Meet Unity's Artist in Residence

From Ahmed Anzaldúa, Director of Music Ministries
One key aspect of becoming a multicultural spiritual home is collaboration. As a musician, I’m equipped to play piano and conduct choirs in certain kinds of repertoire, but there’s much I cannot do. Addressing these gaps in my preparation is one part of my job that I am very grateful for, to be able to work with culture bearers from a variety of backgrounds to learn from each other to create meaningful art and continue on a lifelong journey of learning. This November, I am very excited to introduce Unity’s first artist in residence Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra! 

Rebekah is a post-modern folk artist, curator, and musician with an emphasis on Latinx and indigenous art. Her work lives in the borders between Christianity and Indigeneity and is deeply rooted in liberation theology and decolonization. Rebekah is Artistic Director and founder of Electric Machete Studios, a Twin Cities art and music collective and gallery, and is becoming well known for her work around accessibility, visibility, and artistic excellence for Latinx and Indigenous artists. She writes and performs original music as Lady Xok and with the contemporary pre-columbian fusion music group Curandero. Rebekah has exhibited, performed, and curated for some of the largest arts organizations in the Twin Cities and is definitely a rising star. She is self-taught, family-taught, and studied studio art at St. Olaf College and Holtekilen Folkehøgskole in Oslo, Norway.

Rebekah will be in residency from mid-October to mid-January. Her introduction to this congregation will be through the music for the worship service on November 3 with a connection to Día de los Muertos and various activities that week to help bring a larger spiritual context to this deeply significant Latinx festivity. In the months ahead, Rebekah will contribute original writing and collaborate with me to create new songs, choral music, and hymns to expand our musical repertoire. She will also advise in curating and acquiring new art for Unity’s collections and exhibits. 

I am so looking forward to this collaboration with Rebekah, and hope that the experience will be enriching to everyone in this community, and that her work will leave a lasting impact at the end of her residency. I am also very excited for the many possibilities that lie ahead as we start developing Unity’s resident artist program in collaboration with KP Hong and the newly-formed Resident Artist Team. 

I encourage you to check out Rebekah’s work and Electric Machete on their websites: www.rebekahcrisanta.com and www.electricmachete.com.

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November Events with Artist in Residence Rebekah Crisanta de Ybarra

Building an Ofrenda
Saturday, November 2
2:00-4:00 p.m. • Parish Hall
Come together as a community in connection to the values of Día de los Muertos. Intergenerational — children encouraged to attend! This event will include crafts, conversation, and food. 

Worship Services
Sunday, November 3 
9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 4:30 p.m.
Rebekah and her band will be providing the music for the three worship services on November 3. 

Wellspring Wednesday
Wednesday, November 6 
7:15 p.m. • Unity Church
Rebekah will give a presentation about the liturgical connections and pre-Columbian indigenous roots of Día de los Muertos.​