Montgomery College Launches Hispanic Heritage Month with Nuestros Caminos y Huellas: An Immersive Art Experience on Journey, Community and Shared Reality

Montgomery College is launching Hispanic Heritage Month by inviting the community to gather, witness and connect through Nuestros Caminos y Huellas (Our Journeys and Footprints), a powerful, interactive art experience opening on Thursday, September 17, at the Cafritz Arts Center in the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.

Nuestros Caminos y Huellas offers a space to pause, reflect and consider the lived realities that millions across the nation experience every day. The experience brings to light the stories, struggles and resilience that are often in plain sight, yet remain largely unseen in daily life.

Rather than a static exhibit, acclaimed local artists Quique Avilés and Samuel Miranda have curated an immersive, multi-sensory journey. Through visual installations, live spoken word and music, the space guides visitors step-by-step through an intentional narrative—opening eyes, hearts and minds to the profound journeys of our neighbors and community members.

“This is an invitation to gather in community and witness something meaningful together,” said Carolina Galeano, event organizer and co-lead for Montgomery College’s Hispanic Heritage Month Planning Committee. “We wanted to create a reflective space that honors the depth of our community’s story. It’s an invitation to step into someone else’s shoes, acknowledge our shared humanity and find space to connect and respond.”

Opening Event Details:

• What: Nuestros Caminos y Huellas Opening Launch and Interactive Experience
• When: Thursday, September 17 | 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.
• Where: Aux Gallery, Cafritz Arts Center (CF) | Montgomery College (Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus, across from the Cultural Arts Center). TP/SS Campus Map (PDF, ) .

Highlights: Interactive installations, live music by local musicians Luci Murphy and Carlos Arrien, spoken word poetry, community participation and light refreshments.

Note: The opening gathering on Sept. 17 marks the debut of the installation, which will remain open to students, faculty and the public throughout Hispanic Heritage Month. Members of the press are invited to attend the launch event, capture visuals of the experience and speak with the participating artists and organizers.

Visit the Hispanic Heritage Month webpage for the full event schedule.

About Quique Avilés

Quique Avilés is a Washington, D.C.-based Salvadoran poet, performer and community activist who has spent nearly four decades addressing social realities, identity and the immigrant experience through performance and literature. A graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Avilés is a celebrated storyteller whose multidisciplinary work has been featured on NPR, in theatrical solo shows and across national and international community spaces.

About Samuel Miranda

Samuel “Sami” Miranda is a visual artist, poet and educator raised in the South Bronx and based in Washington, D.C., whose work centers on Puerto Rican culture, displacement and the beauty of everyday people. Author of poetry collections including Protection from Erasure and We Is, Miranda’s visual art has been exhibited internationally and featured in the Smithsonian’s Molina Family Latino Gallery.