Miembros Newsletter: October 2025

A Message from the Director

Join Mexic-Arte for the Viva la Vida Festival & Parade 2025

Mexic-Arte Museum is thrilled to once again present the annual Viva La Vida Festival & Parade that will take place on October 25, 2025, in downtown Austin! Viva La Vida is Austin’s largest and longest running Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival and one of the most artistic and creative in the country. With thousands of participants and attendees in past years, the 2025 parade and festival to be the best yet! The celebration includes a Grand Procession, the Education Pavilion with hands-on activities, the Muertos Mercado, traditional foods, a low-rider exhibition and performances throughout the day. It will be an enjoyable family event.

This year, the parade will include a section dedicated to flowers. This year’s special section for Viva la Vida Fest will be Flores de la ofrenda (Flowers for the Altar) which are important to Día de los Muertos celebrations because they symbolize the beauty, fragility and cyclical nature of life and death. These include the vibrant Cempasúchil (marigold), with its sun-like petals that guide 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.

Xochipilli, or Flower Prince, will make his debut in the Viva la Vida Parade. A large parade prop or mojiganga created by artists, Monica Contreras Perez and Sergio Lejarazu, Xochipilli is the Mexica god of music and dance associated with flowers. He is also a patron of music, dance, games, painting and feasting. His name in Nahuatl, the language spoken by the Mexica, means “Flower Prince.” We invite you on Family Day on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the museum to help create flowers for the Xochipilli at the hands on activity lead by Julia Hernandez for the special section in the Viva la Vida Parade.

Come celebrate with us by wearing masks, flowers, costumes in this year’s Viva la Vida parade! Come together with your friends as a comparsa (masked company of street dancers) or join on your own! In addition, this year Mexic-Arte Museum in collaboration with the Downtown Austin Alliance Foundation and with support from the Economic Development Department, Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 will be exhibited on Saturday, November 1, at Republic Square. Please join us for these events in downtown Austin.

We thank the Austin Convention Center and the City of Austin, the presenting sponsor of the Viva la Vida Fest & Parade and the Downtown Austin Alliance for their generous support.

Thank you Austin FC

I also want to express my gratitude to Gissela Santa Cruz and Austin FC Team for selecting me as the Austin FC’s 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month Honoree on September 25, 2025. Receiving this award at the Q2 Stadium was fantastic! What an incredible experience! I am honored and humbled that Austin FC chose me for this impressive award. The Mexic-Arte team had a wonderful time; we enjoyed the Mugra band, great food and talented Austin FC Team. We had a fabulous time and Austin FC won!! Congratulations! We will be back to cheer for Austin FC!

Executive Director

Sylvia Orozco

Exhibitions

En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer – Opening Reception

On Friday, September 5, the Mexic-Arte Museum opened its doors for the highly anticipated reception of En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer. Inspired by the evocative poetry of Blanca Varela, this compelling new exhibition brings together twelve emerging artists whose works explore themes of memory, mourning and transformation: Camila Abbud, Bieke Campos, Via Madison Ceaser Jahaira Daga Acevedo, Ava Darvish, Lorena Diosdado, Jonathan Hernandez, Gabo Mtz, Rubén Ulises Rodríguez Montoya, Mario Alberto Ramirez, Andew Sakamoto, and Allen Yu.

Guests gathered for an immersive evening that balanced introspection with celebration. The reception featured a performance by Mario Alberto Ramírez, a lively set by DJ Discoteca, and delicious antojitos generously provided by Licha’s Cantina, accompanied by refreshments courtesy of Brown Distributing.

The museum was filled with energy as attendees moved through paintings, installations, ceramics and video works—each piece offering a personal reflection on loss, resilience and the layered histories we carry. The museum came alive with conversation, performance and shared moments of connection.

A heartfelt thank you to all who joined us for this powerful evening and to the artists who continue to challenge and expand how we understand art, life and what endures beyond.

The exhibition will be on view through Sunday, January 4, 2026, and we encourage you to return — there’s much more to discover in the darkest domain of summer.

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

Gabo Mtz was born in Tarimoro, Guanajuato, raised in Houston, Texas and graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos, with a BFA in Studio Art. Drawing upon both traditional and contemporary motifs, Mtz utilizes these visual languages to craft a narrative of her own that reclaims and honors her own heritage. The mediums of Printmaking and Ceramics are combined to create installations and spaces that evoke the warmth of brown bodies and rich vibrant colors. These energetic spaces become vehicles for the re-emergence of Barro Rojo/Red Clay into the present contemporary moment and elevates Ancestral Ceramic Technologies. Barro Rojo lends itself in its softness and malleability to be molded into objects that can further immortalize our culture and our narratives. Barro Rojo is a historical and contemporary legacy. Mtz is based in East Houston where they are a devoted community member to the Anahuac Collective. 

Gabo Mtz piece was thrown in sections on the pottery wheel and then altered in form. The piece functions as the potential home of a plant relative. Its petaled rim creates energy that is diffused into a more armored and guarded feeling with the surface texture and the black matte color of the vessel’s body. Many thorns adorn the body, protruding and protecting while accentuating the curves and movement of it. The piece invites you to want to perhaps touch or embrace it but once you move closer you realize that the closeness could come with a cost.

October Changarrito, Tressa Gonzalez

About the Artist

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

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, socio-economic 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.”

Visit Tressa Gonzalez on October 18, 19 & 25 during our Viva la Vida Festival & Parade! 

September Changarrito, Fabiana Muñoz

About the Artist

Fabiana Muñoz is a Mexican American painter, printmaker, sculptor and transmedia artist. Having immigrated to the United States at eleven years old from Guatemala, Fabiana celebrates Latinx and Chicano culture in her work. With a focus on vibrant color and fiber techniques, Muñoz sparks conversations about paradox, duality, and ambiguity within one’s identity, encouraging exploration of the complexities and intricacies of multicultural being.

In 2024, she received a BFA in Studio Art from The University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been included in group exhibitions at the Museum of Human Achievement in Austin: Sharp and Friends (2023); The Armageddon Show (2022); Bakesale Austin (2022); Good Dad Studios Open House (2023); Where We Meet in the Middle, Visual Arts Center (2023); A Book Never Ends it Just Stops Moving (2023). She was a co-curator and artist for the CenterSpace Project “SOMOS (Recuerdos)” at the Visual Arts Center, The University of Texas at Austin. Muñoz currently lives and works in Austin, TX.

Artist Statement

“Across printmaking, painting, sculpture and performance, my practice ignites dialogues about the intricacies of identity, delving into the paradoxes, dualities and ambiguities that shape the understanding of ourselves.

Having immigrated to the United States from Guatemala at the age of 11, I often found myself feeling caught between two worlds, always frozen between belonging and displacement. Despite the growing presence of Latinx communities in the United States, they remain largely underrepresented and excluded in mainstream American art institutions and academic discourse. In an attempt to combat alienation, I explore, research and make visible the intricacies of Ni de Aqui, Ni de Alla (Nor here, nor there) identities through the vibrant medium of crochet installations.

Drawing from childhood memories, religious imagery, familial narratives and colonial histories, I meditate on experiences of migration and the elusive concept of home, then translating these reflections into fiber art and transmedia expressions. Through yarnbombing, I marry the vulgarity of vandalism with the tenderness of fibers, creating my own visual language, offering interventions of hope and health in public spaces.”

Fabiana was at Mexic-Arte Museum and featured her artwork on the Changarrito cart right outside the museum’s entrance on September 20 & 21 and September 27 & 28.

View Fabiana’s Work

Collections

As the 42nd annual Viva la Vida Festival & Parade approaches, the Mexic-Arte Museum would like to highlight the mojigangas that are in our permanent collection and will be displayed at this year’s Viva la Vida Festival & Parade.

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 making of the giant puppets is made up of different parts. These include structural building for the interior body frame, piñata for the head, paper maché for the hands and other body parts, sewing 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 Parade & Festival. In the Mexic-Arte Museum permanent collection, the mojigangas represent significant historical and cultural figures recognized throughout Mexico, such as Cuautémoc, Father Hidalgo, Emiliano Zapata, Frida Kahlo and Selena! The majority of our extraordinary mojiganags have been created by Sergio Lejarazu and Monica Contreras Perea. Lejarazu and Contreras Perea are piñata and mojiganga artists, based in Austin, Texas. Of piñata creation, Lejarazu said, “I work hard to make a piñata that is made to be destroyed. Because every time you make something that is to be destroyed, you make it better, faster and easier, and you improve your techniques to make something.” Lejarazu and Contreras Perea have been creating his sculptures for nearly 20 years, forming each sculpture uniquely.

For this year’s Viva la Vida Festival & Parade, Lejarazu and Contreras Perea are creating 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 sun-like 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. 

Come see our fantastic mojigangas and the unveiling of our new mojiganga created by Sergio Lejarazu and Monica Contreras Perea at our 42nd annual Viva la Vida Festival & Parade on Saturday, October 25 at 12 p.m.!

Education

Fall 2025 Intern Spotlights

Meet Demian Chavez Galvan, Education Intern, The University of Texas at Austin

“My name is Demian Chavez Galvan. I am a senior at The University of Texas at Austin, where I am pursuing a BA in Theatre & Dance and a Minor in Arts Management & Administration. 

I applied to this internship because I wanted to work with and for an organization that centered Latine culture, community and education. These are strongly held values in my own artistic practice and professional goals, which makes the Mexic-Arte an ideal place to grow as both artist and administrator. 

So far, my favorite activity has been Austin Museum Day. The Mexic-Arte Museum hosted a Cempasúchil Seed Pod Workshop, led by ceramic artist Gabo Mtz. I had a great time talking and crafting with guests and Gabo, who were all as excited as I was to spend their Sunday getting their hands dirty and shaping clay and seeds into little artworks that will soon bloom into beautiful marigolds in time for Día de los Muertos.

The work I’m doing as an intern at Mexic-Arte Museum is the exact kind of work I hope to be doing in the next five, ten and twenty years. I want to work with and for communities in spaces that center their culture and creativity. I want to educate and help young people engage with the work and their culture in a way that is meaningful to them. This internship is preparing me to do this work, furthering my passions and professional goals while allowing me to grow.”

Meet Grecia Del Bosque, Special Events & Marketing Intern, The University of Texas at Austin

“I am Grecia Del Bosque, and I am currently a senior at The University of Texas at Austin. I am pursuing a double major in Advertising and Economics with a minor in business.

I had heard of the museum previously and was interested in gaining more experience in the museum and non-profit world. When I saw that internships for the museum opened, I was very interested in contributing to the Mexic-Arte mission. My Mexican heritage is a big part of my identity and working at a place that gives a voice to Mexican and Latin artists is the main factor that led me to this internship. Additionally, contributing to the 42nd annual Viva la Vida, Día de los Muertos parade seemed very exciting especially through my hands-on role in Special Events & Marketing.

So far, I really enjoyed the intern orientation where we were able to learn about each department and what they contribute to the museum. I am interested in a career in museum administration or in live events in the future, so I think this is a great internship to learn about the process. I am looking forward to seeing all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into successful marketing efforts and events.”

Austin Museum Day & Family Day at Mexic-Arte

On September 21, 2025, Mexic-Arte Museum Art Education partnered with artist Gabo Martinez for Austin Museum Day. Visitors had the opportunity to create seed pods out of clay with cempasuchil (marigold) seeds inside. Visitors also learned about the significance of marigolds in Día de los Muertos and pre-Columbian times. Over 1,000 visitors and art enthusiasts of all ages came to enjoy and make art with us! Thank you to UT Art Education student volunteers for volunteering their time to also help us guide visitors in paper marigold making and screen printing

Austin Museum Day is a community event which offers free admission and includes special programs and activities at museums and cultural institutions across the area. Austin Museum Day is held on the penultimate (second to last) Sunday of the month of September. Thank you to Austin Museum Partnership for facilitating Austin Museum Day!

Gabo Mtz is a Mexica-Tejana Artist based in Houston, TX who works in printmaking and ceramics. Mtz graduated from Texas State University in San Marcos with a BFA in studio art. Drawing upon both traditional and contemporary motifs, Mtz utilizes these visual languages to craft a narrative of her own that reclaims and honors her heritage. Combining the use of printmaking and ceramics, she creates installations and spaces that evoke the warmth of brown bodies and rich vibrant colors. These energetic spaces become vehicles for the re-emergence of barro rojo (red clay), a material with an ancestral legacy, into the contemporary moment. She molds this soft and malleable clay into objects that immortalize her culture and narratives.

Mtz has exhibited her work at Front Gallery in Houston, Wrong Gallery in Marfa, Lone Gallery in Dallas, Texas A&M International University Gallery in Laredo and at the Sonoma Community Center in California. Her work is carried by All The Feels shop in Houston and Neighborhood Store in Dallas.

View Gabo’s Work

October Family Days at Mexic-Arte

Screen It! Fall 2025

Students at Smith elementary, KIPP Brave and Covington Middle School have been learning about Día de los Muertos and creating screen print designs this fall! Teaching Artists have been teaching the principles of screen printing and design for the students to learn how to create and print their own t-shirt designs. We are so excited to see what they will create. Some students will participate in the viva la vida parade and wear their shirts

Mexic-Arte Museum’s Screen It! The program serves students at Title 1 schools between ages 10 and 17, where local Teaching Artists introduce them to the principles of screen printing and related careers in the arts. Teaching Artists guide them through basic introduction of screen printing techniques –from the creation of stencils to a final t-shirt design project.

The program encourages participants to express themselves creatively in a safe learning environment while creating meaningful, personalized artwork they can wear proudly (such as t-shirts, reusable shopping bags and posters), guiding them in the development of their art skills as a tool of expression and as valuable entrepreneurial skills.

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

Mexic-Arte Museum is a Finalist for the 2025 HABLA con ORGULLO LATINO Awards

Mexic-Arte Museum is honored to be a finalist in the 2025 HABLA con ORGULLO LATINO Awards in the Community Organizations Category alongside Austin Bomberos (Austin Hispanic Firefighter’s Association) and Amigos En Azul (Austin Hispanic Police Association)!

During Hispanic Heritage Month, HABLA recognizes and awards individuals/organizations with the HABLA con Orgullo Award as they celebrate the leadership and impacts of Latinos in Austin, Texas.

Online voting is closed. Winners will be announced at the Annual 2025 HABLA con ORGULLO AWARDS—LEGADO, LIDERAZGO Y LATINIDAD on Thursday, October 2, 2025. Thank you, HABLA, for this special recognition and nomination.

Join Mexic-Arte Museum for the 42nd Annual Viva la Vida 2025 Presented by the Austin Convention Center

Mexic-Arte Museum’s 42nd annual Viva La Vida Festival & Parade is Austin’s largest and longest-running Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) event. Co-presented by the Austin Convention Center and the City of Austin, this year’s festival will take place on Saturday, October 25, at 4th Street and Congress Avenue. The festivities begin with a Grand Procession at noon. Festival activities run until 6 p.m. Participants can enjoy the Education Pavilion with hands-on art activities, traditional foods, local artists and retail booths, a low-rider exhibition and live performances throughout the day.

Join Mexic-Arte Museum for the Ribbon Cutting of Las Calaveras de la Calle 5

Join Mexic-Arte, the Downtown Austin Alliance and elected officials as we commemorate the installation of six new calaveras in the 5th St. Mexican American Cultural District!

What: Ribbon Cutting for Las Calaveras de la Calle 5

When: Saturday, November 1, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: Republic Square, 422 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78701

Admission: FREE!

About Las Calaveras de la Calle 5

Las Calaveras de la Calle 5 is a three-month, 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.

Embedded QR codes at the base of each sculpture connect visitors to digital content, providing further context about the artwork and the cultural significance behind each design. These links direct users to the 5th Street Mexican American Cultural District page, co-hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance and Mexic-Arte Museum.

Calavera Artists:

• French – Valerie Chaussonnet   
• African American – Luis Abreux 
• Latine/x – Luis Angulo 
• Indigenous – Cindy and Ernesto Hernandez
• Chicano – Amado Castillo III
• Asian – Candy Yu Yen Kuo

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Downtown Austin

Just text ATX CULTURA to 512-890-3099 to download the Downtown Austin Alliance web app to stay in the know about upcoming events and deals downtown!

Thank You Visit Austin!

Thank you Visit Austin, for inviting Mexic-Arte Museum to represent the Central Austin Neighborhood at the Visit Austin 2025 Annual Meeting & Reception | More Austin. Mexic-Arte staff shared information about Viva la Vida and the 5th St Mexican American Cultural District.

Development

Thank You to Our Sponsoring Partners for 2025 Viva la Vida Festival & Parade

Mexic-Arte Museum thanks its 2025 sponsors: Austin Convention Center / Unconventional; A+ Federal Credit Union; Brown Distributing; City of Austin Office of Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment; Downtown Austin Alliance; Pronto Insurance; Texas Commission on the Arts Economic Development, Texas Commission on the Arts Performance Support; Trialmed; and Zoox for their contributions to the upcoming celebration.

There’s still time to become a sponsor. Sponsorship levels range between $500 and $25,000 and offer a variety of exposure to the event’s 2,000 participants, 20,000 spectators and millions of media impressions. This is a phenomenal community event for mission-forward brands. We hope you will join us!

For more information, please contact Development Coordinator, Mindy Radike at 512-200-7276 or . Thank you for your time and support! 

Full Sponsorship Packet

Pay for Viva Sponsorship

Become a Member Today!

The summer programming surrounded us with vibrant stories and artistic expressions that connect us to the shared Mexican and Latino heritage, here in Texas. Together, we commemorated the museum as a living celebration of our heritage, a bridge between generations and a platform to empower emerging voices that might not be heard otherwise.

As we transition to fall programming, consider taking the next step and becoming a member. Whether you start with our basic level or decide to become one of our leading cultural ambassadors, you’re investing in something that matters deeply– the preservation and celebration of our artistic heritage right here in Texas.

Standard benefits include: 10% of store purchases and unlimited free admission, including to our member receptions.

View Full Membership Benefits

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! 

These tours provide 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

Local Artists Merch & Gifts Now Featured

Local Artists

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