Foci Minnesota Center for Glass Arts is excited to announce our upcoming glassblowing demonstration in collaboration with the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum featuring artists and brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre!
Ticket required due to limited capacity. $15 tickets will be live on this event page starting Tuesday September 9th, 2025 at 12:00pm. Purchase tickets here or below. Current Foci MCGA Professional and VIP Members receive discounted tickets.
Miclantecuhtli, 2015. Einar de la Torre (American, born Mexico, 1963), and Jamex de la Torre (American, born Mexico, 1960). Mixed-media, blown-glass, and terracotta. 41 x 16 x 12 in. Collection of the Cafesjian Art Trust Museum, 2024.370.2.
About the Artists: Collaborating brothers, Einar and Jamex De La Torre, were born in Guadalajara, México, 1963, & 1960. In a sudden family move, the brothers moved to The United States in 1972, going from a traditional catholic school to a small California beach Town. They both attended California State University at Long Beach, Jamex got a BFA in Sculpture in 1983, while Einar decided against the utility of an art degree. Currently the brothers live and work on both sides of the border, The Guadalupe Valley in Baja California, México, and San Diego, California. The complexities of the immigrant experience and contradicting bicultural identities, as well as their current life and practice on both sides of border, inform their narrative and aesthetics.
The Brothers have been collaborating in earnest since the 1990’s. Over the years they have developed their signature style featuring mix media work with blown glass sculpture and installation art. Their pieces represent a multifaceted view of life that reflects a complex and humorous aesthetic that could be seen as multi-layered baroque. Their approach is additive, constantly combining material and meaning. Influences range from religious iconography to German expressionism while also paying homage to Mexican vernacular arts and pre-Columbian art. In the last 15 years they have been creating photomural installations and using Lenticular printing as a major part of their repertoire. They have won The USA Artists Fellowship award, The Louis Comfort Tiffany Award, The Joan Mitchell Foundation Award, and The San Diego Art Prize,. They have had 18 solo museum exhibitions, completed 8 major public art projects and have participated in 4 biennales. Artist Website
About The Cafesjian Art Trust (CAT): The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum was established in 2022 by the family of Gerard Cafesjian (1925–2013) to bring free and accessible modern and contemporary art to Shoreview, Minnesota, a few miles north of the Twin Cities. The collection features nearly 3,000 works of art and continues to grow. From 2022 to 2024, we offered a variety of exhibitions from our permanent collection, and in 2024 we launched educational programming and outreach for visitors of all ages. Since 2025, new modern and contemporary art initiatives engage with the Twin Cities community and beyond to bring fresh light to the art of our times. Mission: The Cafesjian Art Trust Museum fosters creative experiences and sparks inspiration for people of all ages and backgrounds. https://cafesjianarttrust.org/
Upcoming CAT Exhibition:
Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective
On view October 17, 2025 – January 31, 2026 at the Cafejian Art Trust Main Gallery
The first major touring exhibition for artists and brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre (b. 1963 and 1960, Guadalajara, Mexico), Collidoscope: De la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective presents 40 works of sculpture and installation described by The New York Times as art of “dazzling complexity.” As residents of both Mexico and the United States, the artists draw upon their witty observations of life from both sides of the border. Pulling from ancient Mesoamerican iconography, Mexican folk art, and Baroque art, their work blends art history and pop culture with daring social and political commentary, presenting art with celebration, irreverence, and play. https://cafesjianarttrust.org/collidoscope/ Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective is a nationally traveling exhibition organized by The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. Curated by Selene Preciado.
Friday Oct 24, 2025 from 6:00PM - 8:00PM: Exhibition Opening at Cafesjian Art Trust (CAT) View more information or reserve your tickets here! Starting at $45 per ticket.
Monday Oct 27, 2025: Object Stories with the American Craft Council (ACC)
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025 from 6:30PM - 9:00PM: Public Glassblowing Demonstration at Foci MCGA. Ticket is required due to limited capacity. $15 per ticket.
Image above: The De La Torre Brothers visiting Foci MCGA’s old studio on Hennepin Ave for a demo Saturday, April 23, 2016. During this demo, the duo created a Prince sculpture days after his untimely passing.