NMDCA News:

“Zozobra: A Fire That Never Goes Out” closes June 7 at New Mexico History Museum and co-curator Hannah Abelbeck will give a final presentation from 2–3:30 p.m., about one of Santa Fe’s favorite traditions.

Zozobra’s emergence is deeply entwined with happenings in 1920s Santa Fe. Join Hannah Abelbeck, co-curator of “Zozobra: A Fire That Never Goes Out,” as she reveals collaborations, historical moments, and folk traditions that inspired Zozobra. In particular, she will dive into how Zozobra was cooked up by Santa Fe artists who wanted to inject a sense of playfulness into things they found dreary, including preachy observations of the meaning behind Santa Fe Fiestas.

Zozobra emerged from the same brainstorming sessions that produced 1924’s Pasatiempo parade, followed by the 1926 parade that was a staged public protest against Museum of New Mexico director, Edgar Lee Hewett. Through puppets, performance, and spectacle, the artists created a watershed moment that helped shape beloved traditions and revitalize Santa Fe’s identity even as cultural tensions remained unresolved.

This program celebrates the closing of “Zozobra: A Fire That Never Goes Out,” while sharing exhibition research that revealed evidence of creativity, collective effort, and ongoing care in the creation of Zozobra.