The organization’s mezzanine gallery will present 2024 Emerging Artist Fellow Julieta Zavala’s exhibition, “Mercado Kitsch México” from Sept. 6 to Sept. 27.
It will include vibrant and eclecticart inspired by the rich visual and cultural heritage of kitsch art, a form of art known for being eccentric.
Zavala said her Mexican heritage “has been and will continue to be my strongest inspiration. Everything about our art, culture and traditions inspires me.”
The exhibit includes garments that combine both her cultural roots and social trends.
In her work, Zavala reflects the artistic side of fashion by using unconventional and recyclable materials.
Guests are invited to attend a Meet-the-Artist reception on Friday, Sept. 6 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the gallery at 820 North French Street in Wilmington.
The designer grew up in Mexico City with her mother and three sisters.
Her father came to the United States when she was born, and her first introduction to the creativity of sewing was through her Aunt Maria.
Watching her aunt, Zavala said she could see the happiness sewing brought to her and seeing that happiness inspired herself to give it a try.
The remainder of her family moved to the U.S. in 2006, when Zavala was 20.
She had always wanted to study fashion design, but in Mexico it wasn’t financially plausible for her.
When she came to America, she began learning English and then going to night school, and she was able to pursue her longstanding dream.
She studied at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, where she graduated in 2014, with honors, as a fashion designer.
Her work is seen widely throughout the tri-state area, in Mexico, and in New York City, including at the Penn Museum and the Delaware Art Museum.
Her 2023 DelArt project was a residency in connection with the major exhibition Estampas de la Raza, a collaboration that included a runway show and a fashion installation in the exhibition gallery.
The gallery will feature an exclusive clothing collection and fashion runway, and each piece in her collection stands out not only for its distinctive character but also for the stories it tells about everyday life and the unrestrained creativity of Mexico City.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
