Creative Aging: Nuestro Pasado es Presente/Our Past is Present

Saturdays, April 25, May 2, 9, 23, 30, June 6, 13, 27 | 10 am–12 pm | Free

In October of 2025, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts unveiled two new galleries celebrating art from México, Central, and South America. This three-year collaboration with Artes de México en Utah and the Transformación Cultural work group resulted in a space that reflects the richness of living cultures, identity, and art.

In this eight-session workshop you will find inspiration in these galleries to create ceramic objects, pinatas, and papel picado with artist/educators Hazel Rodriguez Coppola and Clara Amezcua.

All materials provided. This workshop is free for anyone 55+, registration is required. We know things come up, but please plan carefully so we can keep this programming free! Please do not reserve a ticket if you cannot attend. The UMFA is offering multiple Creative Aging workshops this spring. Please only sign up for one.

Registration priority for this workshop will be given those who have never attended a UMFA Creative Aging Workshop.

For more information or questions please contact Laura Sharp Wilson, manager of studio programs, at [email protected] | 801.585.6176.

Meet the Artists:

Hazel Rodriguez Coppola is a Guatemalan American ceramic artist and educator living and working in Summit County, Utah. Hazel’s work reflects her innate desire to remember, tell, and preserve stories. Ceramicists often say that “clay has memory;” a concept that greatly influences her exploration and use of the medium. She is captivated by the materiality of clay, and the expressive potential of its movements as they relate to visually telling its own story and retaining its history.

Hazel received her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Utah.

Clar Amezcua was born in Mexico City and grew up in Toluca. She obtained her degree in Accounting and Business Administration, and worked as a sous-chef for ten years before turning to piñata making.

Clar’s foray into the art of piñatas happened when she moved to Salt Lake City with her husband and two children. She wanted to show her children that despite the distance they could keep their traditions alive, one of which was Las Piñatas. Mexican Piñatas are a symbol of identity that carry a profound historical and cultural significance. Clar began by finding a piñata she liked and making it for her child’s birthday. She developed a passion for how colors and different fun shapes could be used in creating a piñata. She fell in love with the art form.

Clar studied and practiced different technigues and designs for almost two years, improving her skill unil she could create traditional piñatas but also custom-made shapes and characters.

Artes de México en Utah has invited Clar to various arts festivals where she not only displays here art but teaches mini piñata-making workshops. her goal is for the community to learn about beautiful Mexican culture and traditions through piñata making.

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Host or Publisher Utah Museum of Fine Arts