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Mestiz, the Mexico-based studio led by artist and designer Daniel Valero, has installed Twenty Petal Flower, a seven-tier Día de Muertos altar in Manhattan’s Flatiron North Plaza. Created with Brooklyn-based Powerhouse Arts, the public artwork is open to visitors through Nov. 3, 2026, and invites them to leave remembrances for loved ones who have died.
Mestiz has installed Twenty Petal Flower, a seven-tier Día de Muertos altar, in Manhattan’s Flatiron North Plaza. Created by artist and designer Daniel Valero with Brooklyn-based fabrication organization Powerhouse Arts, the public artwork is on view through Nov. 3, 2026, and invites visitors to leave offerings and remember loved ones who have died.
The installation reimagines a traditional ofrenda—an altar used to honor the dead—as a public gathering place. It is built from handwoven floral forms arranged across seven tiers, with rounded orange shapes inspired by cempasúchil, the marigold associated with Día de Muertos. Warm, candle-like lighting adds to the floral composition.
Mestiz developed and made the woven elements at its fiber workshop in Tequisquiapan, Mexico, using wicker and traditional weaving techniques. The design takes its name from cempōhualxōchitl, a Nahuatl term meaning “20-petal flower,” from which the Spanish name cempasúchil is derived. The artwork traces the flower’s path from fields in Michoacán to the artisans who turn it into arrangements for the holiday.
Powerhouse Arts worked with Mestiz on the support system needed for an outdoor installation in a busy Manhattan plaza. Its team built a slim-profile steel frame, color-matched to the flowers, and attached the weavings with stainless steel zip ties designed to withstand wind and weather, according to the project account published by Design Milk.
A Public Space for Remembrance
The installation brings a Día de Muertos ofrenda into an everyday public setting, where passersby can encounter the tradition without needing to enter a gallery or attend a ticketed event. Visitors are invited to approach the altar, spend time there and leave mementos honoring people who have died. The organizers describe the plaza as a place for both remembrance and gathering.
Valero’s stated aim also extends beyond the finished floral structure. He said the work recognizes the people behind the tradition, including those who grow and transform cempasúchil. That emphasis connects the visual display to the labor and craft involved in making the flowers part of an ofrenda, while the installation offers New Yorkers an opportunity to learn about a tradition important to Mexican communities.
The project also pairs handwork in Mexico with fabrication expertise in Brooklyn. Its modular support system was designed to be disassembled, stored and reinstalled, rather than discarded after one celebration. That design gives the commission the potential for future use, though the source does not state when or where it will next be installed.
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From Cempasúchil to Architecture
In Día de Muertos traditions, marigolds are more than decoration: their bright color and scent are believed to help guide the spirits of loved ones home. The flowers are commonly associated with ofrendas, which families use to honor the dead. The project’s design translates that familiar floral imagery into a large-scale structure while retaining visible signs of its handwoven construction.
The commission came from the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, which selected Flatiron North Plaza as the setting. Partnership president James Mettham said the open plaza made it possible to create an immersive work in the neighborhood’s daily flow. The collaboration required coordination between Valero’s Mexico-based studio and Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn, including exchanges of sample photographs, texture tests and paint matches to keep the frame from visually competing with the flowers.
Valero has described the project as an attempt to make something delicate and temporary architectural in scale. In the Design Milk report, he said he wanted the structure to function as an “architecture of celebration” where people could gather, remember and connect. The public installation runs through Nov. 3, 2026.
““This time, I wanted to honor the many hands behind the cempasúchil, from the people who grow it to those who transform it into an ofrenda.””
— Daniel Valero, artist and designer
Details on Access and Reuse
The source report does not specify whether visitors can leave offerings at all times, what kinds of items are accepted, or whether there are site rules for contributions. It also does not give daily access hours or describe any related public programs. Visitors may want to check with the Flatiron NoMad Partnership for current site guidance.
Although Powerhouse Arts designed the structure to be stored and reinstalled, no future venue or date is identified in the report. The account also does not provide a budget, visitor estimates or further details about maintenance during the installation’s run.
The Altar Remains Through November
Twenty Petal Flower is scheduled to remain at Flatiron North Plaza through Nov. 3, 2026. During that period, visitors are encouraged to approach the work and leave remembrances, though specific instructions for offerings are not provided in the source report.
After the display closes, the modular framework can be disassembled and stored for possible future celebrations, according to Powerhouse Arts director of public art Brittni Collins. The project account does not announce a next installation, so any reuse plans remain unconfirmed.
Key Questions
Where is the Mestiz altar installed?
Twenty Petal Flower is in Flatiron North Plaza in Manhattan’s Flatiron District.
How long will the installation be on view?
The altar is scheduled to remain on view through Nov. 3, 2026.
Who created the artwork?
Artist and designer Daniel Valero and his Mexico-based studio, Mestiz, created the work with Brooklyn-based Powerhouse Arts. The commission was made by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership.
Can visitors leave offerings at the altar?
Visitors are encouraged to leave mementos honoring loved ones who have died. The source report does not give specific rules about what can be left or when offerings may be placed.
What happens to the structure after the display ends?
Powerhouse Arts designed a modular system that can be disassembled and stored for possible reinstallation. No later location or date has been announced.
Source: design-milk.com
