Museo de Arte de Zapopan (MAZ)
For over a decade, MAZ has operated with the conviction that the future of museums is local, a conclusion reached by the international museum community in the wake of the pandemic. This approach has made MAZ the only contemporary art museum in Mexico to present exhibitions featuring internationally renowned artists, while operating with the limited budget of a public, local, and free institution, through its Contemporary Art Program, Contemporary Fashion and Design Program (PMDC), Public Space Interventions Program (PIEP), Live Arts Program (PAV), and Biombo.
Our focus is on developing site-specific projects by renowned artists, driven by the principle that quality exhibitions should be accessible regardless of audiences' economic means and institutional resources. Our team has implemented resilient museological and ecological strategies to optimize material and financial resources, minimizing waste, recycling materials, and reusing structures from previous exhibitions. We take particular pride in the PMDC’s modular construction systems, which enable efficient assembly and disassembly while minimizing waste, allowing creative reuse across exhibitions.
All projects are accompanied by parallel activities that critically engage with the works and their contexts. We emphasize children's programming through Club de Niñxs, with six initiatives promoting reflection on nature, LGBTQIA+ rights, and other topics often excluded from educational settings in Mexico. We develop family guides, audioguides for visually impaired audiences, and run Paseante, an outreach program that brings exhibitions to communities affected by violence that cannot visit.
Since 2020, we have collaborated with Wixárika communities to translate all exhibition texts into Wixárika, acknowledging their use of our facilities for daily and work-related needs, like resting, sheltering from weather, and accessing restrooms. This practice is central to our curatorial approach, with Wixárika community members' contributions enriching exhibition research and development. This practice extends to interactive areas within exhibitions where our visitors contribute to the evolving exhibit itself.
Explain in one sentence why you think the project you nominate is outstanding and could serve as an example for the entire community of modern and contemporary art museums.
MAZ is an exceptional example for the contemporary art museum community because it is the only public, local, and free institution in Mexico that, despite limited infrastructure, presents high-quality exhibitions and innovative artistic practices by adapting to its local context and resources—recognizing how Guadalajara's unique experiences enrich global culture and vice versa—through diverse, environmentally responsible programming that actively promotes social justice and fosters a unique ecosystem of mutual learning, participation, and dialogue between established and new ideas, rather than merely serving as a passive repository for objects.
Explain why this practice or program is relevant and sustainable in creating meaningful and lasting connections with people, communities, and the museum context with a medium to long-term vision.
MAZ addresses political and social issues by actively collaborating with communities so art can be impactful to society while creating a space where artistic practices are shared and valued for their own merit.
PAV frequently tackles feminist topics and, through our programs, we have addressed Mexico’s crisis of disappearances, collaborating respectfully and significantly with searching families.
Through Biombo, an exhibition program in our Reading Room expanding artistic practices related to publishing, we have organized projects such as a communal stovetop where visitors cooked and reflected on food sovereignty and collective action; an exhibition-publication that resulted from the artist's service to families searching for their missing loved ones, assisting in compiling their stories; posters for LGBTQ+ marches; and an exhibition on indigenous linguistic rights, showcasing their rich written traditions contrary to common misconceptions. Biombo also hosts the annual Independent Publishing and Illustration Fair, fostering interaction through live presentations, workshops, and more.