Keeping the tradition: ZozoFest has more than 80 artists celebrating the iconic marionette

It’s the end of August – which means it’s time for ZozoFest.

The annual event kicks off one week before Will Shuster’s Burning of Zozobra, which takes place on Friday, Sept. 1.

ZozoFest was put in place to celebrate all things Zozobra. The three-day event runs from Friday, Aug. 25, through Sunday, Aug. 27, at the Santa Fe Place Mall.

“The first thing is that everything is Zozobra related,” says Ray Sandoval, Zozobra event chair. “The art show is filled with paying homage to Zozobra.”

Shuster created the first Zozobra in 1924 as the signature highlight of a private party for Los Cinco Pintores, a group of artists and writers who made their way to New Mexico in the 1920s.

He was inspired by Easter Holy Week traditions in the Yaqui Indian communities of Arizona and Mexico, in which an effigy of Judas is led around the village on a donkey and ultimately set alight.

Shuster and his friend, E. Dana Johnson, editor of the local newspaper, came up with the name Zozobra, which in Spanish means “anguish, anxiety or gloom.”

Shuster’s creation first burned in his backyard in 1924 as a 6-foot effigy, and over the years, has grown to a towering 50-foot high marionette.

Made of wood, wire and cotton cloth and stuffed with bushels of shredded paper, which traditionally includes obsolete police reports, paid-off mortgages, and even divorce papers, Zozobra is a dark and eerie character, part ghost and part monster.

ZozoFest opened up a call for artists earlier this year, and Sandoval says the response has been amazing.

“We have 89 artists right now,” he says. “We’re very upfront about the art that we show. People will create beautiful art and images, but it has to have Zozobra in it somehow.”

Sandoval says the Zozobra Decades Project takes Zozobra into the 2000s and 2010s.

The Zozobra Art Exhibit recognizes the importance of Zozobra as an icon for the city of Santa Fe, and ZozoFest brings inspired depictions of Santa Fe’s favorite monster together in one place.

“Dedicated collectors can purchase one-of-a-kind artwork in a variety of media,” he says.

There will also be hundreds of drawings created by Santa Fe Public School students that will be on display, showcasing the enduring love for Santa Fe’s oldest malcontent.

“When the Kiwanis Club builds Zozobra, we accept that we also have to get rid of him,” Sandoval says. “This is his purpose, but the artwork created in his likeness lets him stay alive all year round as a meaningful part of our history and culture. This is an art show for all artists, all ages, and all media –– it doesn’t matter if it’s your first art show or your 100th –– we want to share your amazing artwork.”

Sandoval says ZozoFest will also have plenty of merchandise for sale.

“We’ve been burning him for nearly 100 years as of next year,” Sandoval says. “Zozobra is a tradition that continues to evolve with time. We’re trying to make it more accessible to the community.”