Arts
Running from November 19 to December 5, 2019, artist Miriam Alarcón Avila is presenting the culmination of a photo-documentary project in Hancher's Stanley Cafe entitled Luchadores Immigrants in Iowa - comprised of portraits of immigrants to Iowa reimagined as Luchadores (wrestlers), wearing traditional and customized Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) masks. The mask is a symbol representing their identity as invisible Latinx immigrants. By wearing the mask, they become local super-heroes, empowering themselves to freely share their inspirational immigration story. In this very special episode Micah and Chuy sit down with longtime Hancher friend Miriam to talk about the inspiration behind the project, how the masks proved helpful regarding the challenges she faced in interviews, and what Lucha Libre means to her and Latinx people.