I first met Gio of Gio Chamba over a decade ago at Noches Culturales, an event sponsored by Starbucks.

He had just formed the band, and I fell in love with their music during that performance. The fusion of cumbia with other genres was raw and unique.

So when the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH) invited Gio Chamba to headline Cumbias y Contemporary Art, celebrating Houston’s Latinx, Texican, and Hispanic heritage, it felt like a full-circle moment. Here was a band I’d watched grow, now performing in one of the city’s most important cultural institutions.

What made this event remarkable was how CAMH wove art, music, and activism into a single afternoon.

This event was held in conjunction with the exhibition, Tomashi Jackson: Across the Universe.

Jackson’s art explores democracy, voting rights, and the systems that either empower or oppress communities of color. It’s an urgent, timely collection that speaks to our current political moment.

While Jackson’s work challenged viewers to confront questions about access and power, the event itself became a living expression of those values.

Woori Juntos, a grassroots organization that empowers Asian and immigrant Texans, hosted a Know Your Rights workshop and voter registration drive. With ICE raids intensifying across the country and immigrant communities facing heightened fear and surveillance, Woori Juntos offered information, preparation, and solidarity.

This shared activism turned Cumbias y Contemporary Arts into a party with a purpose and a subversive act of resistance.

Before Gio Chamba took the stage for a live set, he spent two hours behind the DJing a set of cumbia, reggaeton, and everything in between.

“I was already warmed up by the time I hit the stage,” Gio said with a grin. “The energy was high, and everybody was dancing.”

You probably wouldn’t expect people dancing in an art museum, but the space, typically reserved for quiet contemplation, was transformed into a club filled with peace, love, and joy.

What I’ve always loved about Gio Chamba is their knack for “cumbiafying” any song. During the live set, they performed cumbia versions of Childish Gambino’s “Redbone” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up.” These are songs rooted in soul, funk, and hip-hop, and hearing them reimagined through cumbia felt like a conversation between diasporas.

Gio’s guitar lines wove through Coffee’s percussion, which he attacked with joyful ferocity. Watching them perform, I was reminded why live music still matters. It turns listeners into participants and strangers into community.

In that moment, we glimpsed what Houston could be: a city where cultures are celebrated, museums serve communities, and music reminds us that we are more powerful together than we could ever be alone.

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