March 1, from 2 - 6 P.M.
Easter is the most important holiday of the festival calendar for many Mexican Catholics. The abundance of Easter and Lenten season rituals, such as processions, dances, and other observances are evidence of its significance.
To commemorate this season, The Folk Tree's exhibition includes: old religious medals and vintage prayer cards from Mexico, a wide variety of crosses from South America, Mexico and Haiti; Our Lady of Guadalupe pieces by woodcarver Eleazar Morales,
paper mache artist Joel Garcia, and ceramicist Demetrio Aguilar (all from Mexico); santos (painted and unpainted wood carvings of saints) from Mexico and New Mexico; and milagros (miracle offerings).
Many local artists are represented. On view are pieces by paper mache artist
Ulla Anobile; mixed media artists Joseph and Chela Banuelos; paper cutters Robin Bevan and Jorge Rosano; painters Winifred Brewer, Yolanda Gonzalez, Rennie Marquez,
Victor Solis; assemblage artists Janice Lowry, Jose Orozco, Dan Van Clapp and Cynthia Cook. Cook explains her use of recycled materials to create intimately scaled "icons" with the goal of "inspiring a renewed sense of the sacred within the oft-overlooked mundane debris of contemporary life."
The Saints & Sinners exhibition highlights traditional devotional objects as well as contemporary pieces with symbols of Christianity and related themes in both worldly
and spiritual contexts. Theists and secularists alike will appreciate the variety of work
on view.
The Folk Tree is located at 217 South Fair Oaks Avenue, minutes walking distance from the Gold Line's Del Mar Station (and just fifteen minutes from downtown Los Angeles off the end of the 110 freeway) near the heart of Old Pasadena. Gallery hours are:
M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5. For more information, contact The Folk Tree at 626/795-8733 or Gail Mishkin at 626/793-4828.
