Melikabella Shenouda (Liberal Arts) is a featured artist for the Las Vegas Natural History Museum's Hispanic Heritage Month Art Exhibition.
Her piece entitled, "Las Fases de la Pupusa" is a personal take on the phases of the moon, or Las Fases de la Luna. Artwork will be available for viewing from September 15 through November 2 in order to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month through Día de los Muertos. The museum will host a closing reception on Saturday, November 2 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Programming is funded in part by a grant from Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Art Description: As a multicultural Salvadoreña, pupusas are a staple and not only provide an invaluable source of sustenance, but also a way of comunidad. Nestled atop a bed of beans, the hand-torn pupusa formations mirror the moon phases, from the “first quarter” at the twelve o’clock position, to the “waxing crescent” at the two o’clock position, etc. As the beans (a common ingredient in pupusas) emulate space, aluminum foil (used to wrap pupusas for travel) is sprawled across the background to provide a galaxy-like effect of a starry night. Just as one can rely on the bright moonlight on a dark night, family traditions are a consistent source of salvation, especially in the darkest of times. PS - Those who have had or made pupusas know, beware, the gravitational pull is strong!
Notes: No food was wasted in the creation of this piece. Special thanks to El Triunfo Restaurant for the revuelta pupusas.
