Artist Zarco Guerrero brings Chicano identity and meaning into his masks

For Zarco Guerrero, a mask is more than a work of art. It can tell a story, preserve culture and even inspire social change. The Mesa-born sculptor, maskmaker and performance artist has spent decades using his art to celebrate culture and strengthen community.

Now a collection of his work is on display at the Mesa Arts Center. Guerrero joined Catherine Anaya on this episode of “Horizonte” to talk about the artistry, the meaning and the stories behind the masks.

“It wasn’t until I went to Mexico to study art, where I wanted to go to art school, that I became enthralled and fascinated with the masks being used in Indigenous villages and the ancient masks that I saw in museums,” Guerrero said. “They fascinated me and they captivated me, and I wanted to create art that expressed human emotion, and that’s what I saw in the masks.”

Guerrero has exhibited and received international acclaim and many prestigious awards including the Japan Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Arizona Governors Arts Award, the Artistic Excellence Award from American Hispanics in Higher Education and the Esperanza Teacher of the Year Award, among many others.

Sharing history through the arts is one of Guerrero’s main motivations for the stories he tells and how he tells them. He brings his Chicano identity into his masks to share with the community.

“Every piece has a story that expresses our humanity,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero’s masks will be on display at the Mesa Arts Center until January 24, 2027, in the Dobson Main Gallery.

As the Mesa Arts Center explained on their website, “This exhibition illustrates vividly the honed skills, lucid imagination and compelling storytelling of Mesa-born sculptor, mask maker and performance artist Zarco Guerrero. Guerrero expertly blends the many techniques and exotic styles of the traditions he studied including Mexican, Japanese and Balinese. Far beyond mere decoration, this exhibition is a testament to one man’s legacy to bring the mask to life as a contemporary form of multicultural expression.”