Sixteen large-scale alebrije sculptures have taken up residence on St. Paul’s Raspberry Island, transforming the riverfront into a zoo of multicolored, mythical creatures. Adorned with horns, wings, scales, jagged teeth and bulging eyes, the papiermâché animals are part of a new outdoor art show from the Minnesota Latino Museum.
The show “Alebrijes: Keepers of the Island,” features works by four Mexico City-based papier-mâché artists. It’s an ambitious project for the young museum, which is still trying to raise money for a permanent space.
The show faced a last-minute roadblock when the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) abruptly terminated a $30,000 grant on May 2, just weeks before it was installed. The grant was one of just two “Our Town” grants awarded in Minnesota in fiscal year 2024.
The NEA cited a shift in agency priorities to “focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”
That struck Aaron Johnson-Ortiz, the museum’s executive director, as short-sighted.
“To say that we’re not part of the rich artistic heritage of the United States is an absurd statement to make,” he said. “There’s 43 million Mexicans in the United States. We are part of this country and we’re not going to be pushed out.”
The museum appealed the termination and submitted for reimbursement of expenses already incurred, arguing that the project fulfilled the original terms of the grant. On May 29, the NEA reversed course and reimbursed the full $30,000 award.
“From the beginning, we were not going to slow down because of political shenanigans,” Johnson-Ortiz wrote to Sahan Journal in an email. “Instead, we moved forward and we won.”
A rich history
The tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930s, when Mexico City artist Pedro Linares had a fever dream of a fantastical forest filled with bizarre, colorful creatures chanting the word “alebrije.” When he recovered from his illness, Linares began creating the creatures from papier-mâché and cardboard, giving form to what he imagined.
“Since then, generations of mainly Mexico City-based papier-mâché artists have been creating even larger and wilder creations of alebrijes,” said Aaron Johnson-Ortiz, the executive director of the Minnesota Latino Museum. “It’s very much grounded in Mexican culture but it’s also open-ended and up to the interpretation of the artists.”
Artist Alberto Moreno Fernández’s alebrije “Bicéfalo,” is a two-headed dragon exploring the tension between good and evil. Inspired by the concept of yin and yang, it represents the choices we make, both right and wrong, that ultimately shape who we are.
“Just like the alebrijes, for me to be in this amazing country and to be in this amazing location and island is a dream come true,” Fernández said at the exhibit’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday. “This exhibit is a small piece of our country and we bring it with love and with passion for the work.”
At the center of the island stands “Mykel,” an alebrije created by artist Edgar Israel Camargo Reyes. The fantastical creature, a toad with a lizard-like tail and butterfly wings, was created in memory of his father-in-law, who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve been here installing all week and there’s been people from all backgrounds coming to talk with us, from all races, ages, nationalities, and all of them have approached me with respect and cordiality,” Reyes said. “That’s why I feel at home. That’s why I want to thank you all for letting us have our alebrijes come and invade this island for a period of time.”
On the island, visitors can encounter sculptures ranging from 4 to 16 feet tall, including a winged bear, a geometric-patterned woodpecker clinging to a tree, a four-legged fish, a sugar skull monkey and more. Painted in vibrant colors and etched with phrases like “¡Viva México!,” the creatures reflect not only Linares’ surrealist influence but also the Indigenous concept of the nahual — an animal spirit believed to represent a person’s inner self.
“This outdoor public art exhibit is kind of like a museum without walls,” Johnson-Ortiz said. “It teaches art, it teaches history, it engages communities — and it’s very much in line with the spirit of what we hope the Minnesota Latino Museum building will be.”
A museum in the making
Efforts to create Minnesota’s first Latino museum started in 2015 but gained momentum in 2022 when Johnson-Ortiz and his Latino arts collective, “(Neo) Muralismos de México,” met with state representative María Isa Pérez-Vega. One of her campaign goals was to create a museum celebrating Latino culture on St. Paul’s West Side.
“We met with her while she was still campaigning,” Johnson-Ortiz said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for political leadership to advocate for cultural spaces for our community.”
The collective began working with artists community members to develop plans for a permanent Latino museum located in the West Side Flats area of Harriet Island Regional Park in St. Paul, where Mexicans first settled in the early 20th century.
Although the museum is still fundraising for a physical space, its mission is to represent the entire state — home to more than 370,000 Minnesotans of Latino heritage — while remaining grounded in the stories and struggles of the West Side.
“There’s a Spanish expression that says ‘Aquí estamos, no nos vamos.’ We’re here and we’re not leaving,” Johnson-Ortiz said. “We have to insist that our culture and our arts are worth funding and worth supporting.”
The alebrijes will remain on view through Oct. 26 during regular park hours from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. On Saturday, June 14, the museum will host a community celebration from noon to 5 p.m., in partnership with the West Side Community Organization. The event will feature live music, food trucks, and art activities.
“Our Latino community has been such an anchor of our whole city, certainly our West Side,” St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter told Sahan Journal at the opening. Art “is primarily intended to convey some history. It’s primarily intended to keep alive some legacy and culture. So I hope that people who come here look at the figures with their spirit, not just their eyes.”