Crossing Artistic Borders

When Amanda Magnetta started organizing her latest gallery show, “Made in Mexico,” she knew what she wanted. Getting it, of course, was another thing altogether.

Her criteria was finite: the artists must currently reside in Mexico and create artwork that appeals to the Bear and Bird aesthetic. The pieces chosen would have to be affordable. A hunt began.

Magnetta utilized Flickr, Etsy.com, and word-of-mouth recommendations until she finally found her seven candidates, most of whom have never shown their work in the United States until this Friday’s unveiling. Rosie Music’s illustrated scenes represent love, loneliness, and the subtle beauty of insecurity. In her “Shy” series — tinted in rich hues — lanky boys and girls wear animal masks as they inch closer together. Cecy Meade’s cartoons seem to bat their lashes directly at you. Her cheerful, primary-colored girls and boys capture a late ’50s, early ’60s design style that’s so sweet, you’ll want to pinch their rosy cheeks. The two-person team of Nenito Pedante, whom you might actually get to meet on Friday (both members have announced that they’ll be in attendance and DJ the event), creates adorable graffiti-on-canvas scenes where ghosts and monsters rule the streets.

Enjoy Mexican snacks and beer from 7 to 10 p.m. at this free event. Bear and Bird is located inside Tate’s Comics, at 4566 N. University Dr., in Lauderhill.
June 5-July 11, 7 p.m., 2009