Mask Alive! Museum Features Hundreds of Masks Used By Arizona’s Performing Arts Organizations
Cultural Coalition, Inc has announced the launch of its Mask Alive! Museum & Cultural Center (MAMACC), an online collection of masks, performance art related objects, exhibitions, and free pop-up art installations around the Valley. A dream of Cultural Coalition’s founders Zarco and Carmen Guerrero, this legacy project has been many years in the making as a gift to the Arizona arts and culture community to celebrate the history of the performing arts in the Valley. Drawing from over 1,000 masks and sculptures created by Master Artist and Arizona Native Zarco Guerrero, his apprentices, and other Arizona Artists, the online collection currently features over 400 objects utilized in performances and festivals for over 40 years throughout Arizona.
The Museum’s mission is to be a space for creativity and artistic expression that exhibits a global collection of masks and art in celebration of the human cultural practice of storytelling. MAMACC exhibitions tell the story of masks used as cultural tools in traditional storytelling and how masks have been used in Arizona’s history by local performing arts organizations and BIPOC artists, specifically, Chicano, Native, Japanese, and African cultures. The Museum features cultural artwork used in storytelling, folkloric dance, and theatrical presentations by multiple Arizona arts and culture organizations including Ken Koshio’s Taiko Drummers, Childsplay Theater, Black Theater Troupe, Ballet Folkórico Quetzallí, Vessel by Rachel Bowditch, ASU theatrical productions, and many more!
“The Mask Alive Museum is a testament to the powerful artistic impact that the mask artform has played in the cultural life of the Valley. It honors and recognizes the many individuals and arts organizations that have brought the masks to life with their talent and determination to preserve and disseminate this universal and ancient tradition” – Zarco Guerrero, Artist, Sculptor, Storyteller, Cultural Coalition Artistic Director & Co-Founder
The pop-up exhibits are currently displayed in the storefront window of 111 Main St in downtown Mesa, with plans to expand to additional public spaces and at each of Cultural Coalition’s free annual arts and culture festivals that take place throughout the Valley. With direct access to the public, there is no entrance fees to see these pop-up exhibits, no charge for people to learn about this history, and no barriers to keep anyone from connecting with the art that has been part of our community for decades. Each of the pop-up exhibits tells the history of the art on display, with information about the artists, and how the objects have been used by Arizona’s performing arts community.
The first (MAMACC) pop-up exhibit was installed in March 2023 in partnership with the City of Mesa to help beautify the neighborhood by replacing empty windows with vibrant, colorful, and historical cultural arts. It featured 12 masks that exemplified the colorful and cultural traditions of mask making, with pieces inspired by Brazilian Carnival, Mexican Luchadores, and African tribes. Since then, MAMAAC has installed pop-ups focused on masks used at Cultural Coalition’s annual festivals by local performing arts organizations Primavera Ballet Folklórico, Ken Koshio’s taiko drum group Koshio Gumi, and made by his apprentices for use at the festivals. The “A Study in Noh Masks” pop-up featured masks exploring Zarco’s mask making origins, sculptural history, and Japanese Noh masks influences that inspired Zarco during his N.E.A. Japan Fellowship. After each pop-up is taken down, a virtual version of the installation is made available online at the MAMACC website through Artwork Archive. The online exhibits also include information on how to bring these installations to other community spaces, galleries, and museums with the goal of making this performing arts history available to all communities.
Mask Apprentices Pop-up Exhibit in July 2023
These pop-up exhibits are groundbreaking for the organization as they are curated, interpreted, produced and presented by Cultural Coalition artists and staff instead of a third party organization. This project has fulfilled Cultural Coalition’s mission on a whole new level when it comes to providing community engagement through unique cultural programs dedicated to the education, promotion and development of indigenous artists in Arizona.
“Having the masks made by Zarco is also meaningful because of the respect I have for his artistry. Masks allow performers to express who we are and give us a different dynamic and gives them a chance to be more of who we are inside.” – Part of Ken Koshio’s interview from a pop-up exhibit of the masks his taiko drum troupe, Koshio Gumi, wear when performing.
The Mask Alive Museum & Cultural Center online collections and pop-up exhibits have been made possible thanks in part to the support of SoyMos Chicanos, Friends of Mexican Art, Arizona Humanities, and individual donors. Cultural Coalition is excited to continue growing and expanding this initiative, and has opportunities available for supporting the exhibits, artists, and overall project. Members of the public can support by purchasing a piece from the Mercado Masks online store, which features pieces donated by artists, that are not part of the permanent collection, to help fundraise for the Museum. Explore the Mask Alive Museum store, collection and online exhibits at artworkarchive.com/profile/mask-alive-museum-cultural-center.
SCHEDULE OF POP-UP EXHIBITS
August 2023 – Youth Masks Pop-up Exhibit at 111 W Main St in Mesa, AZ September 2023 – Día de los Muertos Puppets Pop-up Exhibit at K’é Community Labs in Mesa, AZ October 2023 – Día de los Muertos Masks Pop-up Exhibit at MIKIZTLI festival at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix, AZ November 2023 – Portal to the Past Festival Pop-up Exhibit at S’edav Va’aki Museum in Phoenix, AZ
