ASU, Phoenix Art Museum shed new light on influential Chicano arts organization
From left: Christian Ramirez, Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and director of engagement at the Phoenix Art Museum, and Mathew Sandoval, teaching professor and Dean’s Fellow for Access and Inclusive Excellence at ASU’s Barrett, The Honors College. Photo by Airi Katsuta
For decades, Chicano artists in Arizona were denied access to the state’s major museums and galleries. Their work was often excluded from exhibitions, leaving few opportunities to share Mexican American perspectives with the broader community.
In response, a group of artists formed El Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado, known as MARS, in the late 1970s. The collective provided a platform for Chicano artists to showcase their work and became a hub for innovation, community engagement and cultural expression. MARS helped shape the arts landscape in Phoenix for more than 20 years before closing in the early 2000s.
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University is partnering with Phoenix Art Museum to revisit that legacy. The one-day symposium, "MARS: Revisited," will take place Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Phoenix Art Museum. Admission is free. The event will also be livestreamed here.
Event details
"MARS: Revisited"
10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 20
Phoenix Art Museum
Free admission.
Livestream here.
“From the late 1970s to the early 2000s, MARS was a prolific arts organization that gave Chicano artists a space to showcase their artwork, which was important because Arizona’s museums and galleries refused to show Chicano art at that time,” said Mathew Sandoval, Barrett professor and Dean’s Fellow for Access and Inclusive Excellence.
MARS also played a major role in shaping Phoenix’s cultural identity. The collective helped launch First Fridays on Roosevelt Row, now one of the largest monthly arts events in the country, and turned downtown Phoenix into a center for experimental and community-driven art.
“'MARS: Revisited' is an exciting and long-overdue opportunity to uncover the legacy of an artist collective that made tremendous contributions to both the Arizona and U.S. arts community,” said Christian Ramírez, Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and director of engagement at Phoenix Art Museum, who is co-organizing the symposium with Sandoval.
Phoenix Art Museum Director and CEO Jeremy Mikolajczak said the symposium reflects the museum’s commitment to recognizing overlooked artists who helped shape Arizona’s cultural history. The museum plans a major MARS exhibition and a scholarly monograph in 2028.
Barrett students are also playing a central role. As part of a research project led by Sandoval, students are conducting archival research and oral history interviews with former MARS members. Their work will contribute to the 2028 exhibition and serve as honors theses for students, most of whom are pursuing degrees in the arts.
“The project gives students an opportunity to work side by side with the most prestigious art institution in the city while also serving the community by bringing to light some of its unrecognized history,” Sandoval said.
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