Miembros Newsletter: November 2025

A Message from the Director

El Día de los Muertos Celebrated with Exhibitions, a Festival, and Public Art!

This year, Mexic-Arte Museum, artists, performers, and hundreds of participants collaborated for several months to produce a grand variety of programs inspired by the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos for the community to enjoy, engage with, and celebrate.

We begin the fall with this new exhibition, En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer, curated by Luisa Fernanda Perez, featuring twelve artists. I thank and congratulate all the exhibiting artists. We also inaugurated Bieke Campos’ mural on 5th Street, “Nuestro Jardín,” which beautifully depicts the 2025 Viva la Vida theme, “Flores de la ofrenda,” and highlights marigolds, cockscombs, chrysanthemums, carnations and baby’s breath.

I want to recognize the Mexic-Arte Museum team, Luisa Fernanda Perez, Curator; Oscar Guerra, Preparator; Amy Anderson, Registrar; Gabi Diaz de Leon, Marketing; Mindy Radike, Development, Sara Palma, Visual Communications, Jasmine Chock and Richard Green, Education Associates, and all of the installation assistants for their outstanding work in producing this exhibition. In the back gallery, the Dia de los Muertos Community Ofrenda continues the annual tradition of a space for the community to share memories and offerings to honor loved ones who are no longer with us. Our deepest sympathies to all the individuals and families who have recently lost a loved one and share their memories with us.

This year, Mexic-Arte Museum presented the 42nd annual Viva La Vida Festival, Austin’s largest and longest-running Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event at Republic Square. Co-presented by the Austin Convention Center and the City of Austin, this year’s festival took place on Saturday, November 1, pivoting from the original date of Saturday, October 25, due to forecasted severe weather to ensure the safety of all involved and the public. Republic Square proved to be a perfect site for the festival, where the parade sculptures and mojigangas were exhibited for the public to enjoy. These included this year’s new creation, Xochipilli, Lord of the Flowers created by artists Monica Contreras and Sergio Lejarazu. Throughout the festival, many of the parade participants performed, delighting the crowds. The day featured Austin’s favorites including the festive Danza Azteca Guadalupana, Mi Trova, Ballet Folklorico de Austin, Austin Lowriding, Bike Zoo, and many others. Thanks to Austin Lowriding Director Robert Rodriguez who introduced all the performers! Families also enjoyed the Plaza de Flores sponsored by ZOOX with hands-on art activities, make-up booths as well as the on-site traditional cemetery, detailed ofrendas, and the low-rider car exhibition. Last but by far the favorite were the delicious antojitos – pan de muerto by Sabor a Mi, tacos by Toxicas y mas! As an additional treat, the public had the opportunity to buy and take home day-of-the-dead creations, toys, candles, and other ofrenda decorations by local and regional artists.

On Saturday, November 1, the Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 at Republic Square were inaugurated. Mexic-Arte Museum and the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation proudly presented this vibrant Day of the Dead exhibit inspired by the rich history of the park and downtown Austin. The roots of the Day of the Dead celebrated in contemporary Mexico and among those of Mexican heritage in the United States and worldwide go back about 3,000 years to the rituals honoring the dead in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. We can imagine that over time, people living in this Central Texas area of today—when it was an Indigenous land, and later, Spanish, Mexican, and Tejano—continued to remember and honor their family members in their homes, churches, and cemeteries.

The Día de los Muertos celebration as a cultural community event was brought to Austin in 1984 by the Mexic-Arte Museum to the Arts Warehouse, 300 San Antonio St., surprisingly across the street from Republic Square. Through this traditional celebration of the Día de los Muertos, the Viva la Vida Festival, Las Calaveras de la Calle 5, the community is welcomed back to reclaim and enjoy one of the original places where their ancestors lived. These events also aim to highlight the history and culture of the 5th St. Mexican American Cultural District and raise community awareness through education and art.

For Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 at Republic Square, the Mexic-Arte Museum partnered with the Mexico City-based Colectivo Última Hora to create six new large-scale fiberglass skulls. Mexic-Arte Museum was beyond thrilled to have worked with the renowned and celebrated artist collective that specializes in large-scale sculptures used for parades and installations. Once the skulls arrived in Austin, they were distributed to seven Austin artists, Austin-based artists Luis Abreux, Luis Angulo (ULOANG), Valerie Chaussonnet, Amado Castillo III, Cindy and Ernesto Hernandez and Candy Yu Yen Kuo to create a vivid, community-rooted artistic experience. Each skull is dedicated to honoring the contributions of a distinct cultural group—Indigenous, Latine/x, Black, French, Asian and Chicano—inviting the public to engage with the histories, stories and identities that continue to shape the city.

We wholeheartedly thank Raasin McIntosh, Vice President of Active Urbanism and the whole team at the Downtown Austin Alliance, Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation and the City of Austin Office of Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment Heritage Preservation Grant Program, Austin Convention Center and all of our sponsors for making all these programs possible. We also thank the Consulate General of Mexico for joining the unveiling. Most of all, we thank the incredible Mexic-Arte Museum Team who managed and produced all these projects with dedication and professionalism. The exhibition at the Museum will be on display until Sunday, January 4, 2026, and the Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 at Republic Square until December. Please come downtown and visit the amazing Calaveras at Republic Square. It was truly a great fall season that thousands of people enjoyed.

Executive Director

Sylvia Orozco

Exhibitions

Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 – Temporary Art Installation at Republic Square

Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 is a large-scale art installation honoring the 5th St. Mexican American Cultural District in downtown Austin. The project features six monumental skull sculptures installed at Republic Square, each designed to celebrate the rich cultural influences that have shaped Austin’s identity.

Created by Colectivo Última Hora, a Mexico City-based artist collective recognized internationally for their iconic Día de los Muertos installations and parade props, this project blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary cultural storytelling. For this installation, Mexic-Arte Museum collaborated with Austin-based artists Luis Abreux, Luis Angulo (ULOANG), Valerie Chaussonnet, Amado Castillo III, Cindy and Ernesto Hernandez and Candy Yu Yen Kuo to create a vivid, community-rooted artistic experience.

Each skull is dedicated to honoring the contributions of a distinct cultural group—Indigenous, Latine/x, Black, French, Asian and Chicano—inviting the public to engage with the histories, stories and identities that continue to shape the city. This interactive installation encourages both celebration and reflection, fostering dialogue around cultural memory, diversity and the evolving character of Austin.

Come honor Austin’s vibrant communities and celebrate the traditions, artistry and spirit of our cultures!

Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 Artists:

• Luis Abreux 
• Luis Angulo 
• Amado Castillo III
• Valerie Chaussonnet   
• Cindy and Ernesto Hernandez
• Candy Yu Yen Kuo

En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer – Artist Highlight

Blanca Varela’s poem, En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer, explores mortality and alienation, themes that echo in Rubén Ulises Rodríguez Montoya’s and Jonathan Hernandez’s work. With Vampiritxs, Montoya reimagines the nahual (a figure from Mesoamerican mythology known for its ability to shift between human and animal form) as a border-crossing coyote—our Tlahuelpuchi—a creature that feeds off capitalism, born of labor, migration and resistance. The work underscores the fragility of life and the persistence of those navigating violence, erasure and marginalization, honoring survival as sacred resistance.

Rubén Ulises Rodriguez Montoya (1989) was born in Parral, Chihuahua. He emigrated with his family to an immigrant community in the United States-Mexico border of El Paso, Juárez and New Mexico. Currently he is a nomad and kinda loves it and hates it at the same time.

Rodriguez Montoya’s beings are a fantastic becoming that center around anthologies and social issues concerning border culture, abjection, adaptation and mestizaje. Aided by speculative fiction, Nahualismo, sci-fi and the labor of his family, his work hybridizes and creates parallels between; land, the human and the animal as a way to investigate the process in which violence eradicates, erases and erodes communities of color. He makes beings that derive from abject queer fecundity, shapeshifting between different hybrid states of the mundane, the terrible and the sacred.

Learn More about the Exhibit

November Changarrito, Luis Abreux

About the Artist

Luis Abreux earned his Master’s degree in Fine Art, specializing in Painting, in 1995 from the San Alejandro Art Academy in Havana, Cuba and attended the Taller de Técnicas Subliminales en el Arte y la Publicidad. Abreux has resided in Austin, Texas. He left Cuba in 2005.

Artist Statement

With a deliberate creative process, Luis Abreux aims to evoke emotion with his work—the human, the immigrant, the memory, the interactions of constant escape and the experiences of interminable travel leading the way. Learning to pray is one series of works that analyze the unbalance of power and absence of control over his life in the past. Canvas, paper, any other materials are absorbed in an unconscious search. His work absorbs and melts the before and now, the fantasy and the reality pictured in a surrealist diary that births real experiences and the absurdities of a social experiment. Objects culture, drawings, collages, mixed techniques and other mediums are used to support diverse ideas and sensations.

Visit Luis at Mexic-Arte this November 8 & 9 and 15 & 16.

View Luis’s Work

October Changarrito, Tressa Gonzalez

About the Artist

Tressa Gonzalez, also known as SKTX (@SmittenKittenTx), is based in San Antonio, Texas and is a self-taught artist.

SKTX is an evolving project that started with a focus in doll making, then progressed with digital art and illustration, 3D sculpting and relief printing with linoleum and wood specifically.

Their works are heavily inspired by growing up by the United States and Mexico border, socioeconomic issues, environmental issues, animal rights and veganism.

The work of SKTX has been featured in multiple galleries and projects all over the United States including AO5 Gallery, Blk Wht Gry Gallery, Munzon Gallery, Guzu Gallery, Time Before Death, Red Truck Gallery, Oso Bay Print Festival, Mercury Project and Zine Mercado.

Artist Statement

“My work is very culturally significant with current adaptations, as an artist I hope to create a bridge between the past and the present to inspire a brighter future.”

Tressa Gonzalez was at the museum on October 18, 19 & at our Viva la Vida Festival on November 1st!

Collections

Mexic-Arte Museum would like to highlight our newest mojiganga, Xochipilli, commissioned for our 42nd Viva la Vida Festival and Parade. Xochipilli was unveiled on November 1st, 2025.

Mojigangas are part of the tradition of cartonería, which is the making of three-dimensional sculptures with papier-mâché. The Spanish brought figures of cardboard, paper and cloth to Mexico around 1600. During this time period, the dancing “mojigangas” were used to evoke joy during important religious pilgrimages. They were also fashioned as representations of saints and kings, though several public figures were also common. The tradition of the dances spread throughout Mexico and took on different manifestations according to the style of the local artisans and the materials available to them. Now, they are used as a form of celebration and performance during festivities such as Día de Los Muertos, El Día de la Independencia and Carnaval. The giant puppets are made using different parts and techniques, including a structural interior body frame, piñata for the head, paper maché for the hands and other body parts, sewn for the costumes and paint for the face. 

Over the years, the Mexic-Arte Museum commissioned artists to create various mojigangas for Austin’s Viva la Vida Festival and Parade. The mojigangas in Mexic-Arte Museum’s permanent collection represent significant historical and cultural figures recognized throughout Mexico such as Cuautémoc, Father Hidalgo, Emiliano Zapata, Frida Kahlo and Selena! For this year’s Viva la Vida Festival and Parade, Mexic-Arte commissioned Sergio Lejarazu and Monica Contreras Perea to create a brand new mojiganga of Xochipilli, or “Flower Prince”, the Aztec God of flowers, art, games, dance, song and sensual pleasure. This new mojiganga is to commemorate this year’s Special Section of the Parade, Flores de la ofrenda (Flowers for the altar). Flowers are important to Día de los Muertos celebrations because they symbolize the beauty, fragility and cyclical nature of life and death. The vibrant cempasúchil (marigold), with its sunlike petals, guides spirits back to their loved ones, while baby’s breath welcomes the souls of children with its delicate fragrance. The terciopelo (cockscomb) offers comfort, the chrysanthemum represents eternity, and the enduring carnation serves as a fragrant path for the departed. These flowers are deeply rooted in Mexican tradition and transform altars and processions into living tributes, honoring the dead with color, scent and reverence. 

Education

Fall 2025 Intern Spotlights

Meet Diana Cortez, Development Intern, The University of Texas at Austin

My name is Diana Cortez, and I am currently the Development Intern at the Mexic-Arte Museum. I am a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems, along with a Business Spanish certificate. 

I applied to the Mexic-Arte internship to learn more about how museums manage information and to get hands-on experience organizing data. As a student that participated in their Viva la Vida parade back in high school, it felt like a full circle moment applying to this position to now being able to contribute to their mission.

Throughout this internship, I continue to gain new skills that allow me to run reports, find the easiest way to import bulk data and manage transactions. My favorite part is learning from my supervisor, Mindy, while also teaching her the things I discover. There is always something we are learning and being able to “clean up” the system has been especially rewarding. I have enjoyed my internship so far at Mexic-Arte Museum, and I hope to take what I learn from the skills and experiences I gain here with me throughout the years and into my future career.

Meet Maya Resendiz, Special Events & Marketing Intern, The University of Texas at Austin

I am Maya Resendiz. I am currently a junior at The University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Advertising with minors in History and Business. 

I applied to the Mexic-Arte Museum Latino Museum Internship Expansion Project because I think it is incredibly important to celebrate and amplify our culture. In our current climate, where our culture and our people aren’t being celebrated, I want to amplify and celebrate them. I love what Mexic-arte does, celebrating Latinx voices, and I wanted to be a part of it. Seeing what Mexic-Arte does for the community with their programming is also very inspiring, and I am excited to contribute to it!

So far, I have enjoyed being a part of helping prepare for Viva La Vida. The event itself is really exciting. Getting to see behind the scenes of the hard work everyone put into bringing this event to life was really memorable. I want to pursue a career in advertising strategy, so this internship has helped me gain insight into the behind-the-scenes aspects of marketing and truly understand the key elements that go into media planning. It’s helped me be more creative when it comes to drafting content. I’m really grateful for this opportunity! I have really enjoyed my time at Mexic-Arte Museum. 

Meet itZel Carrizales-Aguilar, Curatorial Intern, The University of Texas at Austin

My name is itZel Carrizales-Aguilar, and I major in Studio Arts and minor in Mexican-American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin

I have always been interested in working in a museum or a gallery space, and that is ultimately what I want to work towards after graduation. When I came to study at UT, one of the places to visit on my radar was Mexic-Arte. As a Chicana artist, I found that the museum’s purpose of enriching the community through exhibitions of Mexican and Latino art and culture resonates with me. I found out about the internship program through a newsletter for internships/jobs for Fine Arts students, and I applied to participate in this opportunity. Everything about this program aligned with my interests, and I’m so grateful to be participating in this opportunity. 

I have been enjoying working on my writing/journalism skills by writing questions for interviews with our Changarrito artists. I’ve also had fun just being around the other team members and staff.

I mentioned my aspirations of working in a museum space, and this internship is the perfect opportunity to explore this ambition. This position exposes me to working with a team, and it’s teaching me about how everyone’s job contributes to managing the museum. I’m learning how to adapt my skills to a professional setting and making connections with new people.

As a visual artist, I’m mostly looking forward to working on new art projects and participating in art shows. I’m always open to trying new opportunities and seeing where they take me.

Meet Alison Aguero, Collections Intern, Texas State University

Hi everyone, my name is Alison Aguero (she/ they)! I am a senior at Texas State University, majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Geographic Information Science.

I applied to the Mexic-Arte Museum Latino Museum Internship Expansion Project primarily because of my research interests in cultural studies, preservation, museum collections and accessibility. This museum has always piqued my interest due to the ongoing work everyone here puts in to pursue the museum’s mission in showcasing new Latinx artists’ work in an accessible space. By providing a sense of community, this museum offers many opportunities for people to engage with the museum and be apart of their work. Their collaboration with artists, schools and the Austin community to bring joy to Latino culture is something I’ve always enjoyed seeing and am glad to be apart of.

My favorite activity I’ve enjoyed while my time here has been being able to come to work and do something new. Working in the Collections department is exciting because every day, I walk in and work on new pieces, both old and new, from different media. I get to see items that have come into the museum, and being able to see and catalog them and describe everything about it just brings me so much joy.

This internship is benefiting my future career because my main focus as an anthropologist is museum studies. One of my future goals is to continue my education in graduate school with a focus on museum work. So, with that in mind, I do believe that being apart of this incredible internship here at the Mexic-Arte Museum will boost my chances of acceptance when the time comes.

As for my future, I can proudly say that this December I will be graduating with my Bachelor’s degree! After graduation, I hope to move back home, enjoy a well earned break, volunteer at local museums and prepare for graduate school in the upcoming fall.

Gracias por esta oprtunidad!

Family Day: Creating Nichos with Lorena Diosdado 

On Thursday, October 2, youth and families visited Mexic-Arte Museum and created Nicho Boxes with En lo más negro del verano artist, Lorena Diosdado! Participants gathered in the Mexic-Arte Museum gallery with ofrendas and used mixed media and rhinestones to make special small paper boxes to remember a loved one who has passed away to place on their own altares at home. 

“Nichos are dioramas inside of decorated display boxes. They are a kind of folk art popular throughout Latin America,  but they can trace their origins to Roman Catholic Retablos, which are small portraits of saints painted on wood or tin. Today, nichos are often made for Día de los Muertos, where they display scenes of everyday life to honor the dead.”

Family Day: Creating Paper Flowers for Viva la vida with Julia Hernandez

On Sunday, October 12, youth and families generously helped Mexic-Arte Museum create crepe paper flowers for Viva la Vida! Under the guidance of artist Julia Hernandez, participants used crepe paper to create enlarged marigolds, claveles, chrysanthemums and terciopelos to be used as props in the Viva la Vide parade procession and festival grounds. Participants learned about the significance of flowers in Día de los muertos traditions.

Thank you so much for coming and contributing!

Art Activity at Paramount – for the Performance of Sugar Skull

The Paramount Theater graciously invited Mexic-Arte Museum Education to partner with their education team for their showings of Sugar Skull! – A Día de muertos musical adventure on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Teaching Artist Andrea Montilva Piloniet and Intern Demian Chavez Galvan facilitated a sugar skull mask activity for young playgoers before the show. Youth had the opportunity to create their own sugar skull masks to wear during the play and to learn about the pre-Columbian origins of sugar skulls and how sugar skulls are a part of Día de los Muertos traditions.

Trunk or Treat at Austin Public Library Southeast

The Southeast Branch of Austin Public Library generously invited Mexic-Arte Museum to participate as a community partner at their annual Trunk or Treat on October 18! The Southeast Library holds this event for youth and families to have a safe trick or treating experience in the library parking lot, connect with local organizations and learn more about the library’s resources and programs. Participants who visited the Mexic-Arte Museum’s “trunk” got to eat halloween snacks and make a sugar skull mask with teaching artist, Andrea Montilva Pilonieta. The Southeast Library and Mexic-Arte Museum have partnered for several art education programs, and we always look forward to our collaborations. Thank you, Andrea, for being a welcoming representative of the Museum in the community, and thank you to the Southeast Branch for hosting this wonderful event! 

KIPP Brave Hispanic Heritage Month Recap

KIPP Texas wrote a wonderful article about the Screen It! Program at the KIPP Brave High School Campus this fall semester during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Mexic-Arte Museum Artists, Monica Bushong, Kaelyn Huang and Andrea Montilva Pilonieta have been working with KIPP Brave Art Teacher, Cassandre Connolly, and her Art 2 and 3 classes. The artists have been teaching screen printing to the students and the students have been creating their own t-shirts with original designs reflecting their identities and cultures. 

Read the article here https://kipptexas.org/hispanic-heritage-month-recap-kipp-austin-mexic-arte/

Thank you KIPP Texas for highlighting our program, thank you to the KIPP Brave school community in Dove Springs for helping educate and equip youth with leadership skills, and thank you to Ms. Connolly for being a great educator and community partner. 

This program is sponsored by the Austin Public Health Community Youth Development.

Las Calaveras de la calle 5: Cultural Communities in Austin Coloring Book

To provide an opportunity for viewers of all ages to engage with the cultural communities Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 represent and to share local community resources, itZel Carrizales-Aguilar and Demian Chavez Galvan created a coloring book to accompany the public art pieces. These coloring books were available to the public during the Viva la Vida and Las calaveras de la calle 5 festival.  

itZel Carrizales-Aguilar, the Curatorial Intern at Mexic-Arte Museum this fall, illustrated one of each of the six artists’ images painted on their skull. Each image represents a cultural community in Austin—Indigenous, French, Black, Latine, East Asian and Chicano. itZel also researched and wrote about each community’s history and presence in Austin and organized cultural resources to give viewers an opportunity to connect with these communities in Austin. 

Demian Chavez Galvan, the Education Intern at Mexic-Arte Museum this fall, designed and organized the information and graphics in the coloring book and wrote about the public art project as a whole for viewers to learn more and connect with the artists who contributed to the exhibition. Thank you, itZel and Demian!

To learn more about the public art project, Las calaveras de la calle 5, and to view the digital version of Cultural communities in Austin coloring book, visit this page https://mexic-artemuseum.org/event/calaveras-de-la-calle-5/

Media Mixer- Danza Azteca Workshop

Join Mexic-Arte for an interactive conversation and workshop on Danza Azteca and the ways the Indigenous diaspora has influenced artist Mario Alberto Ollincoyotl Ramírez’s creative practice. This workshop will be led by the artist themself, Mario Alberto Ollincoyotl Ramírez.

WHEN: Thursday, November 13, 2025 | 6–9 pm

WHERE: Mexic-Arte Museum, 419 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701

ADMISSION: $15 General | $10 Members

AGES: 21+

Mario Alberto Ollincoyotl Ramirez (they/he) is a queer, Huachichil-Chichimeca dance educator, performer, and cultural organizer from Dallas, TX. They are the Founder and Artistic Director of Movimiento Huitzillin – The Hummingbird Movement, expanding dance accessibility for Latine, Indigenous, and migrant communities through contemporary, multimedia and wellness-based practices. Mario is also officer of Kalpulli Mitotilitzli Yaoyollotli and has been a danzante since 2017. Mario’s work bridges Indigenous epistemologies, queerness, and community-led arts to cultivate culturally sustainable and intergenerational spaces for movement and liberation.

Community Events y Más

Follow @mexic_arte_edu on Instagram to hear about community art and cultural events for families in Austin. You may be able to screen print with us at some of them! Make sure to check our Instagram stories.

News

2025 Viva la Vida Festival at Republic Square

Thank you for celebrating Dia de los Muertos with Mexic-Arte! The 42nd Annual Viva la Vida Festival, presented by Austin Convention Center and the unveiling of Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 at Republic Square took place on Saturday, November 1. Thank you to all of the Viva sponsors, vendors, volunteers and community members who made this event such a beautiful success!

The 5th Street Mexican American Cultural District Celebrated during Hispanic Heritage Month at City Hall

The Austin City Hall Atrium was filled with community spirit on the evening of Tuesday, October 14, for the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month Reception. The event, featuring delicious antojitos from Licha’s Cantina and beverages from D Tipsy Mobile, began with a warm welcome from Council Member José Velásquez.

The program highlighted the cultural heart of the city, with a special focus on the 5th St. Mexican American Cultural District. Sylvia Orozco and Andrew Gonzales spoke about the district’s significance, followed by presentations from Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes and Council Members Velásquez and José “Chito” Vela.

A key moment of the evening was the presentation of Distinguished Service Awards to seven Austin legacy families, the Arriaga-Gonzales, Limón, Pacheco, Quintanilla, Saldaña, Velásquez, and Zamarripa families, honoring their deep roots and contributions to the community. New 5th St Mexican American Cultural District signage was handed out to Steering Committee Members and Legacy Families, courtesy of Council Member José Velásquez.

Mexic-Arte Museum Hosts Austin Art League

The members of the Austin Art League visited Mexic-Arte Museum on October 8th for an exclusive tour of the En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer exhibition. During the tour, curator Luisa Fernanda Perez guided the Art League members and discussed important pieces. In addition, Perez talked about the continuation of the museum’s Viva La Vida celebrations and the importance of creating moments of connection between the Museum, local artists and the diverse communities of Austin.

We thank the Austin Art League for their dedication and support.

Mexic-Arte Museum Hosts Austin FC

The members of the Austin FC visited Mexic-Arte Museum on Thursday, October 9, for an exclusive tour of the En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer exhibition. During the tour, education associate, Richard Greene, guided the Austin FC members and discussed the museum’s history and celebrations of Dia de los Muertos. In addition to examining the work on display, Austin FC members were able to screenprint and take home their very own Verde x Mexic-Arte tote bag!

We thank the Austin FC for their work and the opportunity to reflect on community during Hispanic Heritage Month!

Manuel Lozano Reciprocity Art Exhibition Reception at The Modern

On Thursday, October 15, The Modern Austin Residences, developed by Urbanspace, proudly commemorated a public dedication of “Reciprocity”, a large-scale bronze sculpture by internationally recognized artist, Manuel Lozano. Commissioned specifically for the building’s facade, the work serves as both a striking architectural intervention and a cultural landmark—offering residents and the public a lasting point of reflection, dialogue, and connection.

It was with great honor to have the City of Austin, the Consulate General of Mexico, Mexic-Arte Museum and the greater public’s participation to mark this time in the history of Austin’s cultural landscape. The museum is deeply grateful to Melanie Harris de Maycotte, Curator, Lara Burns and Kevin Burns of Urbanspace, and Elizabeth Rogers of the Mexic-Arte Museum Board of Directors for driving this unique opportunity for collaboration and international stewardship.

Development

Thank You for Sponsoring the 2025 Viva la Vida Festival

Mexic-Arte Museum extends its gratitude to its main sponsors for the 2025 Viva la Vida Festival and Parade: Austin Convention Center (Marigold), Downtown Austin Alliance (Grand Procession), ZOOX (Education Pavillion) and Trialmed (Las Calaveras).

Your support makes the success of this event possible, and the museum looks forward to partnering again soon. Contact development coordinator, Mindy Radike, at about other upcoming opportunities for sponsorship.

Mexic-Arte Museum to Attend The Texas Tribune Festival 2025

Next weekend, Mexic-Arte will participate at Open Congress, a free, one-day street festival on Congress Avenue that concludes the Texas Tribune Festival. It offers public access to a variety of events, including conversations with political leaders, interactive experiences from partners, book signings and food. 

Consuela’s Conni Reed Features Mexic-Arte for Giving Tuesday

Conni Reed, founder and owner of leading global fashion brand, Consuela, is set to feature Mexic-Arte Museum in its Giving Tuesday campaign. On Tuesday, December 2, 20% of all Consuela online sales will support Mexic-Arte Museum. 

Consuela is a mission-aligned organization dedicated to finding joy in the journey, developing meaningful and lasting relationships and celebrating women’s positive impact. The museum is deeply grateful to Conni Reed and the Consuela team for the upcoming development of this partnership. Read more about Consuela’s artistic vision here. 

Join us on Sundays!

Tours on Sunday – Free Admission!

Thanks to the generous support of H-E-B and the Downtown Austin Alliance, we are thrilled to offer free admission and public tours every Sunday at Mexic-Arte Museum! 

Tours on Sundays provides a unique opportunity to connect with the rich history and vibrant art of the Mexican, Latinx and Chicanx communities.

Join us for guided tours in English at 2 p.m. and in Spanish at 3 p.m., where you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the art on display. This is a great way for visitors of all ages to engage with both traditional and contemporary art forms.

Enjoy Cello Music on the First Sunday of the Month at the Museum

Join Mexic-Arte for a solo music concert by Huitzin Chavez on the first Sunday of the month from 1 to 2 p.m., as you wander through the galleries. Huitzin Chavez has been playing music at Mexic-Arte since he was a child. Huitzin Chavez and the Chavez family have participated with their music annually in several events at the museum including the Día de los Muertos/Viva la Vida Festival. Mr. Chavez and the Chavez family music group have also performed for opening receptions playing music ranging from the Pastorelas in December to classical music for exhibits such as the Greatness of Mexico, 16th to 18th Centuries. Mr. Chavez is talented and loves being around art and giving back to the community. This is why he suggested performing and playing his cello on Sundays. Mexic-Arte Museum is appreciative and grateful to Mr. Chavez for the gift of music for the community. Admission to the museum and the concerts are free on Sundays thanks to H-E-B and the Downtown Austin Alliance.

Mexic-Arte Museum Store

New Posada T-shirts Now Available!

Local Artists Merch & Gifts Now Featured

Local Artists

• Dollface Accesories
• Roomy ATX
• Temazcal Life
• Cuídate
• Katie Cowden
• Rachel Salcido
• CGarza Arte