From San Antonio to Mexico City—and Back Again: Why We’re Supporting Ashley Perez’s Residency Journey

At Viva Arte, we believe that when San Antonio artists travel, they don’t leave the community behind, instead they bring us with them. When they return home, they bring new stories, new questions, and new visions that make our creative landscape even richer.

That’s why we’re proud to support Ashley Perez as she embarks on a transformative journey to the Casa Lü Parque - an artist residency in Mexico City.

Ashley serves our city as a painter, educator, and cultural connector. She has helped shape the city’s creative pulse over the past sixteen years. Her accomplishments include serving as the Visual Arts Director at SAY Sí, her murals across public schools, and her paintings that speak to healing, identity, and the deeply personal nature of forgiveness.

This summer, she’ll join a growing lineage of San Antonio artists who have made Casa Lü a stepping stone in their creative careers—including Juan Carlos Escobedo, Sarah Fox, Ben McVey, and Marcus Clarke. Each has returned with expanded perspectives and work that reflects the depth of international dialogue. 

Now, it’s Ashley’s turn. 

This summer, Ashley will spend 33 days at Casa Lu, creating new pieces for The Forgiveness Project. The series explores the nuances of relationships, specifically how (dis)trust affects her experience and memory through a healing journey by using symbols of nature and hunting. You might be familiar with works from the series when we featured her as an Artist of the Week.  

In Mexico City, she’ll expand the project through an international lens, asking how culture shapes the way we navigate trust, boundaries, and letting go. The snakes and birds that appear in her work? They’ll take on even deeper meaning in a place where symbolism runs through flags, murals, and everyday ritual.

Ashley’s journey matters. This is not just about her own artistic growth, but what she’ll bring back. This is the kind of investment in local talent that pays forward: to students, to future exhibitions, and to the stories that haven’t yet been told.

We hope you’ll join us in helping her reach her fundraising goal of $8,000. Your support covers travel, materials, and time to create—not only abroad, but once she returns. Because art doesn’t stop when the plane lands.

You can donate directly via her GoFundMe.

Let’s send a San Antonio story to Mexico City—and welcome it home when it’s ready.