Luminaria Mâché Opening

About this event

The Railyard Park Conservancy’s (RPC) Railyard Art Project

(RAP) is excited to present Luminaria Mâché, an eight-foot-tall illuminated

sculpture by Santa Fe-based artist Haven Sandoval. Supported by the City of

Santa Fe’s Arts and Culture Department, the piece is being installed along the

Santa Fe Rail Trail near Nuckolls Brewing Company (1611 Alcaldesa Street). Join

RAP and the artist for an opening celebration at the exhibit site on Saturday,

November 21st from 4pm-5:30pm, featuring luminaria making, drinks, snacks,

and music from the Academy for Technology and the Classics' marimba band.

Constructed from papier-mâché over a wooden frame and illuminated from within

by LED lights, Luminaria Mâché playfully reimagines a familiar cultural icon at an

unexpected scale. The installation invites viewers to reconsider the relationship

between everyday objects and the traditions, memories, and shared experiences

that give them meaning.

Central to the work is its unusual material: pages from The Santa Fe New

Mexican will be transformed into papier-mâché, embedding the community’s daily

stories into the sculpture itself. Sandoval is collaborating with second graders

from Dennis Chavez Elementary School in Belen, and students from New Mexico

School for the Arts, to apply the papier-mâché, making the creative process an

exercise in collective participation.

“Beyond the visual spectacle, Luminaria Mâché is meant to underscore the

capacity of public art to foster connection,” said Sandoval. “My hope is that it

encourages remembrance, conversation, and shared experience, reminding

visitors that even the simplest traditions can carry profound cultural weight.”

“There's something wonderfully fitting about a sculpture that celebrates

community traditions while inviting a new generation to participate in their

reinterpretation,” added RPC Executive Director Izzy Barr. “Haven's project

reminds us that public art can be as much about the connections forged in its

creation as the experience of encountering the finished work.”

Haven Sandoval is a nuevomexicana multidisciplinary artist who brings a rich

cultural heritage to her work. A native of the small town of Belén, Haven's

family has been living in what is now New Mexico since time immemorial. Haven

earned her B.A. in Art History from Smith College in Western Massachusetts

before finding her way back home. Today, Haven lives in Santa Fe with her

partner, Da’Wun, and their "fur babies," drawing inspiration from the land and

history that shaped her.