Folklorist, curator, and anthropologist Dr. Maribel Alvarez will lead a project to repurpose the former residence of Raul Casto, Arizona’s only Mexican-American governor to date, into a local arts incubator, which will create both workforce and economic development opportunities for youth in and around the Nogales, AZ community.

Due to its location on the border and its major ports of entry, Nogales funnels an estimated $30 billion worth of international trade into Arizona and the United States, per year, in fresh produce and manufactured goods from Mexico.