MARS SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, September 20, 2025

10 am – 7 pm

TICKETS: FREE for Members and the general public

El Movimiento Artístico del Río Salado (MARS), a Phoenix-based arts collective and gallery, was established in 1978 by and for local Chicano artists. MARS: Revisited is a one-day symposium at Phoenix Art Museum that explores the cultural history, artistic development, and community impact of MARS on the Valley’s contemporary arts ecosystem and the broader Chicano Arts movement. For more information, visit https://phxart.org/mars-symposium/.

Symposium livestream link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6POxo4Blv4

SYMPOSIUM TIMELINE + PANEL INFORMATION 

10 am – 11 am | Keynote presentation by Amalia Mesa-Bains

11 am – Noon | Panel 1: MARS and the Chicano Aesthetic

• Angélica Becerra (Bradford and Christine Mishler Associate Curator of American Art, the Huntington Art Museum Library and Botanical Gardens)
• Marissa Del Toro (Independent Curator and Assistant Director of Programs and Exhibitions, NXTHVN)
• Martín Moreno (Artist)

Noon – 12:15 pm | Break

12:15 pm – 1:15 pm | Panel 2: MARS and Alternative Art Spaces

• Robert C. Buitrón (Artist)
• Cory Imig (Co-Founder, Impractical Spaces)
• Melissa Rachleff (Professor of Visual Arts Administration, NYU Steinhardt)

1:15 pm – 2:30 pm | Lunch Break

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm | Panel 3: MARS and Community Programs + Services

• Carmen Guerrero (Executive Director, Cultural Coalition)
• Liz Lerma (Artist)
• Terezita “Tere” Romo (Independent Curator and Affiliate Faculty in the Chicana/o Studies Department at UC Davis) 

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Break  

3:45 pm – 5 pm | Panel 4: The Legacy of MARS 

• Sam Gomez (Founder, Sagrado Galeria)  
• Annie Lopez (Artist) 
• Christian Ramírez (Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement, Phoenix Art Museum) 
• Stephanie Roman (Executive Director, CALA Alliance)  
• Dr. Mathew Sandoval (Associate Professor and Dean’s Fellow for Access and Inclusive Excellence, ASU Barrett the Honors College) 

5 pm – 7 pm: Post-symposium gathering and entertainment 

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MARS: Revisited is organized by Christian Ramírez, the Cohn Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and Director of Engagement at Phoenix Art Museum, and Dr. Mathew Sandoval, Associate Professor and Dean’s Fellow for Access and Inclusive Excellence at ASU Barrett the Honors College, with assistance from former MARS artist Annie Lopez and Dr. Anita Huizar-Hernandez, Associate Professor of Border Studies at ASU and Associate Director of the Hispanic Research Center. Project partners include ASU’s Hispanic Research Center, Cultural Coalition, and Xico Inc. 

MARS: Revisited is made possible through the generosity of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and Terra Foundation for American Art.