Teachers Cristina Jones, left, and Myriam Barrientos visit a display of papel picado in anticipation of bringing their students to see the exhibit at the Museum of Art in a few weeks.

Photos by kelly presnell / Arizona Daily Star

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Papel picado — delicate tissue paper cut into elaborate designs — is on exhibit at the Tucson Museum of Art.

The 33 distinct pieces were created by artisans from the small town of Huixcolotla, Puebla, in Mexico, which is famous for this type of art, said Stephen Vollmer, curator of the museum.

Papel picado sets the mood for celebrations in Mexico and is often strung across a room from ceilings, between buildings above streets, or as decorations on walls.

"Even as a child growing up in south Texas, papel picado decorated baptism, wedding and quinceañera celebrations," said Vollmer, 58, who was born and raised in San Antonio.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in art history from the Universidad de las Américas in Mexico City.

It was there during his studies and on vacations with his family that Vollmer met distinct artists while walking neighborhood streets and seeing them at work in their homes and studios.

"We studied in the streets. We studied academics and the people — the human spirit," Vollmer said.

"Folk art was a defining part of art. It is special. This is the basis of the heart and soul of visual expression," he explained, mentioning that Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo included Mexican popular art in their themes.

The papel picado exhibit is such a theme. Each design in the exhibit was drawn on a master template sheet of paper by an artisan who used special chisels to hand-cut a stack of tissue paper.

The pieces, mostly 18 by 22 inches, include scenes of the nativity, the Feast of the Three Kings, the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, an elaborate costume and Don Quijote de la Mancha.

Other pieces are extraordinary.

Artist Luis Vivanco did a piece that measures more than 6 feet long and nearly 3 feet high. The work, a vendor's stall filled with candles on All Souls Day, which is celebrated Nov. 2, is on black tissue paper and is more than 10 years old. It shows a series of skeletal faces. The piece hangs against a yellow wall in the museum.

The work is based upon an early wood cut by artist José Guadalupe Posada, considered among the most influential artists after the 1910 Revolution, Vollmer said.

Another piece that was done for the millenium celebrations by artist Abelardo Vivanco is 3 feet by 3 feet and is yellow over pink paper. It shows three rabbits running in a circle. This design was done for party guests and reflects the continuum of time.

"All of these pieces are reminders to celebrate life. Many are works that reflect oral traditions," said Vollmer.

A book that lists the story behind each piece is part of the exhibit and can be read by visitors.