The Sagrado Galleria opened in the Grand Avenue arts district in 2012. It held space each month for art shows, workshops, and dance performances. The galleria moved to a new location in South Phoenix. Their grand re-opening will present “Pasado, Presente, Futuro,” a group exhibition narrating the past, present, and future of Mexican, Chicano and Indigenous cultures.
Sam Gomez, the Sagrado Galleria owner, and artist Marco Albarran talk about the galleria and exhibition.
JOSE: THE SAGRADO GALLERIA OPENED IN THE GRAND AVENUE ARTS DISTRICT IN 2012. THE GALLERIA HELD SPACE EACH MONTH FOR SHOWS, WORKSHOPS AND DANCE PERFORMANCES. THEY MOVED AND WILL HAVE A GRAND NEW OPENING IN SOUTH PHOENIX. JOINING ME IS THE OWNER, SAM GOMEZ AND ARTIST MARCOS ALBARRAN IS HERE. EXCITING WEEK, SOMETHING NEW. IT HAS BEEN A WHILE THAT YOUR GALLERY HAS BEEN AROUND. TALK ABOUT THE ORIGINAL GALLERY AND WHY THE MOVE.
SAM GOMEZ: WE WERE ORIGINAL ON 11TH AVENUE AND GRAND. WE OPENED UP THE FIRST FRIDAY ON JANUARY OF 2012. IT WAS -- I MEAN WE DID A LOT OF SHOWS THERE. WE DID A LOT OF THEMES. WE HAD THEME-BASED ART SHOWS SO WE CAME UP WITH THEMES AND HAD THE ARTIST DO A LOT OF PIECES. WE WERE ABLE TO BRING A LOT OF DIVERSITY. IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH GRAND AVENUE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEHIND THERE ARE MORE LOW POVERTY LEVEL NEIGHBORHOOD. THEN YOU HAVE THE OTHER SIDE OF ROOSEVELT ROW AND EVERYTHING MERGING TOGETHER. WHEN WE OPENED UP THERE IT WAS BEFORE THEY HAD ALL THE LIGHTS. SO NEW LIGHTING, BARRICADES NOW SO YOU CAN PARK. WHEN WE WERE FIRST THERE PEOPLE WERE NOT SURE IF YOU COULD PARK BECAUSE GRAND AVENUE WAS HISTORICALLY A MAJOR HIGHWAY BACK IN THE DAY. WE OPENED UP 2012, WE WERE THERE FOR A COUPLE YEARS, AND THEN WE JUST DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO CLOSE THE BOOKS ON THAT.
JOSE: WHAT DOES THE NEW LOCATION OFFER THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE THERE?
SAM GOMEZ: I THINK THE NEW LOCATION OFFERS A BIGGER SPACE. WHEN I MET WITH VICTOR HE ASKED ME WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DO OUT OF HERE SAM AND I SAID I WOULD LOVE TO OPEN BACK UP AGAIN. THERE IS MORE THERE. THERE IS MORE TRAFFIC. AND I THINK WE ARE MORE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT MOST OF THE ARTISTS GET THEIR INSPIRATION FROM.
JOSE: THIS IS FROM THE OLD GALLERY BUT IT GIVES PEOPLE A SENSE OF WHAT THEY WILL SEE AT THE NEW ONE.
SAM GOMEZ: CORRECT.
JOSE: AT THE OLD GALLERY, YOU ALSO DID WORKSHOPS AND DANCES AND STUFF. ARE WE GOING TO SEE THAT?
SAM GOMEZ: YES, VERY MUCH. WE WILL HAVE GUEST ARTISTS TO DO WORKSHOPS, WE WILL HAVE EMILY COSTELLO, ADAM VIGIL, MARCOS WILL DO WORKSHOPS. AT LEAST TWICE A MONTH. WE WILL ALSO HAVE MORNING VIEWINGS. EVERY FIRST SATURDAY WE WILL BE OPEN FROM 5-9 AND HAVE A MORNING VIEWING FROM 9-12. WE ARE TRYING TO GET MORE MORNING VIEWING. WE ARE TRYING TO GET TO PEOPLE THAT DON'T GET TO GO TO ART SHOWS OR MAYBE IT BECOMES MORE OF A SOCIAL CLUB PARTY. WE ARE TRYING TO GET THE COMMUNITY TO COME OUT AND SEE THE ART.
JOSE: YOU HAVE IMPRESSIVE ROSTER OF ARTISTS. MARCOS IS ONE OF THEM. WE HAVE A COUPLE PICTURES HIS WORK WE WILL PUT ON THE SCREEN SO PEOPLE GET A SENSE OF THE WORK HE HAS DONE. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE FOR ARTISTS LIKE HIM AND YOU OF THIS GALLERY?
MARCOS ALBARRAN: I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT NOT ONLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE ARTS FOR A WHILE BUT ALSO FOR THE YOUNGER ARTISTS THAT ARE GOING TO HOPEFULLY SUCCEED US ARTISTS ESPECIALLY IN AN AREA LIKE SOUTH PHOENIX WHERE FOR A LONG TIME IT WAS OPEN FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU KNOW THEY ARE OPENING THE GALLERY AND I THINK IT IS GOING TO OPEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR MANY ARTISTS.
JOSE: WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE EXHIBITION PEOPLE WILL BE SEEING WHEN THEY SHOW UP?
MARCOS ALBARRAN: I THINK THERE IS DIFFERENT PIECES, DIFFERENT STYLES AND DIFFERENT MEDIUMS SHOWING UP THERE SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE EACH ARTIST WORKS IN A DIFFERENT WAY IN EXPRESSING WHAT WE DO. LIKE MINE IS MORE MIXED MEDIA, AS COMPARED TO OTHERS WHICH IS MORE THE MASS FINE ARTS AND OTHER PAINTERS AND SCULPTURES. SO THERE IS THIS DIVERSITY OF ART FROM SOME OF THE ARTISTS THAT HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR A WHILE.
JOSE: AND I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT SOMETHING. THE THEME IN ENGLISH FOR THE EXHIBITION IS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
SAM GOMEZ: CORRECT.
JOSE: I THINK A PART OF THAT IS THE REPRESENTATION OF THE ARTIST BUT WHAT ARE YOU GETTING AT?
SAM GOMEZ: BASICALLY NARRATING THEIR EXPERIENCE THROUGH CHICANO, MEXICAN AND INDIGENOUS. IF IS SOMETHING THEY EXPERIENCED IN THEIR CHILDHOOD, OR WHAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING NOW OR IN THE FUTURE. I LEFT IT OPEN TO THE ARTIST TO INTERPRET IT IN THEIR WAY. I HAVE YET TO SEE ALL THE PIECES. BUT IT IS GOING TO BE INTERESTING AS FAR AS HOW EVERYBODY INTERPRETS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE IN THEIR OWN WAY.
JOSE: I KNOW YOU HAVE A NEW EXHIBITION AT YOUR OWN SHOP. TELL US ABOUT IT.
MARCOS ALBARRAN: IT GOES BEYOND THE SCRIPT. IT IS AN EXHIBITION WHERE WE DON'T CREATE ART FOR JUST THE A AESTETICS BUT SOMETHING WE CREATE BECAUSE IT COMES OUT OF THE ARTIST. NOT EVERYBODY MAY LIKE THE WORK WE DO BUT THAT'S THE FOCUS OF SOMETHING WE ARE TRYING EXPRESS THE ART WITHIN THE ARTIST.
JOSE: YOU HAVE A YOUNG NEW ARTIST?
MARCOS ALBARRAN: WE HAVE A NEW ARTIST WHO IS PROMINENT IN TERMS OF HOW SHE IS DEVELOPING AND IT IS A GREAT COMBINATION OF ARTISTS.
JOSE: I THINK THAT IS TRUE OF THE GALLERY. IT WILL BE OPEN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, RIGHT?
SAM GOMEZ: EVERY FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH FROM 5-9 AND WE WILL BE HAVING THE FIRST OPENING NOVEMBER 5TH AND CLOSING THE LAST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH.
JOSE: SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US ON "HORIZONTE."
Sam Gomez: The Sagrado Galleria Owner, Marco Albarran: Sagrado Galleria Artist
