SPECIAL FEATURE POST: Zarco Guerrero

Your MesaZona blogger first Zarco met back in June 2015 in a visit to his studio/workshop when he was working in designs for mandalas super-sized into iron rounds mounted on the exterior of El Rancho del Arte and a mega-super-sized 10-foot red neon sculpture on the exterior of El Rancho del Sol - two phases on one of the City of Mesa's forays into innovative, equitable and affordable housing by Eric and Kyle Payne's Community Development Partners.

More about his works there - and in "A Portal To The Past" can be seen in related links farther down after this more recent article:

Zarco Guerrero, a Man of Many Faces in Mesa, AZ

Mask maker Zarco Guerrero uses his art as a tool for positive change in the community, celebrating cultural diversity.

(Reference: https://www.yurview.com/arizona/zarco-guerrero-masks-artist-mesa/ )

By YurView September 15, 2021

 

"Chicano artist Zarco Guerrero is a sculptor, mask maker and performance artist in Mesa, Arizona, creating positive social change through his art which includes music, poetry and theater.

Guerrero has exhibited and received international acclaim and many prestigious awards. He’s the founder of Xico, Inc, the Cultural Coalition, Inc, and has been instrumental in the development of Latino Arts throughout the state of Arizona.

Watch the video above to learn more about Guerrero’s one-of-a-kind masks, or read the full interview transcription below (lightly edited for clarity).

• Chicano Artist Zarco Guerrero
• The Art of Mask Making
• Celebration of Cultural Diversity

Chicano Artist Zarco Guerrero

Zarco Guerrero (00:08) – My name is Zarco Guerrero. I’m from Mesa, Arizona, I’m a Chicano artist. I do sculpture, and I do mask making. And I celebrate our vibrant cultural diversity here in the Valley.

(00:25) – I work in various mediums. Here in my studio, it’s obvious that I do a lot of wood carving. I have in the past. I was on a mission for many years to carve as many masks in as many different styles as I could.

(00:43) – Why mask? Because it allows us to disappear. When I put on a mask, I feel like I’m disappearing. Zarco’s gone. Now it’s that character who has to be brought to life. So the mask conceals who I am. But now it reveals another character.

The Art of Mask Making

ZG (01:08) – Two hardest parts are getting started because, you know, regardless of how many decades I’ve been doing this, there’s always some apprehension. Am I going to be able to do this the way I see it? So you begin with that, but that very quickly fades. And you know, the enthusiasm to get it done.

(01:32) – And before you know it, you reach a point where… yeah, this is finished, or this is as far as I can take it. And getting to that point is a little bit difficult. But that’s part of being an artist. You can’t just start something, you have to finish it.

(01:52) – Well, my favorite part is, when I make a mask, making it is one thing, but to have someone wear the mask, and for that person to bring the mask to life. That’s where I really get my thrills from, from seeing that. And now this inanimate object is dancing, is breathing, is moving, is chanting. To me, it’s fascinating. It’s like creating, making my own movies.

Celebration of Cultural Diversity

ZG (02:22) – Art can be a tool to do many things. And I think we want to use it as a tool for positive change in our community. What’s fascinating about this community and probably many communities around the country, is what I call a renaissance, a rebirth of cultural celebration, and especially amongst families of Mexican descent.

(02:46) – And what’s fascinating is that a lot of these kids, these young kids, they don’t speak Spanish. They’ve never been to Mexico, and many times their parents were born in this country, yet they have this love to celebrate Mexican culture. zarkmask.com 

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11 June 2015

UPDATE on Rancho del Arte: Stunning Artwork Changes Streetscape of New Urban Downtown Mesa

Mandalas by Mesa Artist Zarco Guerrero

Your MesaZona blog first did an online report of this construction project way back in March - you can scroll down in Flipcard view to read those details.
In fact it was the second posting that started me off highlighting new infill development that is regenerating the original downtown as transit-oriented affordable living attracting new residents along the path of the Valley Metro Central Mesa Lightrail Extension.

The image to the left was snapped on Monday, June 8th after many times this huge installation caught my eye going out of town or returning watching as construction by Icon Builders was progressing in the last couple of months.  
It is eye-catching on a macro-scale with its monumental size announcing the name of the building as well as the composition incorporating the universal mandalas designed by long-time resident and local artist Zarco Guerrero who spoke highly of the investor/developer Community Development Partners CEO Eric Paine for his initiative to involve the work of a Mesa artist in the ironwork design with a series of meetings to talk about the project that's part of the regeneration of the New Urban Downtown Mesa. . .

It took yours truly far too long to realize this not too long ago in a trip to not-so-far away Mexico and Mexico City where the days come alive all over again for more than a week. One day just doesn't do it, especially here in a city like Mesa where there is an historical dis-connect with our shared histories - it's just not  only the history and short-sighted stories after the arrival of The Pioneers from Utah who call settlements of earlier and First Peoples "Pre-History".

There are some friendly reminders of those who came before, expressed using iconic images, masks and costumes from the traditional Dias de Los Muertos celebrations in Mexico on a street corner here in downtown Mesa
Here to the right there is just one >
Street performance-art from The Cultural Coalition, a local group that updates, re-vitalizes and brings cultures together that remind us who we are today.


Cultural Coalition, Inc., provides unique cultural programs which foster community engagement and are dedicated to the education, promotion, and development of Indigenous arts and artists in Arizona. For more information, visit http://www.culturalcoalition.com

Zarco Guerrero is a sculptor, mask maker and performance artist, born in Mesa, AZ whose family has lived in the region for centuries.
He has dedicated his artistic endeavors to create positive social change through the arts. He adopted Cesar Chavez's ideology of art as a social service. His art includes music, poetry and theatre.

• He is the founder of Xicanindio Artes (now Xico, Inc.), the Cultural Coalition, Inc., and has been instrumental in the development of Latino Arts statewide.
• He has exhibited and received international acclaim and many prestigious awards.
• In 1985, PBS broadcast a one hour documentary about his art entitled "The Mask of El Zarco".
• He received the Japan Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Arizona Governors Arts Award, the Artistic Excellence Award from American Hispanics in Higher Education and the Esperanza Teacher of the Year Award among many others.
• He also won the 2012 Ari-Zoni Award for his ground breaking work as a mask maker in Childsplay's 2011 production of The Sun Serpent.
• He is the recipient of the Doris Duke Foundation grant to present theatre to Latino communities in Arizona
• 2015 Master Fellow with the Southwest Folklife Alliance.

Later this month there are a number of events all intended to keep this centuries-old tradition alive. You can visit more information by hitting-up this link on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/zarcoguerrero 

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Zarco Guerrero: The Origin Of Dia De Los Muertos on Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/110700448 

 

A local nonprofit is providing opportunities for artists and art education by offering artistic opportunities in two Valley apartment complexes.

El Rancho del Arte and El Rancho del Sol showcase art and poetry throughout the complex, both by professional artists and by youth living in the apartments.

Cultural Coalition, an organization providing cultural programs for the development of artists in Arizona manages the after-school art and homework program for children living in the residences.

(Photographer Ray Hernández image > shows Carmen talking to the guests on the LFA Forum in the commercial kitchen facilities inside El Rancho Del Sol)

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For more information, details and how YOU can encourage, participate or support, please go to > Cultural Coalition

culturalcoalition.com/

2017 A Year of Highlights: Donate. Dec 21, 2017 | No Comments. The Cultural Coalition is a collective of artists who practice both visual and performing arts, and gather every year for a … Read More ...

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Here's an image from the Grand Opening Celebration of El Rancho Phase 2 that took place on  Tue 07 November 2017 for the ribbon cutting ceremony in front of one of the entry gates to the two buildings where design elements and words from Zarco Guerrero are incorporated into the design:

 

More about Zarco Guerrero can be found by clicking/hitting the following link

Cultural Coalition » Zarco Guerrero

culturalcoalition.com/project/zarco-guerrero/

Zarco Guerrero [Juañeno/Acjachemem] has been a force in the Arizona art scene since the early seventies, as a multi-media artist and community arts advocate. He has participated in the Artist in Education program of the Arizona Arts Commission and has conducted workshops throughout the U.S. since 1972.

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5th Annual Luncheon Honorees - Carmen & Zarco Guerrero Vignette