Artists explore heritage in Hispanic-American art exhibit

There is about a week left to view the "Hispanic-American Heritage Exhibit" at Las Vegas City Hall's chamber gallery, 495 S. Main St. The exhibit runs through Oct. 11 and features three local artists, including Sandra Ward Craig, who lives in The Lakes area.

She has three pieces in the exhibit. One was in an exhibit in fall 2010 at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. That piece, titled "Alegria," meaning happiness, depicts a skeleton dancing with marigolds on her head, wearing a vibrant red dress. It was painted with acrylic.

Why did she choose that piece?

"It fit with the theme," Ward Craig said. "It celebrates the Day of the Dead traditions, where the marigold is the traditional flower for that. They celebrate people's ancestors and loved ones that have passed. More so than just honoring them, it celebrates their lives."

"Alegria" had intricate cuts, especially around the notches of the spinal column. But that was not the part that took the longest, Ward Craig said. Her background is in woodcuts and printmaking, so she cuts and carves using a special scroll saw.

"The longest part of the creation process is the conceptual process," she said. "My work takes a long time, so I try to schedule exhibits far in advance."

She creates her work in her two-car garage and "manages to fit it in one car."

Her other two pieces at the exhibit are "Piñata: Los Siete Pecados Mortales" and "Calavera de Azucar." The latter depicts a sugar skull, used for the celebrations of the dead, where the deceased's name is applied to the forehead of a sugary confection.

Ward Craig interviewed some family members to learn more about traditions behind the concepts she was depicting. Her mother, Raquel Ward, recalled how Ward Craig drilled her with questions on her heritage, including everything from food to art to clothing.

The seven-pointed piñata was inspired by a trip to her mother's town, where they visited market places in Mexico brimming with brilliant colored fruit and foods.

To make the art piece, Ward Craig needed a photo from which to work. She commissioned a piñata maker to create the piece, which she photographed as her husband, Joshua, swung it around. People think the seven-pointed piñata represents the Star of David, said Ward Craig, but she learned it actually was a teaching tool used to instruct converts to Christianity about the seven deadly sins.

Jeanne Voltura, gallery coordinator, said she tries to have five or six exhibits a year, each lasting about six weeks. Finding Ward Craig was not difficult, as they work together.

Also represented at the exhibit is Centennial Hills-area resident Adolfo Gonzalez. He has a number of art pieces around town, including at the Dr. William U. Pearson Park, 1625 W. Carey Ave., and the Doolittle Community Center, 1950 N. J St., as well as Police Memorial Park, 3250 Metro Academy Way. He was also part of the ZAP projects, which paint utility boxes into works of art.

What did being asked to be part of the exhibit mean to him?

"It means to be noticed as an American that has a culture recognized," he said. "Even though you're born American as a kid, you are raised as your mother was raised ... being Puerto Rican, I was raised with the rice and the beans, the artwork and the dancing. (There's) pride to be an American Latino."

He also did "Frida," a gouache piece of a senorita wearing heavy earrings.

The third artist is Henderson resident Theresa Lucero, who is showing a number of paintings, including an acrylic of a caballero, or knight, behind the gracefully bent heads of horses. She also did "The Orchard and the Chile Patch," showing a woman with a basket gathering produce.

The most dominating piece in the exhibit was done by Gonzalez. It's titled "Goddess" and is done in marker and airbrush. About 6½ feet tall and executed in stark black and white, it commanded attention as much for its size as its subject. It depicts a stunning woman dressed in intricate Aztec armor. And the model? It's his wife, Patricia.

The gallery is on the second floor. Exhibit hours are from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information, call 229-6511 or visit artslasvegas.org.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.