Washington County Museum

J.J. Parra of Beaverton is a culture enthusiast who portrays his love of Mesoamerican culture through his one-of-a-kind works of art.

His sculptures and jewelry are a mixed media process of mammoth and elephant ivory, amber, jasper, turquoise, obsidian, jade, serpentine, alabaster and variety of woods. Each piece is a unique form of art that frees the imagination to explore the history of the Aztec and Mayan times.

Meet him at the Crossroads, see some of his incredible work and learn about the mosaic creation and restoration processes. He cuts each piece of stone individually and makes his own adhesives with techniques perfected by pre-Columbian artists.

Parra grew up in Puebla, Mexico, where his father, an archaeologist, began teaching him at age 11 the rare, painstaking technique of restoring artifacts from the Aztec culture. Those insightful hours with his father sparked his interest in preservation and inspired him to become an artist.

Parra first displayed his work publicly in 2007 at One World Merchants in Vancouver, Wash. His work also has been shown at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts and, most recently, at the Glenn and Viola Walters Cultural Center in Hillsboro.

Admission: $3; members free
When: Wednesday, Nov. 16
Time: 7 to 8 p.m.
Location: Washington County Museum