There may be thousands of miles separating Tennessee and Venezuela, and the two locales may speak entirely different languages, but as different as local designer Valentina Harper’s home city of Caracas may be to her current home in Nashville, they both most certainly share a common passion: music.
As the Nashville Predators kick off their new Music Heritage series in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month on Tuesday, Harper will make sure that shared passion is on display with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind jersey design created just for the occasion.
“Latin American people, we are all kind of like bright and pop colors, we’re loud, and every time I do any design, I want to represent that part of me,” Harper said. “Through my art, I always want to express that part that all Latin American people have too.”
Harper’s design fills the Predators iconic crest with a wonderfully vibrant collection of instruments central to Latin America’s musical identity, from guitars and bongos to trumpets and accordions. On the shoulder, the typical Tri-Star patch has been replaced with an ornate treble clef note wrapped in floral elements and bright colors, including Predators Gold, and punctuated with a subtle nod to the team’s saber-tooth tiger branding.
“Even in hard times, like what Venezuela is going through right now, we always find a way to just introduce happiness and color and music in everything,” Harper said. “Whether we're happy or sad or protesting for something, that's the best way to express that feeling of the Latin American people.”
The specialty jersey is just the latest way Harper has served Nashville’s extensive Latin American community. For the past two years, she’s worked with Conexión Américas, a local nonprofit offering Latinx individuals and families a multitude of invaluable resources out of the Casa Azafrán community building in South Nashville.
“It's funny, because I just wanted to volunteer more, but I ended up working part time,” Harper said. “But I feel really grateful that I'm able to be more connected with the Hispanic community here in Nashville now that I work for Conexión and I love when I have these kinds of opportunities to represent the Hispanic community.”
There’s an opportunity to inspire, too, as Harper herself was inspired by last year’s Hispanic Heritage Night jersey designer, Izamar Rodriguez.
“She had an art exhibition with another group in Casa Azafrán this year, so when I saw her name it was like, wow,” Harper said. “It's just really nice when you recognize Hispanic names, and for me, being able to inspire the youngest generation to be like, ‘Wow, we can do that too,’ is just great.”
Fans can get their hands on Harper’s Hispanic Heritage design a few different ways. For starters, the first 10,000 fans in attendance for Tuesday’s game will receive a mini vinyl record coaster featuring the design. Fans can also bid on the player-signed jerseys through the Predators Foundation Silent Auction by texting PREDS to 76278.
In addition to Hispanic Heritage, the Predators are set to celebrate three more Music Heritage Nights with specialty jerseys during the 2024-25 season: Pride Music Heritage (Oct. 26), Asian & Pacific Islanders Music Heritage (Jan. 29) and Black Music Heritage (Feb. 8).
Click here to learn more about each Music Heritage Night.
