The first AANY exhibition was in November 2008; the second was in March, 2009, and the third, ARTE A MANO, was at the Club de Leones, on the weekend of December 5-6, 2009. According to Joan Farrell, the director, "attendance has grown amazingly and sales have far exceeded expectations. Our events have become much anticipated in the Merida community, and we now have the endorsement of the Instituto de Cultura de Yucatan (ICY). ARTE A MANO was even featured as a part of the ICY Otoño Cultural, 2009."

Personally, we can vouch for that. Having attended the last few AANY shows, we have learned to only put as much money in our pocket as we will allow ourselves to spend, because the temptations are great. At the last show we picked up woven floormats from Campeche, earrings and rings, beautiful little salt holders carved from bull’s horns, an incredibly original painted hemp shawl and various gourd masks and vases. Many of these purchases were given as Christmas presents to our loved ones back in the States, and they were much appreciated. One of our favorite purchases is pictured on the left. It is a stick, smoothed and painted to represent an eagle (on the top), and a snake (the green part on the right)… the two animals that figure in the story of the origin of Mexico.

Part of AANY’s mission is to work closely with the artists to improve their products, refine their displays and seek new markets for their work. They sponsored a very successful workshop at the Habla School for artists to offer guidance on how to improve their displays, led by a local resident, Craig LaBerge, who is a museum exhibit designer in another life. In the future AANY plans to offer more workshops by and for their artists. They have made it clear that they encourage galleries, retail stores and designers to attend the events to find new resources. Many of the AANY artists have received special orders from clients who have seen their work at these events.

AANY Spring Show 2010

The next ARTE A MANO will be Saturday, March 20th, 10AM-7PM, and Sunday, March 21st, 10AM-5PM.

This AANY show will be held at a new location: Coparmex, Avenida Hildalgo X 38th, in Colonia García Ginéres. Avenida Hidalgo is the continuation of Avenida Colon on the west side of Itzaes, after going around the Donde Glorieta. Continue past the IMSS hospital on the left and go one more block. You’ll see the Comparmex building there, as well as a bunch of cars parked in the area.

We hear the new location is a good one – a huge, enclosed space with air conditioning (which is daily becoming more important again, now that the nortes seem to be over), and there is a parking lot in back of the building (Okay, we take that back about the cars… look for the parking lot). Coparmex is a nationwide association of business owners and they will be getting the word out to all their members and email lists. The crowd at this show promises to be bigger than ever, so take it from us: If you want your pick of the new and beautiful things, go early.

Additionally, there is an enclosed patio space where visitors can sit down, relax with food and beverages, and regroup for another pass through the show. They have made promises that there might be better food than popcorn and Cokes this time, but really, we don’t go for the food, do we?

New Arts and Crafts Talent

The AANY team has continued combing villages near and far on the Yucatan Peninsula for exciting new craft talent… well, new to us, but mostly these are experienced craftspeople who know little or nothing of the possible market here in Merida. Of the roughly 40 participating artists, there will be about 12 new artists participating, such as:

• from San Felipe, fabulous sculptural mobiles made of shells
• Maya and Aztec replicas (like the one pictured at the start of this article) by a master from Tulum
• utilitarian but lovely hampers made of palm from Calkini
• fused glass objects and jewelry by an artist from Playa
• a collection of exhibition one-of-a-kind hats made of hipi from Becal
• and several new lamp makers.

As always, AANY tries to maintain a balance of studio craft with rural work, and hope that these shows and the attention from AANY and the customers can be instrumental in furthering the traditional crafts of the villages. The tapete makers from the last show were a sell-out in 1 1/2 hours in December! Apparently, they desperately want to return for the March show, but have run out of raw materials. Locally, the patete plant that is used to make these tapetes is not harvested until April or May. Thanks to the help of another of the AANY artists, they may be able to get material shipped in from Tabasco. Come to the show and find out!

The arms of ANNY continue to extend. Eight AANY artists were invited to participate in the recent Chili Cookoff sponsored by the Merida English Library, there is discussion with a local TV station about doing news segments focusing on cultural events supported by the international community, and artists keep reporting increased sales in their studios resulting from the distribution of their business cards at the shows.

Part of AANY’s long-term goal is to encourage the participating artists to assume a proactive role in producing the shows in the future. This is starting to work. One artist has taken over the responsibility of placing visiting artists in private homes to avoid hotel expenses. Another has taken over the proposed placement of several large banners on and around the Donde traffic circle and several artists are acting as buddies to work with first-time exhibitors to improve their displays. In addition, they have begun to accompany the AANY explorers on those endless road trips that are required to find the new artists. The AANY artists are beginning to interact with each other and more and more of them want to be part of the process. Eventually, the current AANY management hopes to work itself out of a job almost completely.

Come to the AANY show and show your support and your interest in the art and craft of the Yucatan. With your help, AANY will continue to grow and diversify in the future… a win/win situation for all concerned!

Read more about AANY here and here.

Dates: Saturday, March 20th, 10AM-7PM, and Sunday, March 21st, 10AM-5PM.

Location: (see map above): Coparmex, Avenida Hildalgo X 38th, in Colonia García Ginéres

We were thinking ourselves fortunate lately, therefore, that within our own small English-speaking expatriate community in Merida, there are some who continue literary pursuits in our native language. Of course, we have as our literary home base the Merida English Language Library, a treasure trove of books written in English in a city where those are hard to find. We also have the Amate Bookstore, an outpost of its larger headquarters in Oaxaca.

And of course, we have writers in our midst! Recently, our good friend Beryl Gorbman published a novel called 2012:The Deadly Awakening (click on the title to download the ebook, which we were pleased to discover we can and intend to read on our Kindle). And our other friend, Louis Nevaer of Casa Catherwood writes non-fiction books. One of his most recent books, Protest Graffiti Mexico: Oaxaca, includes a collection of fabulous photographs by Elaine Sendyk (the recently deceased sister of Cascadas de Merida’s Ellyne Basto). These moving photographs document the political graffiti that sprang up around the city of Oaxaca during the protests of October 2006. The photographs of this fleeting phenomena are brilliant and, with the text, provide an interesting and informative exposé of the events of that time. The introduction by Lila Downs entitled "See the Walls Scream" is pretty good too.

Yucatan’s Literary Tradition in English

There is, of course, a literary tradition of expatriates writing about the Yucatan, starting as far back as John Stevens and his Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, Vols. I and II. Type in "Yucatan" on Amazon.com and you’ll find over 3700 books of Literature & Fiction that mention this fair land, 276 of which are under the category of Poetry. Poetry, however, is a large literary umbrella that casts its shadow over many things (including, apparently, this little ditty:

I had an Aunt in Yucatan
Who bought a Python from a man…

-Hillaire Beloc in Cautionary Tales for Children

We are not here today to talk about THAT kind of poetry, though it, too, has its place. We are here because we recently met a man who makes his home in Yucatan (yes, it rhymes…we can’t help ourselves) and who calls himself a poet. We don’t often meet people who, when asked what they do, say they are poets. It’s just not something you run across every day, and certainly it is unusual here. Although, upon pondering the subject, it really shouldn’t be unusual, because the Yucatan is nothing if not poetic.

Doug Tanoury, Poet

The subject of our interview today, then, is a poet named Doug Tanoury. Half the time, Doug lives in Detroit, Michigan, a place on the planet not known for its poetic nature. And the other half of the year, Doug (and his wife Robin) live here in Merida, practically a pozo of poetry, not for the plethora of poets plying the streets, mind you, but for the profusion of poetry-worthy moments that permeate every person’s experience of life in Merida and the Yucatan.

Doug’s poems that are available on the internet don’t seem to be about his life in Merida. In the spring of 2006, Merida decided to claim Doug and Robin for her own and invited them to join our tribe of merry expats. Since then, they have bought and inhabited a home near L’Ermita and steeped themselves in this exotic and poetry-inspiring place. But so far, the poetry we have read, does not talk to us of Merida. Though we have found an occasional mention of a hammock or two, mostly these poems take place where "…the sycamores that line the banks still show all the signs of summer" and "…the song of an oriole is different from the chirp of a sparrow".

And so, on January 3, 2010 at 6 pm at Casa Catherwood, we are looking forward to the moment when Doug Tanoury will read from his newest collection of poetry, simply entitled "Merida Poems". The following is a short interview that we hope will give you a little more insight into one of Merida’s expat poets (we assume where there is one, there are more…). We also hope this will motivate you to brave the mid-winter tropical night of January 3 to hear Doug’s poems about Merida in their worldwide debut.

Interview with Doug
YL: When did you move to the Yucatan and what made you choose this place? 
Doug: We first visited Merida in the Spring of 2006 quite by accident. We had booked a cruise but our plane had engine problems, so we missed our boat… literally!  The airline was obligated to get us to our first port of call, which was Progreso, and which, as luck would have it, has no airport.  We spent the next three days in beautiful Merida waiting for our ship to come in.  As we eventually realized, it already had: our time waiting turned out to be the highlight of our vacation.  I am always amazed how the most significant things in life happen quite by accident. A friend told us that you do not choose Merida, but rather Merida chooses you.  I think that was true for Robin and me.  We feel fortunate to have been chosen. 

 
YL: What makes you choose to be here half time?  
Doug: Robin and I would both prefer to live here in Merida, full time.  However, family commitments keep us bouncing back and forth. One day… 

 
YL: Has poetry been your career? 
Doug: My occupation has always been in high technology and computers, and for many years I have been a management consultant.  My area of expertise is customer service and contact centers.  This is how I have earned a living for many years. Poetry has not been my career, but rather my vocation.  I always smile when I say this, because I went to a catholic school and the nuns who taught me always stressed the difference between an occupation and a vocation.  An occupation is what you choose to do and it allows you to make a living and pay the bills, but a vocation is what God has chosen for you to do. 

 
YL: How would you describe your poetry? 
Doug: What makes this question difficult to answer is that my work changes over the years, and will more than likely continue to do so.  It has moved through stages or phases and how I would describe it depends on the stage I happened to be in.  Some things about my work are constant and span stylistic phases.  What does not seem to change is that my work is a poetry of the ordinary and everyday that is touched and transformed into something that is extraordinary and novel. It is very personal, and it is through the personal that the universal finds expression.  My poetry uses a simple vocabulary, not a literary language.  I feel that poetry should be understandable and accessible to everyone. 

    
YL: Has living here been a challenge or enhancement to your creativity? 
Doug: Merida is such a magical place, so I can only say that my creativity has been enhanced by the high level of artistic activity here.  This is a culturally rich environment.  Art is everywhere: it is like the air here.  So I feel that I am living in a renaissance city, where music, dance, film, painting and sculpture, poetry and literature all flourish together.  You would have to have a heart of stone not to be inspired in Merida.  It is a city that is perfect for a poet.

 
YL: Is poetry welcomed in the Yucatan?  
Doug: Both the Mexican culture in general and Yucatecan culture in particular welcomes and values poetry to a much higher degree than I have experienced anywhere.  It is integrated into political speeches, social gatherings, education and entertainment.  Poetry has a place in everyday life here.  It lives here.  Eugenia Montalván Colón at Unas Letras has been very active in publishing local poets.

 
YL: Did you speak Spanish before coming here?  If not, are you learning to speak Spanish? 
Doug: No, I knew no Spanish when I first arrived.  I have found the language to be very rich and interesting.  It provides me a different way to look at the world, and I relish the difference.  I have studied Spanish at Habla, where the arts are used to teach Spanish and build literacy.  I find that it is the best approach for me.  If you touch an emotional chord in me, it is an aid to both my learning and memory.

   
YL: What is the source of the images in your poetry? 
Doug: The imagery in my poetry comes from the same place as dreams.  There are a great many similarities between poetry and dreams.  I often say that poetry uses the language of dreams: metaphor, irony, simile and symbolism.  The poet is a waking dreamer.  I was exposed to the work of Carl Jung years ago and his ideas about the role the unconscious plays in the creative process made a great impression.  I believe that poetry is born in the unconscious and is filtered through consciousness and stylized by the skills and tools of the poet.  That means that a poem is the product of the total Self (the unconscious and conscious).  I think the same is true not just for poetry, but for art, in all its many forms.  

   
YL: Is your poetry available here in Merida? 
Doug: Unas Letras is publishing a small collection of my poems entitled "Merida Poems". The book will be available in January 2010, just in time for the reading at Casa Catherwood.  All proceeds for the book will be donated to fund a special scholarship program at Habla: The Center for Language and Culture, for the continuing education of Yucatecan language teachers.

Much of Doug’s non-Merida poetry is available online at Funky Dog Publishing.

Doug’s next poetry reading (and hopefully not his last!) will be at Casa Catherwood on Jan 3 at 6 pm.

Editor’s Note: In this interview, the part of Yucatan Living (YL) was played by the lovely and peripatetic Martha Lindley, patrona of poets and perros. Thank you, Martha! Thank you, Doug! Thank you, Beryl and Louis and MELL and Amate and John Stevens. Thank you all for the words you put to the music that is life in Merida.

The group now known as AANY began the hard work of finding "undiscovered" three-dimensional artists, nurturing them and organizing them to show their work about two years ago. We wrote about them, we met with them, and we attended the AANY shows (there were two last year). Oh, and we should probably mention that we bought as much art as our pocketbooks would allow too! Our wallets were empty when we walked out of the shows, but our backseats were full and the everyone (artists, organizers and buyers) was happy.

Since then we have kept in touch with Joan Farrell and the others working with her to fine-tune the AANY program.

Lest anyone think this is an easy job, let us disabuse you of that right away. Nothing about the production of these two AANY shows has been simple, because the organizers are setting high standards for themselves and for the artists.

For the artists, they first require that their work is high quality. That it shows thought, care and pride. They also must produce works that demonstrate creativity and original thought. There are a million places to go to see embroidered huipiles done in traditional designs, for instance. Those are beautiful, but they aren’t what AANY is about. The AANY organization is looking for original, unique and creative designs. Using the example of embroidery, take Elena Martinez, a woman who lives here in Merida. At the last AANY show, she had two tables of displays with beautifully embroidered towels, tablecloths, dresses… even a few rocks covered with crocheted "sweaters" (yes, we bought one!). Some of the designs were vaguely traditional, but many were completely original and modern. The materials (linens, cottons, wool) were exquisite and obviously chosen with care. She obviously possesses a well-developed sense of color and composition and it was a pleasure just to view her work, let along bring one home.

Once an artist is identified, the AANY team works closely with them week in and week out to prepare them for the show. They must learn to produce a sufficient amount of work to be shown, something that is sometimes a bit difficult when pieces are intricate and labor-intensive. They must also solve the problems of transportation, one of the biggest problems for most of the artists. So many of them live in small villages, don’t own their own vehicles, and have a hard time finding a way to bring their work safely into Merida. They must decide on a fair price, and they often need to also produce some marketing materials, if only business cards or a flyer.

To add to the complications of the AANY organizers, the artists are all at a different stage of their development in learning to produce and market their work. Still, they are working diligently to create a program that treats artists equally, sets a standard for admission that is fair but accurate, and creates an income stream for both the individual artists and the program as a whole. Someday, the organizers hope to turn the management of the program over to a coalition of the artists themselves, and preparing for this is perhaps their biggest task.

So what kind of art can you expect to see at these shows? Some of the artists who were successful in the last show included Carlos Ordaz Solis from Valladolid, who mounts a variety of orchids on found sticks and logs, Pedro Ayuso Vela who carves designs on the outside of gourds, Jorge Guerra Chan who turns the limbs of native trees into walking and standing animals and people, and Leonardo Paz who transform ordinary rocks into animals. Another favorite of ours is the very talented Montserrat Altes from Izamal, who creates fantastic mobiles out of jicaras and other natural gourds, shells and pods.

WIth any luck, these artists will be at the December show (see details below). And in what is becoming an AANY tradition, there will be new artists as well. In December we are looking forward to seeing tapetes, thin rugs or wall hangings made from local reeds and woven together to form intricate patterns. The tapetes are made by a number of women in Nunkini, a town in Campeche. We have also heard that an artist named Don Primo Uicab will be bringing chairs and confidentiales (?) made from bent willow branches (bejuco)… a nice alternative to factory-made outdoor or casual furniture.

This year, AANY has created an opportunity for those of you who want to help these artists in their quest for self-sufficiency through their work, or who are inveterate shoppers and want to get a head start on everyone else. By purchasing an AANY Sponsorship, you will not only support this effort but you will get some combination of early admission to the upcoming Saturday show, free tickets for refreshments at the show, your name on the Sponsorship Banner and admission to an upcoming special event. In the words of the organizers, "Your donation will fund the show’s direct expenses, print advertising, artist workshops, and research to identify studio artists and artists in small villages. Money from all sales goes directly to the creating artists. AANY directly benefits three-dimensional Yucatecan artists and helps make our international community a part of theirs."

The organizers of AANY spend the time between shows driving all over the Yucatan Peninsula following up leads and searching out artists who are creating from their individual visions. In addition, they have started to organize workshops for the artists. This week, Craig LaBerge, a museum curator from Canada who lives here in Merida, spoke at an artist workshop about how to display art for maximum effect and saleability. For most of the artists, this kind of thing is the only education they have ever received in relation to their art.

If you are interested in buying some of the work of these talented Yucatecans, we encourage you to show up at the AANY Arte A Mano Show on December 5 and 6. The show will be held at the Club de Leones (Lion’s Club) building on Avenida Colon between Calles 14 and 16. The new Yucatan Living Merida Art Map, which will be out on the streets in less than two weeks (and downloadable here) marks the location on the map.

If you would like to be a sponsor, there are three levels:

• $250 pesos buys you early admission on Dec. 5, 1 free hospitality ticket (for drink or food at the event) and your name on the banner.
• $500 pesos buys you early admission, 2 hospitality tickets and your name on the banner.
• $1000 pesos buys you early admission, 4 hospitality tickets, your name on the banner and admission to a special event that will soon be announced.

To sign up to be a sponsor, please contact Ken Scott by calling 285-5442 or email him kenscott740 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Tell him you heard about it on Yucatan Living!

We hope that all of you reading this will turn out for this fabulous event… and we’re saying this completely selfishly! We love shopping at this event for Christmas presents and for beautiful locally-made art for our home. So please come to the Arte a Mano show so there will continue to be one… and so it will grow in size and scope, bringing more beauty and prosperity to all corners of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Editor’s Note: The lovely photos of the Mayan women making tapetes were provided by Anny Schrader who can be reached at anny [at] casamontejo [dot] com.

****

The Next AANY show will be held on March 20-21, 2010 at a new location, Coparmex, on Avenida Hildalgo X 38th, García Ginerés
Saturday, 10 am to 7 pm and Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, email joanafarrell [at] yahoo [dot] com

The Absence of Sculpture
First of all, remember the sculpture exhibits that used to grace Paseo de Montejo for ten months every year, exhibiting artists from Mexico and another chosen country (Spain, Japan, etc.)? Well, there is not going to be one this year, and there are no plans that we know of to revive that 5-year tradition. There is a new party in power in the state, and they are busy planning and creating their own traditions.

Meeting with the Instituto de Cultura
Which brings us to another important item. Last week, Working Gringa joined about twenty other extranjeros in a special meeting with the Director of the Instituto de Cultura de Yucatan (ICY), the state-run department that is in charge of all artistic and cultural programs in the state. ICY covers everything from the various orchestras and dance companies to the theatres, music programs and workshops on everything from Taekwondo to puppet shows. We met with the director, Renan Alberto Guillermo Gonzalez and about six of his employees, including the head of Publicity, Jose Aviles Marin and the lovely Maricarmen Perez who is a singer at Jazzin’ Merida on Friday nights and who, as an ICY employee, is now the newly anointed Ambassador for ICY to the extranjero community (as a direct result of this meeting).

The meeting was full of expressed gratitude (in both directions) and a few suggestions for improvement. Specifically, we asked for earlier visibility on events so that we can keep our calendar more up to date and get events on the calendar sooner, giving our readers and ourselves time to plan to attend. We feel confident that we will all be benefitting from greater cooperation and visibility in the very near future, and we’re excited about that.

We also took the opportunity to educate the Director and his staff on some of the programs that we gringos are involved in that we feel they should know about. In addition to Working Gringa (who talked about the Yucatan Living website and the Yucatan Living Merida Art Map), representatives from the AANY program, the Merida English Library, the International Women’s Club and the Yucatan Goldbook talked about their projects.
Another program was also presented by Cherie Pitillo and Greenwood, a seemingly indefatigable extranjero couple that have been living here for about two years now. They presented a very thick notebook with photos, captions and explanations about a promising and special art program called Purpura Plastika. This worthy program, run by young Mexican artists, teaches art in local orphanages, and we hope to be writing more about it soon.

Director Hernan told us about ICY’s four main areas of work:

• Promotion of events to the public
• Support of spaces for events to take place
• Preservation of Mayan and Mestizo culture
• Participation of and support of the 106 Yucatan Municipalities, of which Merida is one. Specifically, this refers to the decentralization of cultural activities in an attempt to bring the benefits of culture to all the people of the Yucatan, as well as bringing the income from tourism that may come to participate in and view cultural events.

He specifically mentioned the number of children who are taking music lessons around the state, the various children’s orchestras and the system that is promoting music education called ORJUVE, Sistema Estatal de Orquestas Juveniles de Yucatán (State System of Juvenile Orchestras in Yucatan). He mentioned that each town has been given a representative who is tasked with seeing to it that their town gets the events and support that it wants. A program like this holds wonderful potential and we look forward to seeing what five years of this kind of attention might create in the state of Yucatan, for the children and for the communities as a whole.

New Artists
A walk along the Artists Market on Paseo de Montejo last Sunday (the first in a long time, sad to say…) turned up three new and very exciting artists. We met Agustín, a young man from Jalisco who studied art in Los Angeles, but has come back to Mexico to paint, draw and start an art school specializing in animation. His canvases were stunning, showing an adept hand at figure drawing as well as a good sense of color and, we must admit, we bought one. Then, just down the street a little way, we found Viviana Hinojosa and her novio (boyfriend), both artists. We would have bought another work of art on the spot if A- we hadn’t already bought one up the road and had no money left and B- we hadn’t found out about their upcoming show. Viviana and Miguel will be showing their works at a show coming in June at the new SoHo Galleries, and we plan to be there to make sure we get our pick of their work!

SoHo in Merida
Oh, you haven’t heard yet of Soho Galleries? Well, if you haven’t, you will. Adele, the owner of SoHo, comes from New York City (thus the name). She has brought her big city sensibilities and knowledge of art to Merida and she plans to use it to OUR advantage! She and her significant other, Nicolas Lavroff (a photographer) stock the gallery with new works from local artists, classic prints from a collection they have been growing for years, and they also offer giclee prints of many of the works in the gallery if you can’t afford the real thing. We’re excited about some of the upcoming shows and the energy that Adele is putting into helping Artists in Mexico put on a gallery faire in Santa Ana Park. When we know more about this, you’ll be the first to know.

Gallery Tours, Guided and Self-Guided
Gallery owners are multiplying and getting creative too. Gallería Victoria just announced an art gallery and museum tour for tourists (www.meridagallerytour.com)… a great way to get an introduction to some of the venues for art in our fair city. The tour will be handing out the Summer 2009 edition of the Yucatan Living Merida Art Map, which will be available in about two weeks, chock full of new and old galleries in Merida and all the information you need to enjoy them. The Yucatan Living Merida Art Map is really a self-guided tour of the museums and galleries and other locales where you might encounter art in downtown Merida. A must for any serious art lover who lives or visits here. The art map can be found at the city information kiosks, the Merida English Library, various stores, restaurants, galleries and museums… and you can download it as a .pdf from the Art in Merida listings page as well.

Georgia Charuhas
One of Merida’s favorite artists, Georgia Charuhas , has been working in watercolors lately and seems to be fully enjoying her Blue Period. She was honored this spring to be one of four Mexican women in an exhibition in Mexico City called Artilugios (Artifacts). The show, featuring works by Georgia Charuhas, Philippa Smith, Rocío Caballero and Pilar Bañuelos, was part of the Festival de México in the Centro Historico, celebrating 25 years of art in the Museo de la Secretaría de Hacienda y Credito Publico and the Antiguo Palacio del Arzobispado (that’s a mouthful, isn’t it? Those are two large historic buildings in Mexico City that now house art museums but once housed the tax collector and the archibishop respectively). Georgia is a world-class artist in our midst and we’re thrilled to have her knowledge, talent and energy in Merida.  

More Music
Another side benefit of the meeting with ICY is that Working Gringa sat next to Katalina McNulty. It seems that Katalina regularly wanders the streets of Mérida more than three people put together, searching out what’s new and what’s happening, and she has a special interest in music. She has agreed to become Yucatan Living’s Music Correspondent for keeping our Events listings as full and up-to-date with music events as is humanly possible. Welcome, Katalina!!

Saturday Night
A piece of good news that the meeting with the ICY turned up. Remember those wonderful Saturday nights in downtown Merida, when the streets were closed off and chairs and tables put out and music rang through the air? Well, that wondrous event had mysteriously ended awhile ago, but we were told that it is starting up again as of last weekend. Welcome back, Corazon de Mérida!

Art is in the Air
Before we leave the subject of art for now, we would just like to call your attention to the blooming flamboyanes (flame trees) and their dance partners, the lluvia de oro (rain of gold) trees. Both trees, which are often planted next to each other, are in full and glorious bloom about now (May). You can see them almost anywhere, but a particularly spectacular drive is Avenida Itzaes, from the airport up to Avenida Colon. Red and yellow abound, and the sweet scent of the lluvia de oro is around the most unexpected corners. Love, art and spring are in the air in Merida!

There’s a lot going on these days in the Merida Art World… the crawling baby art scene is quickly becoming a toddler, walking now and sometimes falling down, but full of life and energy. Here’s a snapshot of what’s new in the Merida Art World as the winter season begins…

La Ruptura - Late 20th Century Cuban Art at Galería Tataya
In the late 70’s and early 80’s, after the Mariel Boatlift and subsequent closing down of the borders of Cuba, the art community gathered strength from an increased emphasis on education, and due to the isolation, developed a strong sense of identity which has come to define Cuban Art. Here in Merida, we are fortunate to be somewhat close geographically to that mysterious and culturally rich island. And we are also fortunate to have the visionary owners of the Galería Tataya, who have put in time and hard work (and money) to bring us their current exhibition of Cuban Art.

The exhibit is called La Ruptura (the Break), and features the work of a group of mid-career Cuban artists. This work has been gathered painstakingly and with great care by the owners, and we are the lucky recipients of their efforts.

There are works from at least four major artists, and a few minor ones. Works range from small $900 pesos original paintings that would make exquisite gifts, to large framed multi-thousand peso works that would serve well as the focus of a large room. The artists include Carlos del Toro, a teacher and artist of great reknown who has participated in more than 300 group exhibitions around the world, won awards in Cuba and abroad and whose art is collected both in museums and private collections. The works on display include pen and ink drawings, oil and acrylic paintings and lithographs. Our favorite resembles a Japanese ink painting, but with a decidedly Latin touch. They all share a vibrancy and intensity that we have come to associate with our neighboring island. Most are exquisitely framed and ready to take their honored place in your new colonial or modern home.

Even if you can’t afford one of these reasonably priced works of original art, don’t cheat yourself of a visit to Tataya to see the exhibit. This type of curated exhibit is not often seen here in Merida, and is a treat from both an educational and inspirational point of view. As lovers of art and boosters of the local art scene, we hope that Tataya will continue its quest to present such intelligent exhibitions and that other galleries in town will join them in adding to the depth and breadth of art available for view and for sale in Merida.

The New Art Map
Yucatan Living has recently printed and is currently distributing the third iteration of Merida’s Art Map, a complete guide to the museums and galleries in Merida. This time, we are also proud to include a few artist’s studios, complete with phone numbers and invitations by the artists to call and visit. As amateur art collectors, we know that the ability to visit an artist, see a range of their work and observe them in their studio is a treat that gives an added layer of enjoyment to a work of art hanging on the wall. If you haven’t already read about some of the artists living in Merida, we encourage you to do that here in the pages of the Yucatan Living website. And then go look around and enjoy their work and the work of many others.

The map can be found in the official information booths around town, in museums, galleries, restaurants, hotels and other downtown locations. It can also be downloaded as a PDF here. We encourage any and all of you to visit the galleries, museums and studios designated on the map! And be sure to let the places you visit know that you found them through this map.

Art From the Countryside
Mark your calendars for Thursday to see something new in the art world in the Yucatan. From now until the end of the year, each Thursday from 10 am until 6 pm, a group called Circulo Verde (Green Circle) will be showing their art in Parque de La Madre (Mother’s Park) which is on the other side of the callejon (walking street) next to the Peon Contreras Theatre. The artists, who come from the towns of Molas, Dzununcán, Chablekal, Caucel, Hunucmá and Buctzotz, will be there to talk about their art and their work, as well as to sell their work. What a great gift idea for the holidays… a piece of original artwork from the Yucatan Peninsula!

Art in Support of Nature
Starting at the opening on the evening of Dec. 5, this exhibit will feature the work of 30 local artists that are inspired by Nature Herself. Works will be for sale and the proceeds will benefit Niños y Crías, a local non-profit that educates children about caring for animals and the environment. The show will stay open for two months, and will be located at the Casa de la Cultura de la Universidad Interamericana del Norte, which is located on Paseo de Montejo at Calle 45 (Check the art map for the location!).

Art and Chocolate
At the corner of Calle 60 and Calle 49, in the shadow of the Hotel Aluxes, is a new place to eat and look at art. Cafe Chocolate opened a few months ago, and they bill themselves as a cafe-gallery-antique store. According to the representative that we talked to, everything in the cafe is for sale. That includes the art on the walls, the chairs you sit in, the chandeliers, the other furniture… everything! The menu includes breakfast, lunch and dinner including homemade fresh pasta. We will confess that we haven’t eaten there yet, but we like the idea of art plus food! You can learn more about Cafe Chocolate at their website here.

Soho Comes to Merida
A new gallery called Soho Galleries is opening on Calle 60 between Calles 43 and 41, adding heft to the Santa Ana Art District of Merida Centro. Soho Galleries will feature three distinct galleries under one roof, and is named after the famous art district of New York City, the home of one of the owners, Adele Aguirre. The other owner, Nicholas Lavroff, is a photographer who lives here but hails from Australia. His digital images from Australia, the USA and Mexico will be a permanent changing installation in one of the three galleries. The second gallery will feature an ever-changing assortment of local artists, beginning with a fairly well-known local artist, Victor Argaez (if you can’t go to Circulo Verde on Thursdays (see above), you can see Victor’s work here for two months). And the third gallery will contain a rotating exhibit of the owners’ large collection of authenticated prints from the Renaissance time period to the present day.

The owners will also be offering gicleé prints of the works in the first two galleries, so that collectors can enjoy the artwork at a lower price without having to buy the original. The Soho Galleries will be the only place in town where you can view art from such a vast range of global talent. And everything in the gallery, from old to new, is for sale!

Opening: November 28 at 7:30 PM
Location: Calle 60 #400A x 43 y 41
Phone: 285-2863

Speaking of gifts…
It occurs to us that the dreaded Holidays are coming up, and so many of us will be looking for presents that are original, unique and not too pricey. Might we suggest a few excellent places? The first is Casa Catherwood (Calle 59 at Calle 72)… they have a new shipment of grass baskets and bags from Madagascar and sisal bags (yes, sisal from Yucatan!) from Kenya. Buying one of these items helps to support the women of Africa. The new gift shop, Alma de Mexico (Calle 54 at Calle 55), has a great selection of handmade items from all over Mexico. And Galeria Tataya (Calle 72 and Calle 53) has some exquisite Mexican handmade ironwork (both decorative and functional) and pottery from other parts of Mexico as well. And don’t forget the Museo de Arte Popular’s excellent gift shop!

And then there is the BIG event on November 29 at the TTTI School on Calle 57, between Calle 56 and 58 that will only be for one day, from 10 am til 5 pm. This event will be chock full of artisans from around the state showing very unique and beautiful hand-crafted articles… everything from Mayan waterflutes made from an ancient and very mysterious design, to hanging mobiles made from wood and jicaras (a local gourd), to jewelry made from local seeds… and so much more. If you are a fan of original arts and crafts, we will drop a hint: get there early. These artisans are not known for being prolific, so there will not be an unlimited selection!

If you can’t find something different and wonderful in all these places for people on your shopping list (or for yourself…), then we are flabbergasted! tongue-tied! speechless! Except for this:

As Thanksgiving approaches, we just want to say that we are thankful that there is Art in Merida!

Editors Note: To check out the latest exhibits everywhere in Merida, go to our constantly-updated Art in Merida page. A link to this page can also always be found in the middle of the front page of Yucatan Living, under ‘Current News, Art and Events’.