Donate

Select Language/Escoja Idioma

Nohemi
Chávez
Contreras

SANTO Y SOMBRA (Saint and Shadow)

A Residency Exploring Legacy, Conflict, and Elegance.

April 11 thru June 27, 2025

Santo y Sombra is an immersive art residency that delves into the tension between sacredness and shadow, legacy and rebellion, tradition and transformation. Rooted in the complex layers that define Mexican identity—wealth and struggle, power and fragility, devotion and rebellion—Santo y Sombra creates a visual dialogue between the opulent and the raw that embraces the richness of history while pushing the boundaries of contemporary expression. 

Santo y Sombra, navigates themes of lineage and sacrifice, honor and power, embodying the spirit of inter generational Mexican aesthetics. Santo y Sombra is a spectacle of war and passion while weaving narratives of martyrdom, devotion, and sacred intensity. Each piece feels like a scene from an epic romance, capturing a world where elegance and struggle intertwine, and the past bleeds into the present.

With a visual language steeped in chiaroscuro—the stark contrast of light and darkness, faith and conflict, love and loss. Through this residency, Nohemí builds upon historical richness and contemporary tensions, embracing a layered, and immersive approach to storytelling, honoring the past while challenging its boundaries. She fosters artistic interpretations that are bold, seductive, and dramatic. Santo y Sombra invites the audience into a world where violence and beauty, pain and adornment, passion and opulence coexist, crafting works that are timeless yet visceral, elegant yet raw.

Santo y Sombra is a journey through the extremes of existence, a spectacle of life, death and honor. It is an homage to the resilience, splendor, and depth of a culture that has always lived between light and shadow.

Gallery Hours

Tuesday – Saturday 9am – 2pm

We invite you to stop by our gallery and experience our current exhibit beginning April 12th.   Whether you’re a longtime art enthusiast or simply curious, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Come immerse yourself in the creativity and passion on display by our Artist in Residence—it’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss!

Residency Inspired Café Specials at Green Baked Goods

Tuesday – Saturday 9am – 2pm

Stay tuned for residency inspired bites from our on-site café Green Baked Goods.  Grab a coffee, soup or a panini during your visit.

Nohemí will host a series of public programs
during her residency, including:

Opening Celebration | SANTO Y SOMBRA

Friday, April 11 |  5-9 PM

Join us on Gallery Night as we celebrate the beginning of Nohemí‘s spring residency. Nohemi Chávez Contreras is the third and final artist of our 2024-2025 Artist in Residence cohort.

More Information

Masterclass 
Wednesday, May 7th | 6 PM-8 PM | Free

Join us for an inspiring evening with Artist in Residence Nohemí Chávez Contreras for a Masterclass focused on her residency, Santo y Sombra. Whether you’re an artist, educator, or art lover, this is your chance to engage, learn, and be inspired.  More details coming soon!

More Information

Masterclass 

Thursday, May 22nd | 6 PM-8 PM | Free

Join us for an inspiring evening with Artist in Residence Nohemí Chávez Contreras for a Masterclass focused on her residency, Santo y Sombra. Whether you’re an artist, educator, or art lover, this is your chance to engage, learn, and be inspired.  More details coming soon!

More Information

Closing Celebration

Friday, June 27th | 6-9 PM

Join us as we celebrate the closing of Nohemí‘s spring residency.  More details coming soon.

More Information

Nohemí Chávez Contreras Bio 

Nohemí Chávez Contreras is an innovative fashion designer, artist educator and entrepreneur from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She completed her B.A. in Fashion Design at Mount Mary University in 2023. Nohemí is a first generation Mexican American, from Guanajuato, Mexico.

Her work embraces resilience and resourcefulness reviving generational traditions and developing them through a contemporary fashion context. Nohemí started her brand MODA
LIBRE in 2024, her brand is a return to indigenous wisdom reimagining high fashion by infusing it with the soulful essence of Mexican culture and intergenerational connection.

Nohemí’s designs have graced the runway of “Nuestro Pasado Nuestro Presente” at Arts@Large, Milwaukee Fashion Week and “Art in Bloom” at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Her work has been on display at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, the James Watrous Gallery in Madison Wisconsin, and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Nohemí is a Gener8tor x Sherman Phoenix artist grant recipient. She was also awarded the “Emerging
Designer” award at Milwaukee Fashion Week for her senior capstone “The Last Bath”. Her first solo artist residency is planned to take place at Arts@Large in April 2025.

Thank you to the many supporters who made our residency program possible, especially the City of Milwaukee Arts Board, Ruth Foundation for the Arts, and the Wisconsin Arts Board.