FIRST FRIDAY: Día de los Muertos Pop-Up at Arizona Center

Free art exhibit, storytelling, and artist talk with artist Zarco Guerrero

Discover the untold stories of Día de los Muertos with Artist, Master Sculptor, and Storyteller Zarco Guerrero at the opening reception of Cultural Coalition’s newest pop-up exhibit, debuting on September 6 from 4 to 9 p.m. for Family First Friday at Arizona Center in Downtown Phoenix.

Part of Cultural Coalition’s Mask Alive Art Collection, the pop-up exhibits over two decades of Zarco’s work. Featuring masks, giant 8-ft skeleton puppets, and life-sized skeleton sculptures that have been part of various festivals, special events, and art installations celebrating the traditional Mexican holiday. For First Friday, attendees are welcome to explore the pop-up, meet the artist, and enjoy a masked storytelling performance by Zarco as a cast of zany characters sharing their Untold Stories of Día de los Muertos.

When asked what inspired two of the more satirical pieces featured in the exhibit, Katrina Copping a Tan (a full body skeleton sculpture in a bikini sunning herself) and Calaca Lowrider (a full body youth-sized skeleton on a lowrider bicycle), Zarco shares with a smile, “Día de los Muertos for me has always been about attempting to solicit laughter. A smile. Día de los Muertos is not about fear. It is about inspiring laughter and acceptance and letting go of our notions of life. The sanctity of life, it’s a beautiful thing but it all has to come to an end. It’s about letting go. So that’s why we laugh at it.”

This pop-up exhibit and public program is free and open to the public, made possible with support from Arizona Humanities, Arizona Center, and Skye’s the Limit Foundation. Space is limited for the storytelling performance, available first come first seated. After First Friday, the pop-up exhibit and performance will be in suite #1150 as a window display for one week, then “pop-up” in different spaces throughout Arizona Center for the month of September. 

EVENT DETAILS
When: Friday, September 6, 2024 from 4 to 9 p.m.
Where: Arizona Center – 455 E Van Buren Street, Ste. 1150 Phoenix, AZ 85004
Cost: Free

EVENING SCHEDULE
Opening Reception & Meet the Artist: 4 to 6 p.m.
Storytelling Performance: 7 to 8 p.m.
Mask Making Activities at Skye’s the Limit Foundation: 5 to 8 p.m.