Marván Folk Art is a wife and husband team of cartoneros (artists of papier-mâché). An encounter of two different cultures:  Gabriela Marván, cartonera and graphic artist from Cuernavaca “the eternal spring city,” Mexico, and Ryan Rothweiler, muralist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

They experience the sublime sensation of creating sculptures through a traditional technique: cartonería (coming to Mexico from Spain in the 16th Century). They use structures of wire, reed frame, or clay molds followed by layers of paper. Cartonería’s texture is smoother and stronger than that of most papier-mâché. Cartonería comes from the word cartón, which means cardboard or heavy paper. One of the foremost celebrations nowadays in Mexico is Day of the Dead, the celebration where the dead are honored and remembered. Artists of paper (cartoneros) create Catrinas (dressed skeleton ladies), skulls, and skeletons to decorate streets, museums, or cultural places from October 31 to November 2.