This March may begin with a roar, but it’s not the roar of a lion: It may be the roar of a jaguar emerging from the front of a Nicaraguan clay pot at the “Corrientes Culturales” exhibit, or maybe it’s just the thousands of footsteps echoing through the wide halls of the city’s museums during a free-admission weekend. Whatever your adventure, this month brings new energy to the city through its visual art.

The month kicks off with Free Museum Weekend on March 1 and 2, with several area museums participating with free admission (advance reservations required and subject to availability), including the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento History Museum, SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity, and Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum.

Sacramento Rapid Transit also offers free transportation to visit museums throughout the weekend with a printed or digital copy of this brochure. If you can’t get enough of art, culture, and history during the museum’s free admission weekend, try one of these Latin American-inspired art exhibits: Mark Romero’s “Cultural Currents” exhibit at the Latino Art and Culture Center is sure to delight; this artist and citizen anthropologist has dedicated himself to studying the historical contributions and shared cultural connections of Mesoamerican and pre-Hispanic art.

Romero, who currently lives in Davis, is a first-generation Nicaraguan American who grew up inspired by artifacts he brought home from his father’s travels, such as a Colombian vase or books from Mexico. “We always had this Latin home,” he said, adding that living in a culture very separate from his family’s and not finding many Nicaraguan connections growing up in Pennsylvania could also have influenced his desire to share the art and culture of Latin American civilizations.

Romero earned a master’s degree in art education in 2017 from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, but he didn’t study anthropology in college. It’s his passion project, which he’s immersed himself (and his art) in, finding books and getting his hands on as many artifacts as he can. Romero’s art, expressed primarily through illustration and silkscreen, combines traditional Latin American cultural and design elements reinterpreted in his cross-cultural style. Ever the teacher, he uses QR codes with photographic examples and detailed descriptions to accompany his interpretations. He depicts things like corn, a staple food of Latin America, and images like the fierce jaguar, an important symbol in ancient Mesoamerican art that is still popular in Mexican art today.

For Romero, it’s important to highlight these connections that show “the influence, similarities, and connections between all the cultures of Mesoamerica.” “Corrientes Culturales” opens with a reception on Saturday, March 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Latino Arts and Culture Center located at 2700 Front Street, Sacramento. Regular visiting hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 12-5 p.m. or by appointment.