Creativity That Connects Us

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

Our Mission

To provide resources of creativity and mindfulness necessary for the thoughtful deconstruction of the ideological architecture of “other”. We seek to empower artists and their communities to create, collaborate, and engage across all borders – both real and perceived – through artist residencies, exhibitions, and community programs that dissolve boundaries, foster empathy, and transcend the divisions between us.

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About Us (Nosotros)

Within a cultural context of increasing polarization, Project Otro is intended to be an oasis for the creative contemplation of the things that connect rather than divide us. It’s a vision curated to celebrate the spirit of our collective us-ness, which supersedes and transcends political, religious, socioeconomic, and gender biases.

At Project Otro we embrace the paradox that we are each “other” and that there is no true “other” - that every individual human vision, every voice, every creative act reflects a fragment of the larger beautiful whole we call us—nosotros (us-”others”).

Through residencies, exhibitions, and public programs we attempt to deconstruct and reclaim the very concept of “other” as a creative force for connection. We see in the fertile soil of our differences (both real and perceived), the nosotros - the opportunity to reframe our otherness as belonging, to turn isolation into connection, and to see our diverse reflections not as divisions, but as mirrors of our shared and evolving humanity.

What We Do

We give space to mid-career and promising emerging artists with significant platforms within the contemporary art conversation to make work while also helping to facilitate meaningful exchange between them and our historically rich border community.
With so many of today’s conflicts rooted in the negotiation of literal borders or perceived boundaries of identity, we believe our off-the-beaten-path border community offers a unique lens on some of the most critical questions we face as a human race.
Through artist talks, open studios, workshops, and other engagements, our vision is twofold: to give our community greater access to culturally significant artists working at the highest levels, and to give those artists the chance to expand their reach while reflecting on their work within the context of our historically rich border community—planting seeds of inspiration in both soils to see what beauty might grow.
Project Otro provides professional gallery space that has primarily showcased artists within our borderland community but as our program expands, our plans for the gallery space will include outreach and exhibitions to artists from other under-resourced communities around the world.
We offer access to creative process and mindfulness programming designed to educate, inspire, nurture and activate both self reflection and communal exchange.

Upcoming events

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

TREASURER / 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.
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 from the University of Oklahoma 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.