On my recent trip to see family in Xalapa, I caught up with Fowler at his artist compound. “Consider it your second home,” he told me as we strolled through a wondrous garden where he hosts events.
“If you ever need chayote, you can take some from here,” he said, and I could tell he meant it.
The thing about Fowler’s vision is that it doesn’t function like a simple Airbnb might. It’s an integrated cultural exchange, in which Fowler partners with artists from the region and fosters an international dialogue through collaborations and events.
Fowler also has a cafe, Bundo, which used to be located less than a 10 minute walk from the residency, and offered an array of beverages and snacks, specializing in oven-fired pizzas. He is currently in the process of moving the cafe inside of Huerto to give visiting artists an on-site dining option. (Xalapa has a heralded food scene, even by Mexico’s standards.)
Huerto has high ceilings and earth tones that radiate a modern, minimalist Mexican aura. The lower portion of the living space has a total of five rooms, including a dining area, lounging spaces, an office, a bedroom and a kitchen, with Fowler’s living quarters located beyond the courtyard’s garden. While touring the spacious property, I met two local artists lounging in the outdoor patio discussing their ideas in Spanish, before switching over to English to introduce themselves to me.
Huerto feels fresh, and full of potential. It’s a bicultural space where artists of diverse backgrounds can intermingle and inform each other’s practices. It also offers respite and privacy for those in need of a fresh environment.
Visiting artists from Northern California include Tempestt (who recently published her debut book with City Lights), Keenan Norris (a novelist who received the 2022 Northern California Book Award), E.K. Keith (a San Francisco-based poet) and Adrian Arias (a Bay Area writer, painter and illustrator).
This summer, Ayodele Nzinga (Oakland’s poet laureate) and Tongo Eisen-Martin (San Francisco’s poet laureate) have signed up for visits. Nzinga is planning an anthology titled The Bridge, in which she will gather poems from authors based in both the Bay Area and Xalapa, culminating with a reading at Bundo.
And it’s not only for Bay Area artists, either. Huerto is also a way-point for local Xalapeños and Mexican nationals from other parts of the country. In fact, Huerto’s inaugural resident was Javier Peñalosa, a screenwriter and children’s book author from Mexico City.
