MARS Symposium

September 20, 2025 at Phoenix Art Museum

Panel 1: MARS and the Chicano Aesthetic

Presenters:

• Marissa Del Toro, Assistant Director of Programs and Exhibitions at NXTHVN

• Angélica Becerra, Associate Curator at the Huntington Art Museum, Library, and Botanical Garden

• Martín Moreno, Artist

El Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado (MARS) was a Phoenix-based arts collective and gallery that was established in 1978 by and for local Chicano artists. The group’s work was largely excluded from Southwest gallery and museum exhibitions throughout the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.

MARS: Revisited is a one-day symposium at Phoenix Art Museum that explores the cultural history, artistic development, and community impact of MARS. Artists, scholars, and community members are invited to attend this day of dynamic conversation and exchange, featuring four distinct panels that will examine the groups origins as a distinctly Chicano arts movement, consider the MARS Artspace gallery as an alternative space, explore MARS’ dedication as a non-profit to educating the Greater Phoenix community about art and culture, and illuminate the collective’s legacy and impact on the city’s contemporary arts ecosystem and the broader Chicano Arts movement.

MARS: Revisited is organized by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement at Phoenix Art Museum, and Dr. Mathew Sandoval, Associate Professor and Dean’s Fellow for Access and Inclusive Excellence at ASU Barrett the Honors College, with assistance from artist and former MARS artist Annie Lopez and Dr. Anita Huizar-Hernández, Associate Professor of Border Studies at ASU and Associate Director of the Hispanic Research Center. Project partners include ASU’s Hispanic Research Center, Cultural Coalition, and Xico Inc.