hola! me llamo andrea calderon. I am a violinist, an anthropologist, and now very proudly the directora de cultura at nixta taqueria in austin, texas working the floor, planning eventos and workshops at nixta, nepantla, and anywhere i can. at any given moment I am asking, “de donde eres?” or running around all over the place serving tacos or setting up tianguis, or heading off to practice with wonderful musicians. I am the brains behind this operation - what began as a small side-gig making altares, shadow boxes, and jewelry to save money for grad school, to offering my site as a platform for indigenous artisans to sell their craft in these difficult years since covid-19, is transforming into more than a store but an intersectional feminist, inclusive platform for artisans, creatives - everyone! when i first wrote this, I hoped to get to attend graduate school one day, but it didn’t take long to realize this project has the potential to get something real accomplished no longer for me personally, but for my community.
Elevating indigenous voices, art, and history is crucial to this project and my mission in life. I was born in Mexico City - one of the most colorful and poetic places in the world. I am proud of my diverse Mexican heritage with ancestral roots in Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Europe. I also grew up in Haiti and other parts of the world. Though I have lived most of my life in the United States, my spiritual and ancestral connection with Mexico is what drives my way of life, thought process, and art. My ultimate dream is to live there again one day and do ethnographic work on the ground.
For now - I am working towards IN SITU’s evolution and transformation from a side-gig into a real, inclusive, and safe space for art, stories, recipes, collaborations to be made, and opinions to be shared. My previous project, humanxs e historias, will become part of IN SITU, bringing together my most personal passions together into one space::: inclusivity, BIPOC elevation, beautiful art, wares, storytelling, sharing, and learning. After some hesitation, I have included a DONATE button. Some people asked how else to support this endeavor, I realized how important this project and its mission are to me, and that I need some help from my community to accomplish what may possibly be better than a grad school education.
I have invested everything I have towards this project, and need support so that I can continue to operate and evolve this one-woman project. The response I have had so far to this project has been incredible, and I personally thank you for supporting colectivo IN SITU.
