Fiesta Forever. This 2020 medal was inspired by the Ofrenda Fiesta Medal that Ray Linares made—I riffed on that design when I was asked by the Fiesta Commission to create a line of Fiesta Forever shirts (available now in the Fiesta Store on Broadway).
I have always enjoyed the memento mori still life paintings that you'll see in museums. The name literally translates to "remember that you must die," and the paintings would serve as a reminder that our time on Earth is indeed fleeting—we truly have to make the most of it.
That juxtaposed against the notion of the idea to "Fiesta Forever" is what led to this Fiesta Forever Fiesta Medal (and shirt) design. While our time may be short on this planet, our impact can last forever. This medal is now available in a black and white style like Posada's woodcut prints as well as a muted black-on-black version with a black ribbon in a style that was used by the famed Native American potter Maria Martinez from the San Ildefonso pueblo in New Mexico.
Because of how different works of art influenced me in creating this Fiesta Forever Medal, I am donating $1 for every sale through 2020 to SAY Sí, an organization that ignites the creative power of young people as forces of positive change.
In case you're interested, here's a link to some famous memento mori paintings and another to the work of Maria Martinez.
