A cultural reception was held Saturday, opening with a blessing performed by Kalpulli Maquili Tonatiuh, a spiritually-based local Aztec dance circle, thanks to Xico González, curator of Malaquías Montoya’s solo exhibit, “Voice for the Voiceless” at the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento.

“In the Chicana/o tradition, we pay homage to those that came before us, to the people that Malaquías pays homage to in his artwork,” González said.

Homage was certainly paid as the dancers assembled outside of the center to first bless the building. Jessica Alvarado, donning a headdress with green feathers, carried a smoke pot in which tree sap burned. She read the blessing in the Nahuatl language.

Alvarado and the other dancers, led that night by Andrew Chavarria, faced each direction beginning with east. Alvarado read the blessing at each turn, and younger members blew calls through conch shells.

Blessing the outside. l-r Liz Swan, younger dancers, Andrew Chavarria, and Jessica Alvarado (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

“It’s all about moving energy,” dancer Liz Swan said.

Energy moved within the dancers and the attendees and continued throughout the evening. The group rose and knelt and rose, maracas sounded, and conchs were blown again before dancers moved from one direction to the next.

Once the outside blessing had finished, the group moved inside the building where Chavarria said they would “honor and bless the artist and his work with prayers and energy.”

The group performed several dances. The first was a dance dedicated to the frog, and the second was dedicated to the feathered serpent, Quetzalcoatl, one of the Aztec gods.

The dancers created their own music from the ayoyote-seeded legbands they wore. Although they carried the maracas, they weren’t necessary as the seeds created the music that echoed rhythmically throughout the gallery as the barefoot dancers honored their ancestors.

Alvarado performed a blessing of the artist, Montoya. As she did outside, she read in the Nahuatl language, in a voice that was both mesmerizing and reverent. She blessed Montoya from top to bottom and on all sides.

Jessica Alvarado blessing Malaquias Montoya (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

After the group left, González introduced Montoya, who spoke briefly about his workshops in Woodland. He invited everyone to his lecture Wednesday night from 7 to 9 p.m. at the gallery. Members and students get free admission, and non-members pay $5. He also mentioned another exhibit opening at Sacramento State dealing with the death penalty on Oct. 11.

The ‘Voice for the Voiceless’ exhibit includes scannable QR codes for smart phones, which allow viewers to hear Montoya speak about nine of the works in either English or Spanish. Several people had the proper phone but not the proper app Saturday.

“(This is) the best art I’ve seen in Sacramento in a long time,” David Young said. “It’s not art for art’s sake. This artist has mastered the craft.”

Reception-goers were diverse, and several younger attendees proved that Montoya’s work, which has traveled together for several decades, is still relevant.

Angela Ortega chose "Undocumented," a silkscreen dating back to 1981 as her favorite piece.

Angela Ortega discussing "Undocumented" (Image by: Sandy Thomas)

“Border Incident” from 1994 was a favorite of Juan Gonzalez.

“It has power and shows how people suffered crossing the border,” he said.

People didn’t move quickly from one piece to the next — they reflected not only on the charcoal and silkscreened images, but on the words embedded in many of pieces, including “El Sueño,” the only piece offered for sale in a limited edition of 40 prints.

Terezita Romo, author of “Malaquías Montoya,” was on hand and said she used to work at La Raza Galeria Posada and had exhibited Montoya’s work in the gallery in the ‘80s.

“When the opportunity came to propose a book, (Montoya) said yes,” she said.

Romo discussed the new series, which will feature Latina/o artists. She and Montoya will also appear at the Sacramento State library gallery on Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. for a reading and conversation.

"Voice for the Voiceless” runs through Nov. 18 at the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento, 1519 19th St. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. A closing reception will be held Nov. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Image by: Sandy Thomas