AALYCIA RODRIGUEZ
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Aalycia Rodriguez is a 20 year old local Chicana artist from Southwest Denver. Aalycia has been an art instructor for In Lak’ech Denver Arts for 1 year, she is passionate about teaching youth to love and embrace their culture through art. She creates her artwork to empower the people of her community with representation in her paintings.
Aalycia will be creating a photo stand-in that will be hand painted by herself and with the help of local youth artists. The theme of this photo stand in will be inspired by our neighborhood in Westwood, also representing the ones we have lost. Aalycia will also be creating a life size coffin. She will paint a life size skeleton inside which will be in her own image. This is going to be a piece to think about the mortality aspect of muertos and what it means to her. |
ANA MARINA
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Ana Marina, a Denver-based jewelry designer and metalsmith originally from Mexico City, draws from her unique journey as an immigrant to shape her identity as a passionate Mexican American woman. Her artistry is fueled by her deep love for Mesoamerican art, culture, and history. Each of her handcrafted jewelry pieces tells a story, representing a distinct facet of her rich heritage and the intricate tapestry of her experiences as an immigrant in the United States. Through her creations, Ana Marina seeks to connect her ancestral roots to collectors, fostering bridges between ancient traditions and modern fashion.
As part of Muertos en Westwood, Ana Marina will craft a unique line of acrylic jewelry dedicated to Mexica deities like Izpapalotl and Cihuateteo. These adornments will serve as a bridge to ancestral traditions, commemorating the Day of the Dead while establishing connections with those who continue to honor ancient beliefs. During the Muertos en Westwood street festival, the jewelry will be worn by the Hecho en Westwood Danza Mexika youth. |
ISAAC LUCERO
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Isaac Lucero is a local Xicano tattoo artist from Southwest Denver who specializes in black and grey tattoos. Isaac’s style of art is influenced by his love of graffiti and his Mexican and Xicano cultural heritage. He has been tattooing for 15 years and currently works at Rose Lady Tattoo Collective on West Colfax.
For his Muertos in Westwood art installation, Isaac has chosen to honor the rich cultural traditions practiced in central Mexico by constructing an 3d tumba within a panteón, demonstrating an accurate depiction of a decorated grave site in a cemetery that you would see in the state of Oaxaca. During Dia de los Muertos, families traditionally gather in cemeteries to clean and decorate their loved ones final resting place. They adorn graves with food, flowers, and candles, spending the entire night singing, eating and celebrating the memories of their ancestors. Isaac will be using materials such as paper mache, craft foam, acrylic paint, and plywood to bring this creation to life, carefully molding and carving each piece from scratch for this sacred art piece installation. |
JULIO MENDOZA
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Julio Mendoza (Juls) is a Denver-based multi-disciplinary artist who celebrates his heritage through art. His art style "Surrealismo Cultural" or "Cultural Surrealism" focuses on Cultural Identity, Community and Social Justice.
Born in El Paso, TX and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Juls’ style is defined greatly by his Mexican heritage and Latino culture and has created large-scale murals around Colorado, Europe and Mexico. For Juls, the greatest gift is to get inspired by one’s own traditions, food, people and colors and it’s a blessing to be able to put all these into an art piece and inspire others. The mural he is creating will be a representation of “La Máscara de las tres etapas de la vida''. This is a Mayan mask that represents the three stages of life. The mask has three faces, each one is a stage of life. The inner face represents birth, the middle face is the most important as it represents the adult stage, when the person enters their maximum capacity and most of life’s experiences occur. The third or external face represents the end of life. Death. |
METZLI ARAGON
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My name is Metzli, I am a mama, Xicana, Mitotiani, Popoxcihuatl, Pochteca, artist and co-creator of Xicano Tribe.
Xicano Tribe is a family of mitotianis and artists. We create pre-Hispanic Mexica instruments, precious stones, crystals, mineral jewelry, atuendos & Xicano art. When we create Mexika paintings, jewelry and instruments it reconnects us to our ancestors and heals us in the process. My installation art piece for Muertos en Westwood is to recreate a 6ft version of Huey Tzompantli or “great skull wall”. Xicano Tribe will be creating the main Community Ofrenda (Tlamanalli) and 13 amate paintings of Mexica Teteos to be displayed on the community altar as well. Tlazocahmati huey miac Metzli |