who are we
El Sueño is an organization that uses art as a platform for community engagement, healing, and empowerment of marginalized communities. El Sueño's art exhibits, performances, classes, and art curations directly address the urgent need to create spaces that actively dismantle systemic barriers. Their works focus on uplifting marginalized communities, fostering community-oriented spaces, and amplifying the voices of BIPOC artists and individuals whose stories often go unheard. Their events aim to transcend barriers, connect people from diverse backgrounds, and serve as a catalyst for meaningful social dialogue. Each creation is enriched by the collective artists and their stories serve as the cornerstone of our mission to amplify marginalized voices and experiences within the arts.
"First generation Americans are the flowers that bloom after generations of harvest"
—Alicia Mullikin (El Sueño Founder/Director)
our story
As a young dancer, my identity was an area of shame. I learned to value thin white bodies above my own and attempted to squeeze my plus-sized brown body into a box that was never meant for me. I developed an unhealthy view of my self-worth and I was unable to feel whole in dance spaces. This is what prompted me to create EL SUEÑO.
EL SUEÑO meaning “The Dream” was named for my pursuit of the “American Dream.” It was a dream that was stripped from my Indigenous ancestors. It is a dream that my family chased when crossing our southern border. And it is a dream I follow as a daughter of a Mexican immigrant. As an Indigenous woman, I strive to balance my walk towards the future with careful consideration of the past. EL SUEÑO’s work utilizes Indigenous principles within art as a way to practice gratitude, honor the land, and recognize our ancestors while inviting people of all races and backgrounds to participate in meaningful connection and reflection of their own histories. These practices in many cases are intentionally displaced from the art world which prioritizes individualism and innovation over community. This is a colonized mindset. Indigenous people are community-minded, earth-focused cultural bearers.
I believe that when we center our work around community and our own radical reclamation, we take back our power and dismantle the hierarchies that have historically undervalued, displaced, and attempted to erase us. My hope is that EL SUEÑO becomes a platform for community engagement, empowerment, and healing of the communities I love and care for.
Alicia Mullikin
Founder/Director
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