Open Source Curriculum
When does Social Practice Patron or Patronize?
with Javier Espinosa Momox
November 7, 2026 // Power Dynamics series
Summary
Summary of November 7 discussion coming soon!
Discussion Guide
When does Social Practice Patron or Patronize?
Other Resources
Herencia means Heritage - a video created by Javier Espinosa Momox and Nahid Rivera
Herencia means Heritage - a written explanation of the project and process by Javier Espinosa Momox
Pedagogy of the Oppressed - Paulo Freire
Preparing Artists to Save the World: Community-Engaged Arts Practice as Critical Pedagogy - Sarah Peters and Tully Barnett
Critical Pedagogy from Paulo Freire to bell hooks - Sublation Magazine. Koster, J. A.
Local Histories/Global Designs - Walter D. Mignolo
About the Topic
Is it possible to invert or remove hierarchical structures from artistic social practice? After all, it’s rare that all participants are viewed as equal contributors. Most often, it’s a ladder: an institution supports an individual artist; an artist facilitates a project; a particular community is the crux of a project.
How often do the narratives, projects, and institutions that are intended to support a specific community instead inadvertently obscure them? Communities and individuals are romanticized or mythologized; artists transform themselves from artist to activist to savior; and patronage becomes patronizing.
Can these hierarchical structures be counter-leveraged for personal and communal empowerment? In this State of Ceramics, we consider who gets the spotlight in socially engaged projects and how to create equitable and productive visibility for all participants. Javier Espinosa Momox’s ongoing ceramics project Herencia Means Heritage, which highlights the history and labor of traditional Mexican Talavera artisans, will be used as a case study to underpin our conversation.
About the Artist
Javier Espinosa Momox is a Mexican artist from Momoxpan, Mexico, who is trained as a traditional Mexican Talavera artisan. His practice, grounded in a Community Engaged Creative Practice model, privileges people over institutions and seeks to make visible the work and histories of artisans who have been historically marginalized.
He holds a master’s degree from the University of Iowa and is currently completing a Teaching Fellowship at the University of Notre Dame. As a researcher, Javier serves as a bridge between artisans, community, and institutions, working above all from the understanding that building relationships is the project.