A new La Paz art exhibition featuring 21 LGBT+ artists from across Baja California Sur opens June 8 at the La Paz Cultural Center, marking the first collaboration between community radio project DiversiRadio and the state’s cultural authority. “Under the Same Sun: Reflections of Southern Baja Californian Diversity” runs through June 30, with free admission to all events. The opening reception begins at 6:30 p.m.
DiversiRadio Brings Radio Network to Gallery Walls for First Time
DiversiRadio is a community media project based in La Paz that produces programming focused on LGBT+ issues, arts coverage, and human rights in Baja California Sur. The project has operated as both a radio platform and a loose network connecting queer artists across the state. Martín Sánchez Núñez, a DiversiRadio producer, announcer, and human rights activist, organized the exhibition after years of featuring many of the same artists on air.
The Southern Baja California Institute of Culture, the state agency responsible for managing public cultural venues and programming throughout BCS, agreed to host the show at its La Paz headquarters. That building, the Centro Cultural La Paz on Calle Altamirano in the city’s historic center, regularly hosts rotating exhibitions and performing arts events. But this is the first time the institute has partnered directly with DiversiRadio on a curated show.
The partnership places the exhibition within an institutional framework that gives the artists access to a formal gallery space and official promotion through the institute’s channels. For DiversiRadio, the collaboration represents a step from broadcasting into physical cultural programming. Sánchez Núñez noted that many participating artists had previously appeared on DiversiRadio shows, making the connection between the radio project and the exhibition a natural one.
Carnival Costume Designer Julio Mezquita Among Featured Artists
The exhibition spans multiple mediums: painting, photography, sculpture, textiles, and a screening of a song performed by one of the exhibitors. Some works were created specifically for the show, while others existed before the event was organized.
Among the 21 featured artists is Julio Mezquita, a costume designer known for his work during La Paz’s annual Carnival and the city’s traditional Day of the Dead celebrations. Carnival in La Paz dates back over a century and draws tens of thousands of spectators each February. Mezquita’s designs for the event have won awards in local competitions. Sánchez Núñez specifically sought Mezquita’s participation, calling his contributions “remarkable” and his designs “distinctive.”
La Paz’s Carnival is the oldest in Mexico, with records tracing it to 1888. The festival’s elaborate costume tradition has long relied on local designers. Mezquita’s inclusion in the exhibition ties the city’s broader cultural heritage to the show’s focus on queer artistic expression.
The remaining 20 artists have not yet been publicly listed by name. The institute is expected to release a full catalog on its website before the June 8 opening.
Three Events Planned Across June at the La Paz Cultural Center
Beyond the exhibition itself, the cultural program includes two additional events. On June 15, Fernando Lucero of El Sargento, a small community roughly 70 kilometers east of La Paz on the East Cape road, will lead a contemporary dance workshop at the Cultural Center. El Sargento has grown into a hub for artists and outdoor enthusiasts over the past decade, and Lucero’s workshop connects the coastal community’s creative scene to the La Paz program.
A closing community discussion featuring members of the LGBT+ community will wrap up the month. The exact date has not been announced. Organizers plan to publicize it through both the institute’s website and DiversiRadio’s social media channels.
All three events, the opening reception, the dance workshop, and the closing discussion, are free and open to the public. The gallery itself will remain open during regular Cultural Center hours throughout June, allowing visitors to return multiple times during a month-long window.
La Paz’s Pride Month programming has expanded gradually. The city held its first official Pride march in 2018, drawing several hundred participants along the malecón. Annual events have since grown to include film screenings, panel discussions, and community gatherings at venues across the city.
The La Paz Cultural Center is located on Calle Altamirano between Héroes de Independencia and Ignacio Allende in the city’s centro histórico, a short walk from the malecón. The exhibition opens June 8 and closes June 30, with the dance workshop scheduled for June 15. The closing discussion date will be posted on the Southern Baja California Institute of Culture’s website. The exhibition details were first reported by Gringo Gazette.