About
Mario Mesquita is an interdisciplinary, socially engaged artist based in Portland, Oregon. His work delves into relationships, identity, knowledge sharing, and the social boundaries within community spectrums, explored through social practices, dialogue, and visual representation. Mario has collaborated with the city of Santa Monica and exhibited at notable venues such as the San Diego Art Institute, Museum of Latin American Art, and Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. He has also presented at the Americans for the Arts Conference 2018. As a founding member of the Michelada Think Tank, Mario has shared his work at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Open Engagement Conference, and Common Field. Previously serving as the Education Manager at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Mario coordinated partnerships with local schools and manages public programming to foster learning opportunities. He mentored the Teen Advisory Group. Currently as the Manager of Advocacy & Engagement at the Regional Arts & Culture Council, bridges needs and advocates for community support and continued funding for individual artists, organizations, and programming. Mario holds an MFA in Public Practice from Otis College of Art and Design and is a past fellow of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Program.
The Project
The Paletas Communal Social Club is a socially engaged art project created by Mario Mesquita to bring people together through shared experiences and conversations, using paletas (Mexican popsicles) as a medium to connect individuals. In 2017, the City of Santa Monica sought innovative ways to engage all residents, especially BIPOC and laboring folks, in discussions about public art, beyond the typical surveys and feedback sessions. The city’s Office of Arts and Culture issued a call for artists to propose creative interventions to capture public attention and gather insights. After a recommendation, Mario was contacted and proposed using creative interventions to facilitate informal conversations with community members.
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Inspired by his graduate thesis on a mobile living neighborhood library, Paletas Santa Monica was born. The project aimed to meet people where they were, break down barriers by sharing a sweet treat, and have conversations about public art and its significance to individuals and the community. Using a real paletero cart to distribute free paletas, Mario and his team sparked spontaneous interactions and gathered valuable insights from the community.
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Following a successful summer on the streets of Santa Monica in 2017, Paletas was invited to return for the Annual Día de los Muertos celebration at Lawndale Cemetery. During this event, using paletas and specially designed surveys shaped like calaveras, Mario and his team collected feedback on enhancing the celebration and inquired about how community members honored their deceased loved ones. This deeper engagement allowed Mario to weave personal stories and cultural traditions into the project, enriching the communal experience.
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The project continued to evolve when, as the Manager of Education, Mario introduced it to youth at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. It served as an introduction to socially engaged art, showing young people how art could be a tool for dialogue, connection, and community building.
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In 2020, Paletas Santa Monica outgrew its original name and became the Communal Social Club as the project was selected for San Diego’s Park Social Initiative, a city-wide effort to reactivate public spaces and find new ways of interacting during and after COVID-19. Despite the looming pandemic, the project timeline was extended and adapted, emphasizing the importance of public spaces and community connections during challenging times. Finally hitting the pavement in the summer of 2021 and culminating in November of the same year, Paletas roamed District 4 in the Southwest San Diego neighborhood, engaging with parents, camp kids, and day laborers. The newly branded project refocused on questions about community and relationships, exploring how to build community during a time of global separation and what we had gained from the experience of being separated but together.
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Currently, the Paletas Communal Social Club has found a new home in Portland, Oregon, thanks to the support of the Precipice Fund through the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art. This summer of 2024, Paletas will be asking questions about recreating solidarity lost after "returning to normal," how we identify, and how we share that with others. The project remains committed to its core mission: creating opportunities for meaningful interactions and fostering a sense of belonging and community. Whether through sharing a paleta or participating in collaborative art-making, the Paletas Communal Social Club continues to build bridges and celebrate the power of art to unite us all.
