Extraordinary artists can emerge from the least expected places[]CASA, A.C.

Founded in 2017, Ranchero Pandillero is CASA’s newest program. Members are ex-gang members who have renounced violence and dedicated themselves to promoting peace through the culture of Hip-Hop. The program connects with young people through music and other artistic forms to channel emotions into productive activities. To date, more than three thousand young people have participated in the program’s activities and workshops, held in schools and communities to build a culture of peace, human rights, and art.

Using the Ranchero Pandillero recording studio, the group has so far recorded more than 100 songs from 38 artists, across a variety of musical genres. They have also produced 10 music videos. One of their most prominent and important productions is the song “Mi tierra linda,” an homage to San Miguel de Allende, its people, and its culture. The music video is available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TND7niyx5hE

Ranchero Pandillero’s art collective has painted more than 100 murals, not just in San Miguel de Allende but also in other cities around Mexico. The collective has recently started a screen-printing project. Both activities focus on providing young people an option for self-employment in a city characterized by its colorful buildings and murals throughout the city and its tradition of artistry.

At CASA we have learned that extraordinary artists can emerge from the least expected places. One of them is Miguel Ángel Tavera G. (Mikel). He grew up in the community of Atotonilco, a place with an iconic and mysterious history. Mikel comes from a family of artists who learned their craft outside of academics, through lived experiences and practice. From age 10, he began drawing and, at age 17, he painted his first mural. To date, he has painted 60 murals. Throughout, he has worked to establish his own style, inspired by surrealism and fantasy.

From the beginning, Mikel has been part of Ranchero Pandillero’s art collective. Here, he has shared his abilities with other artists and participated in numerous campaigns including “Nos damos la mano para dar a Luz” (“Lending a Hand to Give Birth”), “Más Hip Hop, menos violencia” (“More Hip Hop, Less Violence”), and “Muralizate una historia” (“Muralize a story”). He has also created different murals that engage with different social themes such as his mural in Dolores, an homage to Alpha and other unjustly killed dogs. His work has been exhibited in galleries such as BelleMuse Art.

Mikel’s interest in social causes has led to him painting in a number of different locations such as San Pablo Autopan in the Estado de México, Pinal de Amoles in Querétaro, San Luis de la Paz, San Diego de la Unión, Dolores Hidalgo, Irapuato in Guanajuato, and San Luis Potosí. Most recently, he participated in the El Xe’ek’ art festival hosted by the Chunhuhub community in the municipality of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo. Each year at the festival, local and national artists gather to stimulate public spaces in the area through art. Mikel’s trip was made possible by generous economic donations from believers in the power and quality of his art. There, Mikel represented San Miguel de Allende and he remembers the experience as one that showed him the power of art to transcend borders and articulate otherwise unimaginable ideas.

We invite you to get to know the work of this young artist on Instagram  (@mikel_tavera). He works with a variety of techniques including: acrylic, watercolor, oil, pencil, pen, pastel, spray paint, and mixed media. If you’d like an original and unique surrealist-style textile design or mural painted in your house, office, or business, contact us or Mikel directly. He’s the best.

Centro para los Adolescentes de San Miguel de Allende AC (CASA)
Santa Julia #15, Col. Santa Julia, CP 37734
415 154 6090
www.casa.org.mx