For his INSITE97 Community Engagement project, San Diego artist Roberto Salas collaborated with artists in Tijuana and San Diego as well as San Diego students to create a piñata installation at the Centro Cultural de la Raza. Salas designed the piñatas in reference to his perceptions of traditional, popular, and personal iconography and allowed the artists to incorporate their own perspectives as the piñatas were fabricated. With bold colors and unusual imagery, Piñatas encantadas visually reinterpreted the traditional Mexican piñata while celebrating its history and mythology. As part of the installation, the piñata blueprints were displayed, and students painted a mural that echoed themes from the piñatas.
Project director: Luis Stand
Venue: Centro Cultural de la Raza, San Diego