A South Tucson couple are helping to grow the community’s access to the arts by opening a second gallery in the neighborhood.

Melissa Brown-Dominguez and Mel Dominguez own Galeria Mitotera are in the initial stages of renovating what used to be the Stuart Boot Company located at 30 West 28th Street.

Dominguez can already describe the space, named 30 West, as he walks through the dilapidated building and points out what will one day hold a gallery space, a room for artists and a residency room for travelling artists. 

The couple opened Galeria Mitotera in 2018, just before the pandemic, hoping to create a space where Brown, Chicanx and queer people could gather, create and be in community.

They opened Galeria Mitotera in a building on South 4th Avenue that had been abandoned for nearly 30 years, painting the building a bright blue, planting trees and advocating for local artists to beautify the once empty walls of nearby businesses. 

Now, they plan to use the bigger space in the former Boot Company building to serve artists and the community on a deeper level. 

And it all happened as if by serendipity. 

“I went in and introduced myself and I said, ‘Hey, I live next door. I don't know if you're selling the building but if you ever do, call me,’” Dominguez said. “And they did.”

But it wasn’t just luck. The couple has been working to create a more inclusive, Chicanx, queer and community-oriented art space in Tucson since they moved to Tucson more than a decade ago. They say the new space is a labor of love, passion and years of hard work. 

They struggled financially for years after moving to Tucson, living within their means until they were able to secure their first home on the southeast side. 

Eventually, after realizing how much their lives centered around South Tucson, they moved into a home within walking distance of the building that now holds Galeria Mitotera and has become a hub for their community.

Their new home is also near where Brown-Dominguez’ grandmother once lived, with the pair saying they felt right at home. 

They also saw the dynamics of the art scene and noticed that it was hard for artists from the community to gain prominence unless they had an advanced degree or some form of institutional education.

They knew there was a well of untapped potential in their community. 

“It was rare that you would see people of color, artists of color that were involved. There was queer representation, but not really that many Brown folks. And also the other thing is that there was a hierarchy of artists that we saw right away,” said Brown-Dominguez, who was recently elected to the South Tucson City Council. “The idea of Galeria when it first started – it was hard because we didn't have much at all, we did this all with our own savings – we knew we wanted it to be like, more Chicanx, more rasquache, and more our style, not like polished.”

Rasquachismo is characterized by creative resourcefulness, making do with what one has and embracing what otherwise might be considered tacky or lowbrow.

It’s something that the Mels, as they’ve been coined, understand very well: Having to make-do with what they have and owning their resiliency and their ability to thrive while going against the grain. 

“I don't think a lot of people in (the art scene) really expected us in that first year and a half to survive,” Brown-Dominguez said. “I feel that a lot of folks didn't realize how strong the community was connected to both of us as individuals and then as a space. And that really has helped sustain us, you know, having that connection with people.”

Galleria Mitotera sits on South 4th Avenue at the end of what the Mels describe as a “wiggly road,” an intentional roadway design from the 1980s. Brown-Dominguez said the hope behind the unique design was to make South 4th an arts and culture hub, with the wiggle intended to slow down cars and encourage walkability in the area. 

“It just never came to fruition,” she said.

Brown-Dominguez remembers people walking by when they were renovating the gallery and asking about the space: Would it be a church? Were they selling drugs? What were they doing? 

Once they were told it was going to be an art space, the next question was usually if they had to pay to get in. 

“That was really interesting to us because they're so used to like art, the entities or art spaces to charge to get in,” Brown-Dominguez said. “And we're like, ‘No, you can come in here anytime and you don't have to feel pressured to buy anything. You are welcome to come in here. There are things that you can take home with you that are for free.’”

The Galeria is filled with Chicanx and Indigenous pieces from artists like Dominguez, Lower Arizona Jewelry, No Bad Days,  Alaina Pierce, Rezmo and Hide Aus.

Its opening seven years ago was celebrated by the community and covered by several local news outlets, including the University of Arizona School of Journalism’s El Independiente, which ran a pair of stories about Galeria Mitotera and the artist couple behind it.

The article about Brown-Dominguez focused on her trademark bottle cap earrings, with the piece about Dominguez chronicling his journey to Tucson from East Los Angeles.

“In their short time in Tucson, Dominguez and his partner Brown have tried to connect with the local art scene and become actively involved with the community, especially local youth,” the article reads. ‘We’re trying to wake everyone up with this tsunami wave of art,’ said Dominguez.”

While a lot has changed in the seven years since Galeria opened, one thing that hasn’t is the Mels’ commitment to bringing more art to their community. 

“I feel like we've created a beach or something for people to arrive to be like, ‘Come on, we got you. Let me show you the rest,’ you know?” Dominguez said. 

Despite initial doubts about their sustainability from the local art scene, Galeria is still going strong as both an art shop and community space. It brings in artists, hosts platicas and workshops, and even held an event on reproductive rights for the Kamala Harris campaign. 

The gallery also serves as a home for mentorship for younger artists of color who may not be familiar with the business side of art, helping them learn how to price their art, how to approach businesses and how to advocate for themselves.

This is something the Mels had to struggle through on their own, and their hope is that through mentorship they can pass on invaluable skills that art school doesn’t teach young artists. 

And while the couple knows that the physical space wasn’t necessary and that their work could have continued in a virtual format, they stressed the importance of staking their claim in the community where they live, work and love.

“This is saving space for us on the block,” Dominguez said. “So when all the (visitors) come to eat good Mexican food and they just want to park here … they have to deal with us being here. You love us, you need us.”

Brown-Dominguez took that sentiment a step further.

“You love us, you can love our art,” she said.

The Mels said their ultimate goal is to have South Tucson become a multicultural art hub where Chicanx, Yaqui and O’odham artists are able to not only thrive, but become an integral part of their community.

“I want to see South Fourth Avenue become that arts and culture hub. We can envision it. We just need to build up the spaces,” Brown-Dominguez said. “Could you imagine if there was just a row (of shops?) It'd be like Fourth Avenue, but (with) Chicanx culture and also our neighbors, the Yaqui and O’odham, that live in this neighborhood. To have spaces that are multicultural here, it's just so important.”

Susan Barnett is Deputy Editor of Tucson Spotlight and a graduate student at the University of Arizona. She previously worked for La Estrella de Tucson. Contact her at susan@tucsonspotlight.org.

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