AZ Big Media Recognizes Mesa-born Artist Zarko Guerrero

 . . and little media too - like this MesaZona blog
Artist inspires Mesa multifamily development

Posted November 1, 2015 by AZRE

http://azbigmedia.com/azre-magazine/new-market/multi-family/artist-inspires-mesa-multifamily-development

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The important part of an artist in Creative Place Making
Rancho del Arte is featured in three posts on this site, latest on October 15 for the grand opening.

Community Development Partners has officially announced that El Rancho del Arte in Mesa is now open. Stakeholders recognized the milestone with a ceremony on Thursday, October 15, including speakers Eric Paine, CEO of Community Development Partners; Michael Trailor, Director of Arizona Department of Housing; Kelly Sands, President of ICON Builders; and Fatima Ortiz, a resident of El Rancho del Arte. The completion of El Rancho del Arte is a step toward creating an integrated, healthy community of engaged citizens.

The project features multiple artistic components to inspire and motivate the residents to partake in the creative process. Mandalas, is a Sanskrit word that means “circle,” are integrated into the building’s exterior. The Mandalas at El Rancho del Arte include environmental features, natural shapes, forms, and patterns which are found on historical baskets and pottery in the Mesa, AZ region. Additionally, the building’s staircases feature quotes from contemporary thought leaders such as Winston Churchill, César Chavez, and Henry Ford, as well as ancient thinkers and quotes such as Socrates, an African Proverb, and a Mayan saying.

Zarco Guerrero, an acclaimed local artist and longtime Mesa resident whose work was an integral component of the building design, states, “My job as an artist is to orientate people geographically. I have been wanting to communicate the ancient history of this area, and the symbols on the Mandalas at El Rancho integrate those historical symbols. They call our attention, they engage us while connecting us together in a shared ancient past. For me this is what art should do.” As a sculptor, mask-maker and performance artist, Guerrero has exhibited and received international acclaim and many prestigious awards.