Our Team
Miriam Alarcón Ávila is an award-winning Mexican-born photographer, multimedia artist, and visual storyteller based in Iowa.
Her work explores identity, memory, and cultural resilience, creating narratives that reflect the strength of immigrant and marginalized communities. Rooted in both documentary and poetic aesthetics, her practice spans photography, installation, public art, and educational engagement.
Her work has been exhibited at the Des Moines Art Center, Drake University, Western Illinois University, and the University of Iowa. She has received multiple honors, including a 2025 Rapson Collaborative, a 2024 Narrative Fellowship from The Opportunity Agenda, the 2023 Tanne Award, and recognition as Iowa Artist 2022. Alarcón Ávila is a member of Women Photographers and Photographers Without Borders and co-founder of Colectivo Luchart and Semana Cultural Latina.
Manny Gálvez has been a strong advocate for the Latino community in Iowa for more than 15 years. Since 2006, he has published El Trueque Latino Magazine, focusing on social, community, and environmental issues. In 2018, he transitioned the magazine to an electronic format, saving more than 1.5 million pages of newsprint. He also produces webcasts highlighting community leaders and current events.
In 2011, Gálvez founded the Iowa City Latino Festival, which he has coordinated for over a decade, creating a space to celebrate culture and strengthen community connections. From 2006 to 2011, he coordinated projects at the University of Iowa, including the Raíces Project and a 32-episode Spanish-language radio program.
In recognition of his leadership, Gálvez was inducted into the Iowa Latino Hall of Fame in 2021 and received the Robert D. Ray Award for Equity and Justice. He is currently Public Relations Specialist at the Iowa City Public Library.
Eloy Barragán, Associate Professor and Director of Dance Production at the University of Iowa, has been shaping the dance community since 2005.
A native of Mexico City, he is a choreographer, teacher, and former principal dancer whose career spans North America and Europe. His choreography has been presented at the Bolshoi Theatre, Finnish National Opera House, Conservatoire de Paris, Alvin Ailey Studios, New York City Center, and El Teatro Nacional de la República de Panamá. He has created original works for companies including American Dance Repertory, Utah Ballet, Ballet Real de Costa Rica, and Eugene Ballet. Barragán trained at the Escuela Nacional de Danza in Mexico, the Royal Academy of Dance in London, Boston Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet in New York.
He has danced with Joffrey II, the Washington Ballet, and Compañía Nacional de Danza in Mexico, and served as principal with Eugene Ballet and Ballet Idaho. He has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Idaho Commission on the Arts, and the University of Iowa.