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Mestiz and Powerhouse Arts have created Twenty Petal Flower, a seven-tier public altar in Manhattan’s Flatiron North Plaza, commissioned by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership. The installation is open to visitors through Nov. 3, 2026, and invites them to leave remembrances for loved ones while highlighting the people who grow and weave marigolds for Día de Muertos.
Mestiz’s seven-tier Día de Muertos altar, titled Twenty Petal Flower, is on view at Flatiron North Plaza in Manhattan through Nov. 3, 2026. Commissioned by the Flatiron NoMad Partnership and made with Brooklyn-based Powerhouse Arts, the public installation reinterprets a traditional ofrenda as a place where visitors can pause and leave remembrances of people who have died.
Artist and designer Daniel Valero, whose Mexico-based studio Mestiz created the work, built the altar around handwoven forms inspired by cempasúchil, or marigolds. The flowers are central to Día de Muertos traditions: according to the Design Milk report, their color and scent are believed to help guide the spirits of loved ones home. The installation’s title refers to cempōhualxōchitl, a Nahuatl term meaning “20-petal flower,” from which the Spanish name cempasúchil derives.
Mestiz’s team produced the woven elements at its fiber workshop in Tequisquiapan, Mexico, using wicker and traditional weaving techniques. The rounded flowers fill the altar’s seven tiers, with warm, candle-like lighting. Powerhouse Arts developed a steel support frame for the outdoor plaza setting; its director of public art, Brittni Collins, said the frame was color-matched to the flowers and designed to remain visually discreet. Stainless steel zip ties secure the woven pieces against wind and weather, according to Collins.
The project was developed across teams in Mexico and Brooklyn, including exchanges of photographs and tests of cut samples, textures, and paint colors, Design Milk reported. Powerhouse Arts designed the support system to be modular, disassemblable, and reusable, rather than a structure intended for just one celebration. The work is open to public approach, and visitors are encouraged to add their own remembrances.
The altar brings a living Día de Muertos tradition into a busy public setting, rather than presenting it only as an object to view. Its invitation to leave a remembrance gives visitors a way to participate, though the source report does not specify how offerings are collected, managed, or preserved.
The work also directs attention beyond the act of remembrance to the labor behind the tradition. Valero said he wanted to honor the many people involved in the cempasúchil’s journey, from those who grow the flowers to the makers who turn them into ofrendas. That framing connects the installation’s visual impact to agricultural and artisanal work, while giving New Yorkers an encounter with the tradition in an everyday neighborhood space.
For the Flatiron NoMad Partnership, the plaza’s open setting was an opportunity to create an immersive work within the neighborhood’s regular flow. President James Mettham said the project was meant to change how people move through the plaza and prompt them to stop and learn about the stories behind the work. Those are the organizers’ aims; the available report does not provide visitor numbers or other measures of its public impact.
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From Michoacán to Flatiron Plaza
The design traces the marigold’s path from fields in Michoacán, Mexico, to the hands of artisans who make floral arrangements for Día de Muertos. Valero described the challenge as translating a delicate, temporary flower into a large-scale structure without losing its handmade character or cultural meaning.
That required coordination between Mestiz’s fiber workshop and Powerhouse Arts, which developed the frame for an outdoor installation. The slim, orange-colored steel structure supports the woven forms while being designed to recede visually. Its modular construction also gives the work a potential life beyond this presentation, although the source report does not identify a confirmed future location or installation date.
““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
Visitor Offerings and Future Reuse
The installation’s stated public run ends Nov. 3, 2026, but the source report does not say what will happen to individual offerings left by visitors or whether there are rules for what can be placed at the altar. It also does not give daily visiting hours, attendance figures, or details about any associated public programs.
Powerhouse Arts says the modular structure can be stored and reinstalled for future celebrations, but no later use or venue is confirmed in the available reporting. The source describes the work as outdoor-ready but does not provide technical specifications, such as dimensions or a formal weather rating.
The Altar’s Run Through November 3
Twenty Petal Flower remains on view at Flatiron North Plaza through Nov. 3, 2026. Visitors can approach the altar and leave remembrances, according to the project description. The next confirmed milestone is the end of that public display; any plans for storage, a later installation, or related events have not been announced in the source material.
Key Questions
Where can visitors see the altar?
Twenty Petal Flower is installed at 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.
Can visitors leave a remembrance?
Yes. The project description says visitors are invited to approach the ofrenda and leave their own remembrances. It does not specify rules for offerings or how they are handled.
Who made the installation?
Artist and designer Daniel Valero’s Mexico-based studio, Mestiz, made the woven flower elements in collaboration with Brooklyn-based Powerhouse Arts, which developed the supporting frame. The Flatiron NoMad Partnership commissioned the work.
What does the title Twenty Petal Flower mean?
The title refers to cempōhualxōchitl, a Nahuatl term meaning “20-petal flower.” The Design Milk report says the Spanish name cempasúchil derives from that term.
Source: design-milk.com
