MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Art Center, or MAC, invites the public to “Raíces Hermosas: Conversations with Artists,” on Saturday, April 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the MAC gallery.

The Raíces Hermosas ~ Gorgeous Roots group exhibit highlights contemporary expressions of Latinx art and culture.

Conversations with Artists and the Raíces Hermosas exhibit are free and open to the public.

This conversation with selected artists will be facilitated by the exhibit’s guest curator, Jez Flores-García, Ph.D. The event offers an opportunity to hear directly from the artists about their creative processes, inspirations and concerns as Latinx artists. The artist panel includes five exhibiting artists. Alex Blas, Jaymie de la Torre Hernandez, Maria Mariscal, Manuel Rios and Martín Zúñiga.

Lake County resident Alex Blas has exhibited his richly detailed figure paintings in galleries including Lyons Weir Gallery (New York) and George Billis Gallery (Los Angeles). Sculptor Jaymie de la Torre Hernandez of Angwin works in clay and found objects and is an instructor of fine art at Pacific Union College.

Maria Mariscal and Manuel Rios are based in Sacramento. Mariscal’s work focuses on intersectional Latinx identities and mental health. In his work, Rios explores the nuances of Latinx identity in rural versus urban environments. He is a professor of art at Woodland Community College. Martín Zúñiga creates art that focuses on community and facilitates collaborative youth art projects and art events as a member of the Raizes Collective in Santa Rosa.

Flores is a curator and art historian specializing in contemporary art and Chicano art. Her research focuses on the ways artists navigate burdens of representation and forge intersectional alliances of resistance. “The Raíces Hermosas exhibition brings together work by artists across generations who identify as Latinx. However, that identity is complicated, at both individual and community levels. During the panel we will hear from the artists about representation—in every sense of the word—and its burdens.”

The event will be accessible via Zoom through the MAC website at www.middletownartcenter.org. Live Spanish translation will be available.

Raíces Hermosas is on view at MAC through May 27, Thursday to Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery hosts school field trips on most weekdays until 1 p.m.

Please visit MAC’s website or contact 707-355-4465 to learn more.

Funding for the Raíces Hermosas project is provided by the Specified General Fund for the Museum Grant Program under the California Cultural and Historical Endowment

The Middletown Art Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the arts and cultural enrichment in the Middletown community and beyond. Through exhibitions, workshops, and events, MAC strives to inspire creativity and foster a deeper appreciation for the arts.

To learn more and contribute to support Raíces Hermosas and other MAC arts and cultural programs, visit middletownartcenter.org or call 707-809-8118. The MAC is located at 21456 State Highway 175 in Middletown.