Sedona Arts Center — FREE LECTURE MAY 17 – Special Exhibition Gallery

Sedona Arts Center presents, ¡Qué Hermoso! a special exhibition (now showing through May 31!) in the Special Exhibitions Gallery at the Arts Center. This unique exhibit features deeply moving imagery that celebrates Latinx cultural identity and traditions. Encompassing painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed-media, and photography, this vibrant exhibition highlights histories, familism, forgotten stories, and rich personal and collective experiences.

The exhibit features art by Marco Albarrán, Emily Costello, José Andres Giron, Noemí Alejandra Gonzalez, Gretchen Lopez, Gabriela Muñoz, Alejandro Soria, and Teresa Villegas and is sponsored by Isabel & David Simmer and AZ Humanities Council.

Meet three of the featured artists in the current exhibition, Que Hermoso! Emily Costello, Noemi Gonzalez, Gretchen Lopez will each share their inspiration and stories behind the work created for the exhibition.

Emily Costello is a self-taught painter, printer and mixed media artist.  Her art is inspired by her Mexican heritage, its cultural icons, imagery, and by the events that have shaped her life.Noemí Gonzalez is a first-generation Xicanita storyteller. She works in Mexico and the US southwest focusing on personal identity narratives and social justice storytelling through her photography. Gretchen Lopez’s paintings are inspired by her background in design as well as her ethnic heritage as a descendent of the first Spanish Settlers and the California Rancheros with roots stemming for the Chumash and Apache.

Culturally rich and chaotic, El Metro is a living entity—a lively and dynamic underground city. Distinctive in character, it offers around the clock sensory stimulation. From bustling food stalls and shops to public art, exhibitions, and impromptu concerts, Mexico City’s subway system facilitates conscious and subconscious emotive bonds and attachments. Since its inauguration in 1969, El Metro’s scenography continues to celebrate Mexico’s modernity and antiquity through architecture and art, particularly its stylized wayfinding signage¾an unforgettable graphic signature that continues more than a half century later.

Cristen Crujido holds a BA in Art History, and is currently pursuing an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History with a focus on Mexico City’s public art. She has lived and traveled extensively throughout Mexico and has a passion for all things Mexican—from pre-Columbian and modern art to telenovelas and tacos. Cristen was previously the Director of Marketing & Public Affairs for the Museum of Northern Arizona. She now works at the City of Flagstaff as the Art Collections & Beautification Coordinator.

Sponsored by Isabel & David Simmer and AZ Humanities Council

Our mission is to connect, enrich, educate and lead through the inspiring power of the arts and creative discovery.

Sedona Arts Center is one of Northern Arizona’s most well-established cultural organizations and serves as the creative heart of Sedona. Founded in 1958, the nonprofit is based in Uptown Sedona and offers year-round classes, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events that enhance the creative life of the Verde Valley.

SedonaArtsCenter.org