Your favorite childhood show, the smell of your best friend’s house, a cherished store that closed down: The Mexic-Arte Museum’s 15th annual Mix ‘n’ Mash exhibition dusts off the memories of your youth with this year’s theme, “Ecos del Pasado/Echoes of the Past.”
On display through March 2, the exhibit showcases the work of more than 200 artists, who illustrated the most integral corners of their pasts on quality Gessobord panels donated by Ampersand Art Supply.
“There’s a lot of change in the world, so we wanted to find a way to connect with the things that make us feel like home, or the things that we crave to return to,” special events and marketing coordinator Kaitlyn Zaldana says.
Each contribution is not only displayed, but also available for purchase. Artists receive a 40% commission for their work, while a separate portion of the sales fund the museum’s educational programming, including its El Mero Muro mural initiative and Screen It! youth screenprinting program.
“One of the things we enjoy the most about this exhibit is seeing so many different artists showcased at once,” Zaldana adds. “It’s very refreshing getting to see some really well-known artists and then some that are very young or fresh on the scene.”
“There is this deep self-hatred that is going on in the Mexican American community, and any way that we can celebrate our joy and our own self-love and reflection of where we grew up and our culture, is vitally important.” – JeanEva Alvarez
In her piece Knock-Off #1, JeanEva Alvarez drew inspiration from childhood trips to trade centers, or “pulgas,” where she recalls sellers duplicating the hip-hop-themed Looney Tunes T-shirts that Warner Bros. released to promote Space Jam.
“I wanted to join the hustle and make my own knockoff of something that reminded me of what it was like to make art with the intention of supporting oneself,” Alvarez says.
The Corpus native wielded her weapons of choice, crocheting and knitting needles, to bring unique texture to her work. Her 12-by-12-inch Gessobord displays a beige knit sweater embroidered with Sylvester the Cat sporting a gold tooth and hoop earring, an icon that she traced from a quilt her mother made for her when she was a child.
“When I think about Mexican art, I think about mostly utility pieces, or at least things that women have made. Women’s labor often isn’t really seen as art,” Alvarez notes. “I wanted to make a piece for her as well.”
With Knock-Off #1 as her first public art submission, the self-taught fiber artist emphasizes the importance of having an outlet like Mix ‘n’ Mash for creatives to commend each other’s work and lift each other up.
“There is this deep self-hatred that is going on in the Mexican American community, and any way that we can celebrate our joy and our own self-love and reflection of where we grew up and our culture, is vitally important,” Alvarez explains. “I think that taking it even outside our community, when someone can show how much they love where they’re from … it allows people to love who they are.”
This article appears in February 14 • 2025.
