Lion-type mask: Francisco Gamez Peña (Mayo)	© Cheryl Fischer, Yoeme carver Frank Martinez

WELLS FARGO GALLERY

Each summer Tohono Chul launches a new exhibit drawing upon the rich cultural expressions represented in the Park’s permanent collection of Southwest American Indian arts. Displayed for a year, exhibits promote an appreciation for achievements of the region’s Native peoples while exploring the dynamic links between past, present and future.
Gallery Hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday through Saturday.

Featuring selections from the Park’s permanent collection together with items loaned by local collectors, carvers and photographers, the exhibit focuses on the masks carved for the Yaqui ceremonial dancer known as Pascola (pah’kola). The pascola, whose name translates to “old man of the fiesta,” is characterized by the mask he wears and the function he performs. His job is to draw a crowd and officially begin each ceremony; he will also dance, clown around, and tell stories to the crowd throughout the night.

The pascola’s most distinctive trait, his mask, represents a woodcarving tradition that has been passed down for centuries, first as an important part of the ceremonial year and, as seen more recently, as artistic works of art. Generations of Wooden Faces features the work of several Yaqui artists including the celebrated Martinez family: Frank, Feliciana, Eddie and Frankie, noted carver Louis David Valenzuela, David Moreno, Mexican-American artist Arturo Montoya and others.