Newport News, VA - Over three millennia of tradition and change are celebrated in the rich and diverse artistic traditions of Mexico through pottery, paintings, folk art and prints.  Along with traditional textiles and masks are pieces by the most influential 20^th century Mexican artists including Diego Rivera, Raul Anguiano, Miguel Covarrubias and José Clemente Orozco.  On exhibition January 21 - April 1 2007 at The Peninsula Fine Arts Center.

The exhibition explores ancient traditions centered around ritual and performance through artifacts from over a dozen Pre-Columbian cultures, revealing scenes of an often mysterious past.  They reveal a world of ceremony and celebration, of ritual warfare and the veneration of the dead, offering a unique view of the world.  These often poignant, sometimes charming, portrayals display an approach to life that has continued in Mexican culture for centuries.

The radical change and a merging of cultures brought on by the founding of new Spain in the 1500s are examined through artifacts such as Conquistador armor and Aztec blades.  Societal and religious shifts were profound and are strikingly revealed in colonial period retablos and bultos, the folk portraits and carvings of patron saints.  These works are uniquely Mexican and eloquently demonstrate the merging of Spanish culture, Catholic iconography and native art.

Colorful costumes and glittering fabrics have long been a mainstay of folk celebrations.  Together with a collection of colorful dance masks, the festivals and dances of feast days, religious celebrations and political satires are explored.

Social commentary of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries is examined in paintings and paper works made during the development of the modern Mexican state.  Included are works by Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco as well as pieces from the founders of the People’s Print Workshop.

Featuring the pottery, paintings, folk art and prints from the Gilcrese Museum, this traveling exhibition was developed and managed by Smith Kramer Fine Art Services of Kansas City, Missouri.

The Peninsula Fine Arts Center is located at 101 Museum Drive within Mariners' Museum Park, Newport News, Va.  For information visit www.pfac-va.org