From the organizers: The San Diego Museum of Art is hosting a free celebration of art, folklórico dance and music inspired by the world-famous Guelaguetza festival from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The culturally immersive event is presented alongside the Sergio Hernández:Embers of Oaxaca exhibition, which opened last fall and will be on view through February 12 in partnership with the Mexican Consulate General of San Diego and the Baja California Secretary of Culture. The festival will feature six traditional dances from regions throughout the state of Oaxaca, and regional songs performed by Lilly Rincón, directed by Mexicali-based Compañía Esplendor Folklórico. There will also be free, family-friendly art-making activities and artworks for sale by artist vendors from Oaxaca. Sergio Hernández (b. 1957, Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, México) is among the leading contemporary Mexican artists today focusing on the wonders of the natural world, including native species of southern Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and constellations of the night sky. Hernández’s printmaking—following in the tradition of fellow Oaxaqueños Rufino Tamayo and Francisco Toledo, and his use of local materials such as cochineal (the beetle-based red pigment developed before the Spanish conquest by Indigenous Zapotec artists and subsequently exported around the world as the “perfect” red), tie his art-making practice to important local and Indigenous traditions. Guests can enjoy free Museum admission from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., complementary to the event. Related links: Event information at SDMART.org SDMA on Instagram SDMA on Facebook
