New exhibit at zoo displaying beaded animal sculptures

By Athena Kehoe

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    TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — Reid Park Zoo is welcoming a new exhibition that’ll be sure to catch your eye.

‘Wild Wonders’ is an exhibition with nine massive animal sculptures all made from beads. Cesar Menchaca is the artist and hopes to leave a lasting impression about the Huichol culture.

Menchaca says there are about 50,000,000 beads between these nine sculptures, placed one by one.

“I always say that inside the heart of every Mexican beats passion, culture, and roots. That’s what we want to convey through this art. This is an important message to change the things we are doing wrong,” Menchaca said.

The official opening of the exhibition kicks off Saturday, March 29 with an event from 4:30 to 7 p.m. honoring cultural traditions of southern Arizona and Mexico.

Honoring the Huichol beadwork is something Menchaca says he values. The Museum of Beadwork explains that the beadwork process, known as Huichol, is a process of covering a 3-dimensional form in a single layer of beads, like a mosaic, but with distinctive patterns using geometric shapes and bright colors.

The Huichol foundation explains that the Huichol are a small tribe of approximately 35,000 living in central western Mexico near Ixtlan in the Sierra Madre Mountains. They are said to be the last tribe in North America to have maintained their pre-Columbian traditions.

Menchaca said each sculpture takes about a year to make, but the more complex ones took a little over a year. Overall, he explains, “Let’s shout out to the world the wonderful connection we have, like culture and art. Through art, we pray for you and your children.”

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