CREATIVITY THAT CONNECTS US

Project Otro is a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting contemporary artists through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs

VISION

We envision a world where there is no marginalized “other,” and where the uniqueness and beauty of all our identities, individual and communal, are free to be explored, expressed, and celebrated - a world where the highest platforms of art reflect and include the histories, perspectives and needs of the entire spectrum of privilege and power in our world.

MISSION

To cultivate the human capacity for relationship through creativity, mindfulness, and artistic practice.

We build bridges of resources to our borderland community while curating spaces where artists and communities deepen their relationship with themselves, with one another, and with the larger world, fostering empathy, imagination, and collaboration across every kind of border.

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The Borderland As Creative Locus

Our borderland region provides a rich historical vantage point for the contemplation of the borders between us (both literal and conceptual) and the interconnectedness that transcends them.

Too often, the cultural richness of our border community has been diminished to a narrative of conflict and “other.” We believe in the power of the arts to deconstruct these architectures of “other,” and in the creative potential our border region provides artists to explore and illuminate new bridges of understanding of our global interconnectedness—our “nosotros.”

While our region lacks much of the infrastructure and economic advantages generally necessary to support a thriving contemporary art community, it is precisely within this niche that Project Otro is poised to thrive.

With a board rooted on the border but with networks that span multiple cities and countries, we are uniquely positioned to offer professional resources and platforms that nurture our local border community while also building bridges of exchange with the larger contemporary art world.

What We Do

Supporting artists whose practices expand our collective imagination.
We invite emerging and established contemporary artists into a community where border and diversity meld with creative practice to become a catalyst for dialogue, reflection, and exchange. By nurturing relationships between artists and the communities they inhabit, our residencies become laboratories for new ideas, deeper understanding of who we are, and collaboration across perceived borders.
Fostering cross-cultural dialogue through contemporary art.
Our exhibitions bring together artists whose work expands how we see ourselves and one another. By elevating voices from border communities and other historically underrepresented perspectives, we use art as a platform to nurture curiosity, conversation, and meaningful cultural exchanges
We offer access to creative process and mindfulness programming designed to educate, inspire, nurture and activate creativity, self reflection and communal exchange.

Upcoming events

Charcoal Drawing and Expressive Realism with exhibiting artist Adrian Aguirre
Brushstrokes and Soundwaves
Artist Talk with Artist-in-Residence Megan Wood
Opening night for The Breath Guides the Mark
Opening night for Fantasmas
Mining the Meditation
The Art of Being

Project Otro Artist-in-Residence
Megan Wood

Megan Wood is a multidisciplinary artist based in Joshua Tree, California, whose sculptural textiles and photography explore human relationships and the stark beauty of the desert.

Her residency included an artist talk and community conversation for local artists focused on resources available for grants, shows, and residencies.

March 2026

Meet the Team

Nathan Smith

FOUNDER / PRESIDENT

Nathan holds an MFA in painting from New Mexico State University where he also taught for several years as a grad student and adjunct professor. Born and raised in the borderland region of southern New Mexico, he later lived in Barcelona, South Africa, and The Gambia before settling in New York City, where he has been based for the past 17 years working as a professional photographer.
Nathan now splits his time between New York and New Mexico, where he developed Casa Otro, a gallery and event space, which also serves as home base for much of our work with Project Otro.
Currently serving on the board of NMSU’s Art Museum, he remains deeply invested in the art community of the borderplex region and beyond.
Leslie Moody Castro

VICE PRESIDENT / CURATORIAL DIRECTOR

Leslie is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. She has produced, organized, and collaborated on projects in Mexico and the United States for nearly two decades. She a co-founder of Unlisted Projects Residency, and Co-Lab Projects, and in 2022 served as inaugural curatorial fellow and curator in residence at New Mexico State University and Casa Otro Residency, respectively, and was guest editor of Glasstire Magazine from 2021—2024, is the founder of AtravesArte.
Marcos Reyna

SECRETARY / DIRECTOR OF LITERARY PROGRAMMING

Marcos is an Albuquerque-based psychotherapist, emergency room triage clinician, and writer of various genres. He is a recipient of the Lena Todd Award for fiction (2020) and nonfiction (2021) and was nominated for the Pushcart Prize (2024). He has a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from New Mexico State University and a Master’s in Counseling from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Lawrence M. Miller

TREASURER
Larry is a seasoned financial services professional with more than two decades of experience advising family offices and private clients. He is the Founder and Principal of Pine Street Advisory, where he works closely with families and institutions to build trusted relationships and support long-term, values-driven initiatives. Larry holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and resides in New York City with his wife, Ann Marie Yoo.
Jane Bloom

BOARD MEMBER / DIRECTOR OF EMBODIED ARTS AND CONNECTION
Jane Bloom is the Director and Teacher at Dwellyoga Collective in Las Cruces, New Mexico, a community-centered studio she founded 10 years ago. She holds a master’s degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology and is currently practicing at Nexus Counseling. Her work integrates movement, mindfulness, and creativity to support embodied connection and self-awareness. Jane co-leads yoga retreats around the world and is thrilled to be putting her art history degree from Penn State to use.
Kate Wagle

BOARD MEMBER
Kate Wagle’s work has been shown nationally and internationally since 1981. In addition to being a maker, she writes about art and craft. She was Head of the Department of Art at University of Oregon and Director of the UO School of Architecture and Allied Arts – Portland. She also managed the Critical Conversations Initiative for the Ford Family Foundation Visual Arts Program from 2010-20.
Graciela Blandon

BOARD MEMBER / RESEARCH FELLOW
Graciela Blandón is an emerging cultural anthropologist, museum educator, and community organizer. She is currently completing an MSc in Visual, Material, and Museum Anthropology at the University of Oxford, where her research focuses on borderland heritage, material culture, and museums as sites of truth, reconciliation, and social services. A Rhodes, Marshall, Chevening, and Fulbright finalist, Graciela has worked extensively in museum education and community-based arts programming, most recently at the Guggenheim Museum, where she led bilingual youth initiatives with refugee, migrant, and first-generation teens.
Shelby Montgomery

DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS

Shelby brings more than eight years of experience in journalism, communications, and nonprofit leadership to Project Otro. Shelby is a former anchor and reporter and one of the founding members of a nonprofit focused on uplifting underrepresented voices. She holds a Master’s in Strategic Communication and Digital Strategy and has led projects that blend storytelling, outreach, and community programming. Her focus has always been community, and telling stories that matter and creating programs that bring people together.