Some people think the only purpose of arts and crafts fairs is to purchase handcrafted items for their house.
Those people haven’t been to an event by The Funktion.
This Reno-Sparks organization specializes in markets that feature arts, culture and commerce from the Chicano/Mexican-American community. The Funktion’s events are more than just row after row of vendor booths; they extend into the evening hours, often feature live performances or DJs, and can feel more like festivals or musical shows.
“We wanted to create a place that the Chicano community could have a sense of ownership over,” said Jorge Chacon, owner of The Funktion. “We felt very underrepresented in art, social and recreational lanes.”
Chacon said while The Funktion is dedicated primarily to Hispanic and Chicano culture, it’s not exclusive to that community.
“Our supporters, our vendors, our family and friends come in all shapes, sizes, colors and backgrounds, and we welcome everybody to come celebrate and enjoy our culture with us,” he said. “The culture, the music, the food, the people, fashion—these are all things that we are proud of. To celebrate it amongst ourselves is awesome, but what I really hope for is to give a world that might not otherwise understand us an opportunity to see and experience the best parts of who we are as people.”
Building up The Funktion
Chacon started The Funktion in August 2024 with his friend, Amy Rios. He said they wanted to create a vendor space for Chicano and Mexican artists and vendors with low fees.
“I have a background in coordinating events and throwing concerts and things of that sort, so for me, it was easy to apply my resources and experience with her vision to create this,” said Chacon, who occasionally writes and performs hip-hop as Guilty One, and owns a retail discount business, West Coast Liquidators.
The Funktion started modestly, with five to 10 vendors, a DJ and some custom lowrider vehicles, all outside of the Oak Room Lounge, a nightclub in Sparks that has since closed. The organization then partnered with the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in November 2024 for the Chicano Holiday Market at RSIC’s Reno gym.
“That was what we would consider our first large-scale event, with 25 vendors, and then from there, we moved straight to Futsol (Sports Arena in Sparks, which is also known as El Sol), and now we have 75 vendors signed up for Spring Love,” Chacon said.
The Spring Love event, taking place this Saturday, April 18, at Futsol, features The Funktion’s typical mix of arts and crafts vendors, business booths, food and drink vendors, dance performances, and a DJ playing soul, funk and dance music from the ’60s to the ’90s.
Next up is Cinco De Mayo at The Alpine in Reno on Tuesday, May 5, which features performances from live DJs and two dance troupes—MVP Performing Arts and Ballet Folklorico Flor De Castilla. Funktion vendors will also be a part of the Cinco de Mayo event.
The Funktion produces other musical events at The Alpine, including recent shows from national Hispanic rap artists such as NB Ridaz, Conejo and Clika One. There was also a three-month DJ/dance show series at The Alpine in 2025 called Domingos Latinos, with music and dance styles such as banda, reggaeton and cumbia every Sunday. Chacon said he is looking into re-approaching that series sometime in the future, but nothing is confirmed yet.
There are also regular events at the West Wind El Rancho Drive-In in Sparks, including film nights with a Latino/Hispanic theme, and a “Trunk or Treat” event around Halloween with family films and treats for the kids, lowriders and a classic car contest. The inclusion of music and movies from the ’60s through the ’90s is purposeful, Chacon said.
“The Chicano community has a timeless and classic taste, and we carry our loves and interests into the next generation,” he said. “We don’t follow trends as much. We’re pretty much locked into who and what we are. We do grow in terms of business and different ventures, but in terms of cultural interest, we’re pretty old-school.”
All kinds of art and music
There is another mission beyond nostalgia: Chacon wants The Funktion to promote young artists and businesspeople in all types of disciplines. His vendors include Morgueanisms and Muerte Preservada, both of which use insects in their art pieces; Sonshine Arts, a pottery studio that also hosts classes; and Heidi and Fleur, who create artistic jewelry and floral arrangements.
“We want to create opportunities for artists of all kinds,” Chacon said. “So creators, bakers and candlestick makers and everything else—but also the local hip-hop scene. The Chicano scene has been growing, and there are a lot of artists who we feel are talented and deserving of the spotlight.”
Chacon noted that the local Chicano hip-hop scene has “always had a very spotty presence in Reno. We might get a headliner or (hip-hop acts at) a car show once every year or every couple of years. But right now, it feels like we’re on the upswing, and we’re trying to create more opportunities to cater to the Chicano crowd—not just for business owners, but for any artist.”
Chacon said networking with local talent in arts and music is an important reason why he wants to keep building on The Funktion’s success.
“It’s just awesome to be a part of people’s journey as artists, especially when they are on the ground level, and you can give them that first opportunity,” he said. “It’s great to watch what they make of it and where they go from there.”
Chacon also believes that the participants in The Funktion give younger Mexican-Americans positive examples.
“Oftentimes, what’s discouraging to a teenager or a young adult who comes from a certain background is that everything outside of that looks foreign and often scary,” Chacon said. “So we’re trying to soften that and make art or business look attainable and accessible. It also gives the youth examples of positivity within their community when a younger Mexican American comes to the market and sees the place alive and thriving, full of business owners, vendors and just good people making good decisions. They realize there’s a place for them in that world, and a place for them in entrepreneurship.”
Dancing as expression
Monce Perez, one of The Funktion’s longtime vendors, is the owner and operator of Studio74, an artists’ space and community center that also sponsors her dance troupe, the aforementioned MVP Performing Arts, where teens and adults perform hip-hop, reggaeton, folklorico and other dance styles. She said that the community-building aspect of The Funktion is what drew her to join up in summer 2024.
“There are still a lot of politics going on, and there is some fear in the Latino community because of that, so that’s why whenever there’s anything involved in bringing people together, we’re willing to be there,” Perez said. “We wanted to try to get everyone’s morale up in our community and let them know our city is safe. … We want our dancers to be able to release any frustration or anxiety or stress through dance.
“I’m pretty much driven by all art, anything artistic—and if it’s also opening and expanding art to other people, that’s even better,” she said.
The Funktion’s Spring Love all-ages market and dance event will take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, at Futsol Indoor Sports Arena, 1580 Hymer Ave., in Sparks. Admission is $5 for the day or night market, $10 for both; kids 11 and under are admitted for free. The Funktion’s free, family-friendly Cinco de Mayo event will kick off at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 5, at The Alpine, 324 E. Fourth St.For more details on both events, go to @the_funktion_775 on Instagram.