Portal to the Past Festival Brings Life to History
Cultural Coalition & Pueblo Grande Museum Present 4th Annual Free Festival
Portal to the Past Festival returns as a free event to Pueblo Grande Museum, in partnership with Cultural Coalition, on Sunday, October 2. One of the only events within the city of Phoenix that combines indigenous history, cultural performances, archaeology, and interactive programming that is fun for the whole family. Attendees will enjoy tours, exhibits, craft activities, indigenous artist demonstrations and performances throughout the afternoon that highlight the connection of culture and history through water.
The Festival has grown since its inaugural event in 2019 which unveiled the “Portal to the Past” art installation, a New Arizona Prize Water Public Art Challenge winner, designed by Artist and Master Sculptor Zarco Guerrero. The installation was created to honor the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People and their important contributions to Arizona with their intricate canal systems.
The Portal to the Past Festival continues to focus on the important history of water in the desert and the people who established the first irrigation systems in this region. Through live music, dance performances, storytelling, and traditional arts demonstrations from multiple indigenous communities from around Arizona, the Festival welcomes all ages to explore their relationship to water and learn from the past.
EVENT DETAILS:
What: 4th Annual Portal to the Past Festival
When: October 2, 2022 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: Pueblo Grande Museum – 4619 E Washington St, Phoenix, AZ 85034
Cost: FREE
For more information on the Festival and related events, visit the event page culturalcoalition.com/portalfest. The Portal to the Past Festival and accompanying programming is made possible by a grant from Arizona Humanities, Raza Development Fund, and Friends of Pueblo Grande Museum.
ABOUT THE PORTAL FEST
The 2019 inaugural Portal Festival unveiled the “Portal to the Past” art installation, a winner of the New Arizona Prize Water Public Art Challenge. The piece, designed by local Arizona artist Zarco Guerrero, is a sculptural gate that incorporates images acknowledging the importance of the complex canal system created by the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People that we still use today. The “Portal” is located along the Grand Canalscape offering access to the grounds of Pueblo Grande Museum and an interpretive trail highlighting the accomplishments of the first inhabitants of the Valley of the Sun.
ABOUT CULTURAL COALITION
Cultural Coalition, Inc. is a local non-profit who has committed to supporting indigenous artists and encouraging youth arts education for over 25 years. We are dedicated to the education, promotion, and development of indigenous artists throughout Arizona. We provide our community with much needed artistic programs that highlight and amplify the cultural diversity of the Valley of the Sun.
ABOUT PUEBLO GRANDE MUSEUM
Pueblo Grande Museum is located on a 1,500 year old archaeological site once inhabited by the Ancestral Sonoran Desert people, archaeologically referred to as the Hohokam culture, located just minutes from downtown Phoenix next to Sky Harbor International Airport. This National Historic Landmark and Phoenix Point of Pride has been a part of the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department since 1929, and is the largest preserved archaeological site within Phoenix. Easily accessible by the Sky Train and the Light Rail, the museum is open 7 days a week October through April, and closed Sundays and Mondays, May through September.