To Hector Ortega, sculpture is much more than an occupation. Art has shown him why he was put on this Earth.
“It’s driven me to be the best version of myself,” Ortega said.
“You have no choice but to be the best version of yourself through hardship. It’s not always hardship, but it’s a lot of labor and uncertainty. I’m constantly questioning, ‘Why am I doing this?’ There’s something I know that I was put here for.”
Ortega will participate in Sculpture Tucson’s annual Sculpture Festival Show & Sale at Brandi Fenton Memorial Park. The event runs 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17.
“Over 50 sculptors will bring original art,” said Robin McArdle, art manager. “There are over 70 large ‘monumental’ pieces that will be out in the common area in Brandi Fenton Memorial Park. Seventy pieces is a lot of pieces to see.
“The public can walk around it and enjoy it and experience it in a way you never really have the opportunity to do. What’s wonderful about this event is the artists are there the whole time. That’s something to look forward to. They can experience the art and speak to the artists about their work.”
Proceeds from the Sculpture Tucson Festival Show & Sale are used in part to purchase, donate and exhibit sculpture in public settings. The organization works with local community partners and government entities, as well as art and business organizations to help connect sculptors to resources.
“It’s going to be a beautiful day,” McArdle said. “I worked for parks and recreation for 39 years. This is a county park and I think this is Tucson’s best park. We’re set up with plenty of parking and they get to experience sculpture. There are art experiences in Tucson.
“We hear that we’re the City of Gastronomy, but we’re also the city of art. We have wonderful art. This is an opportunity to see sculpture, which is really difficult to do.”
The challenge with sculpture, McArdle said, is many galleries do not show sculpture because the pieces are large. Galleries and exhibit spaces have a limited area in which to show art. Also, the pieces are difficult and expensive to move.
“Because of all these challenges, there’s not a lot of opportunities to go to one place and experience sculpture,” McArdle said.
‘Guiding light’
Ortega said art is his guiding light.
“It’s always been my salvation,” he said. “I’ve taken huge risks with it. Sometimes, I thought it would break me, but it came back and saved me. It’s always been like that.”
Ortega began sculpting with stone, but when the materials became too heavy and expensive, he segued into steel.
“I remember hiring people to make bases for me, but they never came out the way I wanted them. So I learned welding and sculpture. My sculptures are abstract modern, heavily influenced by modern architecture, simplicity and monuments—quiet things that envelop space and will listen to people quietly. They say something without saying something.”
Like Ortega, Cristina Sanchez is returning to Sculpture Tucson’s annual Sculpture Festival Show & Sale. She has shown pieces there since 2019.
“At that moment, I was living in New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I saw this organization and it was very interesting.
“Most of the art shows are focused to sell and the organizations take advantage of artists. This is totally different. They think of the artist when they set entrance fees and booth fees. They create a nice show.”
Hailing from Chihuahua, Mexico, Sanchez creates whimsical sculptures, melding human figures with wood, clay and mixed media. Recently, she has been using mesquite.
“I really believe the objects themselves tell a story,” she said. “As part of my work, I tell a story to the spectator.”
She’s been a spectator herself, studying the commonalities between art from Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States.
“We share this desert culture,” said Sanchez, who moved to Tucson in 2021. “You can see it in the symbols and the figures they would put in art. The art is similar because we share the desert. I think the desert definitely tells you what to do.”
She’s inspired by jackrabbits — “I just love them. They’re so incredible looking” — and the “Dr. Seuss-like” trees.
“I love this connection with Sonora, Mexico,” she said. “Here, I think it feels like the same to me. There are no borders.”
Sculpture Festival Show & Sale
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17
WHERE: Brandi Fenton Memorial Park, 3482 E. River Road, Tucson
COST: Free admission
INFO: www.sculpturetucson.org, sculpturetucson@gmail.com
