Wild Wonders: The Beauty of Art, Culture, and Conservation
Saturday, March 29, 2025 — Wednesday, April 30, 2025
9:00 am — 4:00 pm
Wild Wonders: The Art of Beauty, Culture and Conservation is making it’s Tucson debut! This special exhibition features nine stunning, larger-than-life animal sculptures created in the Huichol beaded art tradition by artisans from Mexico’s Menchaca Studios. Generously sponsored by the Click Family and Jim Click Automotive, this exhibit is one you won’t want to miss!
Each sculpture is lovingly and intricately crafted reflecting timeless symbols and traditions of the Huichol people with a slightly modern flair. As they stand among the live animals at the Zoo, the sculptures further amplify the majesty and importance of wildlife, inspiring the need for protecting it and the wild places they rely upon.
Huichol art encompasses time-honored and most recent innovations in the folk art and handcrafts produced by the indigenous Huichol people, who mostly live in the live in the mountainous areas of Jalisco, Durango, Zacatecas and Nayarit in Mexico. The unifying factor of the Huichol art form is its colorful decoration using traditional symbols and designs fashioned into works of yarn or brightly colored commercial beads like the sculptures you will see in the Wild Wonders exhibit. The symbols and designs communicate spiritual and cultural values that date back centuries.
Cesar Menchaca puts the works of Huichol artists in places it might never otherwise be, helping to sustain, rescue and reinterpret this unique art form. His Menchaca Studios, formed in his home in 2010, is a major promoter of Huichol beadwork worldwide — with exhibitions displayed in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Menchaca has managed to transform the lives of many members of indigenous communities with whom he has created over 200 life-size or larger Huichol art works, providing a job that allows them to live and support their families.
Menchaca describes himself as “an entrepreneur who loves Mexican art and culture and wants to sow the seed of deep reflection on transcendental issues for humans and nature.” He has conceived his collections of Huichol art as part of an intimately linked whole that blends centuries-old techniques and symbology with modern interpretations that unite art, culture, and a passion for the natural word. His works highlights the luminous cultural wealth of Mexico, the beauty of sustaining artistic and cultural traditions, and the importance of conservation –portraying the nobility and beauty of animals to inspire rescuing living species that are in danger of extinction.
Don’t miss seeing these magnificent sculptures as you explore the beauty at the intersection of art, culture, and conservation.
This event is free for members and included in Zoo admission.