The Sedona Arts Center’s “¡Qué Hermoso!” exhibit showcases the power of art through storytelling. Eight artists are collaborating to celebrate Latino culture and traditions through thought-provoking imagery. The program runs through Friday, May 26.

Julie Richard, SAC executive director, says that this year, diversity is essential. “The stories behind some of the pieces might not be pushing political boundaries, but it definitely has a message that means something to the artist,” Richard said.

The exhibit features the work of Marco Albarrán, Emily Costello, José Andres Giron, Noemí Alejandra Gonzalez, Gretchen Lopez, Gabriela Muñoz, Alejandro Soria, and Teresa Villegas. All are Arizona artists.

“The Arts Center, as an arts and culture leader in this city, state and country, needs to present the work of many diverse populations in order to create greater understanding between people and cultures,” Richard said. “By bringing in artists that have many different approaches to their work, we create a space for that dialogue to flourish and understanding to develop … When you actively engage those artists in discussing the meaning and stories behind their work, that’s when change occurs.”

Curators

The “¡Qué Hermoso!” exhibition was the brainchild of Gretchen Lopez, known for her vibrant and colorful artwork. Lopez has taught art classes at SAC for over 18 years and conducts workshops in Spain and Mexico. She was nominated for the Viola Award for Excellence in Art Education and has won numerous awards at the Sedona Plein Air Festival. Her works can be found in private collections both nationally and internationally, as well as in exhibits at the historic Phippen Museum of Western Art.

“It is a great honor to express my creativity and culture through this very special show of gifted artists,” Lopez said.

She chose the theme “City of Strong Women” for her work. “‘Mujeres fuerte’ is a city of strength and traditions, which holds true for both men and women, especially today,” Lopez said of her work. “I love color. I really love to express my paintings with a lot of colors, but I also want to tell a story just as the other artists have done. So, it’s a real honor to be telling a story with these other wonderful artists.” Lopez, along with Cristen Crujido, co-curated the show.

Crujido currently works at the city of Flagstaff as the art collections and beautification coordinator and previously was the director of marketing and public affairs for the Museum of Northern Arizona.

“I just like this explosion of color, right when you walk [into the exhibition],” Crujido said. “So often we see these stereotypes of exhibitions or galleries showing what it is to be Mexican, or what it is to be Mexican-American, and there is no one definition. Each and every individual has their own experience, and so I wanted to ensure that we celebrated cultural traditions but also opened up a dialogue about identity and made sure that each of the artists here has a voice that can be explored further.”

Crujido said that she has been drawn to the work of many of the artists over the years; however, Noemi Gonzalez’s photography stood out from the crowd with her depictions of immigrants and women along the border.

Noemi Gonzalez

Gonzalez is a first-generation Xicanita storyteller whose work includes identity narratives and social justice storytelling. She was a featured artist at the Phoenix Art Museum in 2022.

“I do think that being a woman photographer, a woman of color, and getting to showcase my work in a place like Sedona does feel like a really big thing,” Gonzalez said. “One, because I grew up coming here as a little kid, and we would go to Slide Rock. To be able to bring my parents, my dad drove here straight from his construction job — this is huge.”

Gonzalez’s body of work features several different messages. A trio of photographs symbolizes her call to abolish Immigration & Customs Enforcement and protect the rights of immigrants. It captures the story of Alejandra Pablos, an immigrant rights activist who is fighting deportation after being incarcerated in 2018.

“She is a symbol of wanting to protect our communities or immigrant communities or undocumented communities, always asking us to question, ‘Who gets to decide what is the time, who gets to decide that we’re criminals?’ So, I wanted to make a statement,” Gonzalez said.

Alejandro Soria

“Life gave me a second chance with color,” Alejandro Soria said. Soria was born in Mexico, where he studied graphic design and graduated from the Universidad de Monterrey in San Pedro Garza Garcia before earning a master’s degree at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

“In 2001, a successful brain surgery gave me a second shot at life. I decided to start over and chose to pursue my passion for painting,” he said. “As an explorer of color and faithful follower of the composition, [I am] committed to brightening our world and am proud of my Mexican heritage. I am honored to share my art with you.”

Soria’s series includes a variety of colorful images he calls “Pandemic Kids.” The faces in his paintings are covered with masks from the COVID-19 pandemic. He says that he is the “great-grandfather” of graphic design because of his longevity in the business.

Teresa Villegas

Teresa Villegas was born in Davenport, Iowa, and currently lives in Phoenix. She attended Arizona State University, where she studied chemistry but struggled with the coursework. Her professor recommended that she try something that she loved doing.

“I was walking across campus, and I was like, OK, if I go into art, if there is a God, you better back me up,” Villegas said. “Because this is going to be a real challenge. I mean, from what my understanding was about how artists live and their lifestyle — but it was the best decision ever.”

Villegas followed philosopher Joseph Campbell’s affirmation to “follow your bliss.” She traveled to San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, a city known internationally for its artistic community.

“I wanted to bring back the culture of Mexico to the United States. Because what everybody knew, in Arizona especially, is what they knew about Mexican culture at the time. Now, it’s much more widespread, and I wanted to bring back the culture,” Villegas said. “It’s so rich and so sophisticated, people don’t understand how sophisticated it is and that’s what I wanted to do with my work with a grant I received from the National Education Association and the Arizona Commission of the Arts.”

While Villegas is not Latino, her husband is. She says that for much of her life, she has felt a connection to Mexico and 54 of her paintings depicting Mexican culture have been acquired by Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. “La Lotería: An Exploration of Mexico” is an installation that comes from an appreciation of the beauty and heartfelt magic that only Mexico and its people can offer.

“I wanted to show people in the U.S. how sophisticated and rich the culture of Mexico is, in a fun and interesting way, by using the format of the much-loved Mexican game of chance called ‘Lotería,’” Villegas explained. “There are 54 cards in a Loteria deck — hence the total number of 54 small paintings in this installation. I wanted to paint images, impressions and ideologies that would tell of my experiences of Mexican culture in a fun and objective way.”

Villegas’s work can also be seen at Terminal 3, the John McCain Terminal, at Phoenix Sky Harbor, where she was commissioned to do a 7,000-square-foot installation on the terrazzo floor. The project began in 2016 and was completed in 2019.

“At the end of the day, it’s a disadvantage to Mexican and Mexican American artists to try to categorize them,” Crujido said. “Whereas the art is incredibly different and that has to be celebrated.”