Workshops: Tile Making with Chinese Chorizo Project x Carlos Valenzuela

May 1-22, 2025

CHINESE CHORIZO PROJECT TILE WORKSHOP SERIES W/ CARLOS VALENZUELA

MOCA and Chinese Chorizo Project invite you to the debut tile workshop series that will begin the construction of a 15 foot tall mosaic sculpture depicting two connected Chinese Chorizo links. Representing the history of solidarity forged at Chinese grocery stores between Chinese immigrants and Mexican communities in Tucson, the sculpture will continue and expand Chinese Chorizo Project’s efforts in community empowerment.

The tiles created by community members can be taken home or can be donated to be incorporated on the final large-scale Chinese Chorizo sculpture to demonstrate the power of collective collaboration and creation.

The first round of these workshops will be led by Tucson mosaic muralist Carlos Valenzuela and will be held at MOCA Tucson. Workshops will take place Thursdays in May in honor of AAPI Heritage Month.

No experience is needed—Community members will learn artistic theory inspired by themes from the Chinese Chorizo Project focusing on solidarity, community, resilience, survival, restoration, and love. Ceramic tile practices of hand glazing through paint brush, airbrush, squeeze bottle techniques, and relief work through press molds will be taught to explore ceramic expression with these themes.

Dates: May 1 – 22
Times: Thursdays, 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Who: Open to all community members who are interested in building solidarity through art!
FREE | Register here.

ABOUT CHINESE CHORIZO PROJECT

Chinese Chorizo Project (CCP) is a project that uplifts the story of a lost historic food called the Chinese chorizo that was born out of some 100+ Chinese grocery stores that once existed in Tucson during the late 1800s to the 1970s. During a time marked by racist legislation, and extreme sinophobia, Chinese immigrants faced harsh discrimination. Survival was reliant on community. Strong bonds were nurtured within the Chinese grocery stores that functioned as centers for community in the barrios where the Chinese immigrants, Mexican, and other marginalized laborers lived. Chinese grocery stores provided daily sustenance and catered to their communities by speaking Spanish and Indigenous languages carrying Mexican ingredients. These stores provided a critical service to the community, offering mutual aid in the form of groceries on credit to ensure survival during times of hardship.

The Chinese chorizo is a testament of resilience. The recipe mirrors the immigrant experience—transforming meager resources into a triumph of survival. Whatever meat that was on hand: scraps and end cuts were revived with red wine, Mexican spices, and chilies, transforming Chinese Chorizo into a highly sought-after product.

This obscured story of resilience is given new life through the CCP. Feng-Feng Yeh, a Tucsonan, and Chinese American chef, artist and founder of the Chinese Chorizo Project, brought the story back to life by collaborating with local chefs to develop a modern recipe of Chinese chorizo for the annual Chinese Chorizo Festival which launched in 2022. Over the past three years, the Festival has donated ~2100 pounds of Chinese Chorizo to 75+ participating restaurants, vendors, and other organizations across AZ who in turn create a dish to tell the story of the Chinese chorizo and foster a modern spirit of solidarity. October 2023 and 2024 have been proclaimed Chinese Chorizo Month by the Pima County Board of Supervisors to recognize this significant historical coalition and its mutualistic impact on Tucson.

THE MOST SACRED HEART OF THE BARRIO SCULPTURE

The Chinese Chorizo Festival serves as a precursor, an educational and cultural activation to a 15 foot tall mosaic Chinese Chorizo sculpture called the Most Sacred Heart of the Barrio (MSHB). The sculpture depicts two connected Chinese Chorizo links that represent the two communities uniting in solidarity. The revitalization of Chinese Chorizo recipe and the Festival became the first successful steps and were met with overwhelming support. While educating the public and encouraging our community to be invested in the story, the food, and cultural community building, CCP was able to adapt and create for the community’s needs. To continue the theme of community collaboration, the next step in the project is to build a body of tiles that will cover the foundational body of The MSHB sculpture.

COLLABORATING ARTISTS

CARLOS VALENZUELA is a community mentor and artist who is known for teaching tile-making through the Pima County youth program, Las Artes. Working in mixed media: glass, ceramic tile and clay, Carlos’ mosaic work is a prominent contribution to building the narrative of Tucson culture through his public art in Tucson, South Tucson, and the University of Arizona campus.

Reach out to mariel@moca-tucson.org for more information!