"La Permanent Virgen"

Although typically celebrated with feasts and pilgrimages to Mexico’s Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (where the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared to Juan Diego circa 1531), Our Lady of Guadalupe Day gets a quirky twist this year via Marisela Barrera’s “La Permanent Virgen.” Part scavenger hunt, part progressive exhibition and part selfie challenge (#SAvirgen), the concept uses the Chicana artist’s reverence for Mexico’s patron saint as a thread connecting diverse representations of la Virgen at 12 local sites: Guadalupe Lumber (1547 S. Zarzamora St.); the Little Church of Miracles (Haven for Hope Way at I-10); The Phantom Room (2114 N. St. Mary’s St.); Ray’s Drive Inn (822 SW 19th St.); Gilbert Durán’s Studio 911 (911 S. St. Mary’s St.); Jesse Treviño’s La Veladora at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (1301 Guadalupe St.); San Jacinto Senior Housing Development (1512 El Paso St.); Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto at Our Lady of the Lake University (411 SW 24th St.); O'Reilly Auto Parts (100 S. Zarzamora St.); Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (during Noche Azul de Esperanza, 922 San Pedro Ave.); Galeria E.V.A. (during the Día de la Virgen Mujeres Plática, 3412 S. Flores St.); Marisela Barerra’s left arm (location varies).