For many years, Chicano artists in Arizona faced exclusion from the state’s main museums and galleries. Their art was often left out of exhibitions, limiting opportunities to share Mexican American perspectives with the wider public.
In response to this lack of representation, a group of artists established El Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado (MARS) in the late 1970s. The collective offered a platform for Chicano artists to display their work and became a center for creativity, community involvement, and cultural expression. MARS influenced Phoenix’s arts scene for over two decades before closing in the early 2000s.
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University is working with Phoenix Art Museum to examine MARS’s legacy. They will host a one-day symposium titled “MARS: Revisited” on Saturday, Sept. 20, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Phoenix Art Museum. Admission is free and the event will be livestreamed.
“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 contributed significantly to Phoenix’s cultural identity by helping start First Fridays on Roosevelt Row—now among the largest monthly arts events nationally—and turning downtown Phoenix into an area known for experimental and community-focused 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 stated that the symposium demonstrates the museum’s dedication to recognizing overlooked artists who shaped Arizona’s cultural history. The museum also plans a major MARS exhibition along with a scholarly monograph in 2028.
Barrett students are actively involved through research led by Sandoval; they are conducting archival work and oral history interviews with former MARS members. Their findings will contribute both to the planned exhibition in 2028 and serve as honors theses for students pursuing degrees in arts fields.
“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.
Arizona State University has received recognition as number one in innovation for eight consecutive years according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges rankings. The university was nominated by college leaders based on advancements made across various fields such as business, nursing, and engineering (https://news.asu.edu/20220911-university-news-asu-no-1-innovation-us-news-world-report-eighth-year?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=asu&utm_campaign=ASURankings&utm_term=USNWR).
The City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department has partnered with ASU tech startup Argos Vision on developing smart traffic cameras designed to improve safety through data analysis during a year-long pilot program (https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/street-transportation/2420).
