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The Museum of Contemporary Art Flagstaff (MOCAF) will host "The Seed at the Center: Part Two" on March 28, featuring artists Jaques Cazaubon Seronde, aka Cazo, and Madeleine Sophia.

This exhibit is a continuation of Cazo’s exhibit titled “Forever Changes� that took place in December of last year.

Co-exhibiting for her first time with Cazo is multimedia artist Madeleine Sophia.

“Part two was always to include my partner Madeleine, or like, kind of co-create with her,� Cazo said.

“We live on a farm in the Verde Valley and a lot of our work is influenced by one another. We live together, we're partners together, our work is heavily tied to one another and Madeline is my sounding board in a lot of ways,� he said. “We've always been independent artists and sort of hyper-focused on our independent work. We thought it'd be really cool to do a show together which is really in celebration, acknowledgement and sort of reverence for being alive at the same time with each other, with the world and with our communities.�

Cazo primarily creates oil paintings whereas Madeleine enjoys using multiple mediums such as photography, watercolor, ceramics, poetry and herbal medicine.

“Our work was so similar anyway, and even though the work itself is different mediums, different styles, the feeling is all inspired from the same place. It was a natural unity,� Cazo said.

He shared that this will be his last exhibit in Flagstaff for a long time, though he plans on exhibiting in a few other states in the near future.

Madeleine shared that she drew inspiration from a quote she kept coming back to you last year that says, "You can't have a peach without a pit.�

“It’s that hard center point that really plants your life forward," she said. "What I mean by that is like, what propels you forward in life? What excites you? What do you plant that allows for growth?�

“The seed at the center is like the heartbeat of our lives. It's what draws us to be here and be good people -- and want to show up and make beauty and think about what seeds we are planting for our lives, and for the lives of our community,� Madeleine said.

The exhibit is set up intentionally to act as a “multisensory experience.�

“It's not just about what you see, right? It's about what you hear, what you smell and what you touch,� Madeleine said.

Cazo has 10 oil paintings and three larger installations on display, and Sophia showcases five pieces of pottery, four watercolor paintings and around 10 analog film photographs.

Madeleine will display pottery containing seeds from their garden that were meant to be felt, herbal medicines to be tried and smelled while viewing the art pieces and a creosote watercolor painting intended to invoke the smells of the desert southwest.

Blue corn seed packets grown for years from Cazo and Madeleine’s garden will be given to guests as a parting gift.

“Really getting to be a participant in the field and in the experience is what builds community,� Madeleine said.

All works in this exhibit are for sale and additional private viewing appointments for the works can be set up by appointment only.

Last Saturday

MOCAF is also planning on continuing its monthly “Last Saturday� events for the foreseeable future.

March’s Last Saturday event coordinates with "The Seed at the Center: Part Two" exhibit held the day prior. Cazo will host an interactive artist talk and an abbreviated workshop on showing “gesture� in artworks.

“[Gesture is] the movement and energy conveyed through lines and shapes of a painting. The objective is to capture the essence of your subject's pose and emotion in a way that's quick, and I think [Cazo’s] style of painting is all about that. There's a lot of emotion in it, a story behind it,� Kimberly Murdza said, MOCAF's board president.

“A big objective for us going into 2025 and onward was to have more consistent established programming. Because we don't have traditional open hours, it can be hard for the general public to know ‘What is MOCAF? When do we go? What's going on there?’� Murdza explained.

“Our space has been kind of purposely informal and approachable. We want an atmosphere that feels spontaneous, unique, and alive. We're still maintaining that, but just with more consistency,� Murdza said.

“Our programming as a whole has been a platform for art that sits outside of maybe someone’s traditional categories. We want to commit to providing artists the freedom to experiment, be provocative, playful and authentic to themselves. [Last Saturday events] are different every time. It's not going to always be music or a workshop, it's diverse on purpose,� Murdza said.

According to Murdza, MOCAF is currently in a transitional period regarding its physical space.

“We're actively seeking a new home for MOCAF which is going to better align with our long term sustainability and our vision for growth,� she said.

“We're optimistic, and the hope would be that we can partner with individuals and organizations who share our vision. Being able to form new collaborations is always important within this community, because we all want to support each other. Hearing from property owners, community partners and investors interested in helping us find a permanent home is welcome and exciting,� Murdza said.

If MOCAF does not have a permanent home by the fall, Last Saturday events will be done as pop-up events that could possibly take place in a home or warehouse space.

“We have no intention of stopping or pausing at all,� Murdza said about the coming transitions.

Learn more about MOCAF and upcoming events at it's Instagram page,