LOS ANGELES, CA.- On November 9, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County presented a contemporary look at folk art when it debuted for U.S. audiences the extraordinary traveling exhibition Grandes Maestros: Great Masters of Iberoamerican Folk Art, Collection of Fomento Cultural Banamex. To celebrate the Los Angeles opening, an exhibition-inspired Latin Festival featuring dance, musical and cultural performances such as INCA presented by the Music Center; L.A. Opera’s Florencia en Los Amazones; and Malibu Mariachi as well as guided tours, artisanal workshops and Latin-American inspired cuisine—will occur inside and outside of the museum throughout the day.

More than 800 works made by approximately 600 of the most accomplished artists from 22 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela as well as Spain and Portugal are on view through September 13, 2015 in the Museum’s special exhibitions galleries which span 13,000 square feet.

“Folk art is a marriage of human creativity, cultural identity, and a powerful bond to the planet and the natural resources it provides. So it should be no surprise that NHM will be the first U.S. stop for the Grandes Maestros exhibition. We explore how nature and culture, past and present, intersect,” said Dr. Jane Pisano, NHM President and Director. “Los Angeles has strong ties to Latin America, from which the Grandes Maestros treasures come. The exhibit—at this Museum and in this city—will move people to see their pasts, and the world around them, in new ways.”

The Los Angeles presentation of Grandes Maestros is curated by Cándida Fernández de Calderón, Director of Fomento Cultural Banamex in Mexico City, and the exhibition as presented in Los Angeles was designed in collaboration with NHM’s award-winning exhibitions team.

The experience begins with an introduction gallery to the Grandes Maestros, or Great Masters, themselves. A multi-media map comes to life with images of a featured object from each of the 22 countries. On opposite walls, a large-scale video installation features moving portraits of the artists and videos of them at work.

This introductory gallery leads into galleries filled with contemporary works grouped by artistic mediums — textiles, wood, clay, metal, natural fibers, and various (paper, leather). The exhibition is filled with vibrant color: The white walls feature huge swaths of color representing each of the six mediums. The intricately-crafted, boldly colored objects – each one filled with character and unique personality - are arranged on modernist pedestals to highlight the fact that these are contemporary folk masterpieces made with expansive cultural, ethnic, geographical, and artistic diversity—and the absence of glass cases allows visitors an intimate look at craftsmanship.

Leading masters of folk art such as Óscar Soteno Elías (Mexico), Edilsa Hitucama Negria (Panama), and Antonio Lopez Fuentes, Casa Fermin (Spain) were selected to showcase the highest levels of achievement in traditional arts with objects created to illustrate their customs, festivals and devotions, myths, and everyday life. These contemporary artworks stem from long and rich traditions reaching back to the pre-Columbian era and also illustrate European influences.

Intricate textiles, hand-carved miniature sculptures, yarn paintings, clay animals, religious and political retables—associated with daily use or ritual purpose and immersed in the traditions and identity of Iberoamerican communities across Mexico, Central and South America, Spain and Portugal—are featured. All of the works are by living artists, many of whom are working in local collectives, and some of whom are well known throughout their countries and beyond.

“Since 2007, the Grandes Maestros of Iberoamerica program, which grew from a much older program that was limited to Mexico, has propelled Fomento Cultural Banamex AC’s support for these masters without upsetting the work’s technical and aesthetic design and without violating the basics of the masters’ ars magna. We are reaffirming the importance of the works’ cultural values and providing more and better tools for the inexhaustible creation of works in the future,” Fernandez stated.

At the end of the Grandes Maestros exhibition on Level 1, visitors will find a museum store dedicated to the unique artisan-produced objects of the Grand Masters as well as merchandise inspired by their works.