lyman celebrates the ingenuity of these artists while providing a much-needed exploration of the vibrant art scene in Minnesota.""-Arlene DÁvila, author of Latinx Art: Artists, Markets, and Politics ""Masterfully written and convincingly argued, Place-Keepers focuses on creative communities of co-resistance to examine how Latina and gender noncomforming artists navigate the settler colonial landscape. With close attention to Latinx, Indigenous, and BIPOC communities in Minnesota, Jessica Lopez Lyman paints a vivid picture of activism taking many forms, including through cultural production and artistic creation.""-MarÍa Eugenia Cotera, coeditor of Chicana Movidas: New Narratives of Activism and Feminism in the Movement Era
