Fiesta Jarabe (1991-1993, Painted fiberglass)

Fiesta Jarabe (1991-1993 pintura sobre fibra de vidrio)

Fiesta Jarabe (1991-1993, Painted fiberglass)

University of Houston

3968 Cullen Blvd.,

Houston, TX 77004

The 10-foot-tall piece, known as “Fiesta Jarabe,” depicts two middle-aged Hispanic dancers taking part in a hat dance. It was created by Luis Jimenez, a former UH faculty member who was known for making large colorful fiberglass sculptures depicting Southwestern and Hispanic themes. Jimenez utilized materials that are associated with the commercial industry and the individuals who work in this industry as labor force. Fiesta Jarabe is the second of a series of five representations of a couple dancing the Jarabe Tapatío, the choreographic folk dance traditional to Guadalajara, Mexico.

The work celebrates the working classes by representing their bodies in a social realistic style of monumental scale. The seasoned couple performs zapateando around the sombrero in full regalia Tapatia. The organic form of the sculpture captures their energies as they dance while contrasting their warm colors with undulating shapes and achieves to communicate the power of their bodies and of their performance. This piece is part of the University of Houston’s Public Art Collection.

https://uh.edu/af-auxiliary-services/news/articles/2016/March/03072016FiestaJarabe.php

http://publicartuhs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Luis-Jimenez-SPREADS.pdf

http://publicartuhs.org/artwork/fiesta-dancers/

https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/model-fiesta-11427