A new art exhibition titled 'SMASH! A Piñata Exhibition' has opened at Prism Art Gallery in Midtown, Sacramento, curated by Bridgett Rex and Vianne De Santiago. Running through May 30, the show features piñatas created by amateurs, professional makers, and multidisciplinary artists, exploring the cultural and emotional significance of piñatas beyond their role as party decorations. The exhibition will conclude with a public smashing of selected piñatas. Artists such as Andres Alvarez and Gilbert Rangel contributed works that incorporate personal and cultural narratives, using materials like corn husks and tissue paper to reflect on heritage, memory, and community.
This exhibition matters because it elevates a traditional craft often dismissed as mere decoration into a serious artistic medium, inviting audiences to reconsider piñatas as vessels of joy, grief, and cultural expression. By bridging folk art and contemporary practice, 'SMASH!' highlights how everyday objects can carry deep symbolic weight, and it fosters intergenerational and cross-disciplinary dialogue within the local Latino community. The show also marks a milestone for co-curator De Santiago as her first curation after college, underscoring the role of emerging curators in expanding the boundaries of what art can be.