The “buildings in a bad state” in Oaxaca continue to multiply.
Where some see unsightly decay, others see opportunity…
including urban artist, SCOM.
Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category
This is a good spot
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Signs, Travel & Tourism, tagged abandoned buildings, artists, buildings, dangerous, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, SCOM, street art, urban art graffiti, wall art on June 8, 2014| 6 Comments »
Monos on the move
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Expat Blog, Expat interview, Mexico, monos, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on May 24, 2014| 6 Comments »
Yesterday, I was walking along calle de Flores Magón, and what to my wondering eyes did appear?
Husband and wife? Novia y novio?? “Just” friends???
I’ve got to say, they looked rather stiff and not very comfortable. Hope their trip was a short one!
By the way, if you want to read a little about my journey to Oaxaca and expat life, Expat Blog recently published an interview with me, American Expat Living in Mexico – Interview with Shannon. There is even a photo of a couple of monos supervising a banda. Perhaps friends of the above???
Are your eyes open?
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged Albert Einstein quote, Bob Marley quote, eyes, graffiti, Marcel Proust quote, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, urban art on May 21, 2014| 8 Comments »
The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes… —Marcel Proust
He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed. —Albert Einstein
Open your eyes, look within: Are you satisfied with the life you’re living? —Bob Marley
Eyes looking out on the world from the mural on Tinoco y Palacios, between Vasconcelos and Niños Heroes.
Eve of (mural) destruction
Posted in Creativity, Culture, People, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Central Connecticut State University, culture, Diego Rivera, Mexico, Mike Alewitz, mural painting, murals, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, street art, urban art, wall art on May 18, 2014| 1 Comment »
Mexico has a long and important place in the history of communication through murals — from stories related by pre-Hispanic civilizations…
Maya fresco circa 790 C.E. – Bonampak, Chiapas.
through the world-renowned and influential Mexican muralists of the twentieth century: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros, and others.
History of Mexico by Diego Rivera, 1931 – National Palace, Mexico City.
And, as many of you know, murals on the walls of Oaxaca are part of the urban landscape, authorized or not, like them or not, they celebrate…
One of several murals in the pedestrian tunnel to the Guelaguetza auditorium in Oaxaca city.
educate…
San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca.
reveal past and present — and hopes and fears for the future.
Calle Tinoco y Palacios, between Vasconcelos and Niños Héroes, Oaxaca city.
Those found on the streets we expect to be ephemeral, but commissioned work, both inside and outside of buildings, we hope would have a longer and more permanent lifespan. Of course, the Rockefeller family’s destruction of Diego Rivera’s Rockefeller Center mural showed differently. And, more recently, my friend and artist, Mike Alewitz experienced the obliteration of his mural on the side of the Pathfinder Building, also in New York. Both were instances of political differences and, while distressing, perhaps not too surprising.
However, today Mike is leading a battle in defense of his students’ murals. According to NBC Connecticut:
Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) has built up one of the largest mural collections in the country since the program started in 2001. But Professor Mike Alewitz, who oversees CCSU’s mural painting program, said that collection is at risk.
The school has painted over six of the murals without notice and plans to do the same with another 12, Alewitz said Richard Bachoo, director of operations, confirmed. He said he hopes an appeal to the university and community support will protect the remaining murals.
“It made them feel part of the larger world, that they weren’t looking at blank walls inside an institution, but they were looking at the hopes and dreams of young people,” Alewitz said. “We found out that 18 murals were scheduled to be destroyed.”
<snip>
He says in the 14 years the mural program has existed, the policy has never been implemented in this way. Alewitz said in a statement that this is “the largest destruction of public art in recent history.” While administrators have removed murals in the past, they normally consult with the art department first, he said.
“The real policy has been that people love the murals, so when they’ve been painted, they’ve stayed up,” Alewitz said.
Oaxaca would lose much of her character and lessons would be lost, if we were to wake one morning and find all her murals disappeared. The story is the same at CCSU. For the full article, click HERE. To send messages of protest and to see some of the amazing student murals that enliven the walls and stimulate thinking at CCSU but are slated for destruction, click HERE. And, Why Bureaucrats Fear Art, is a letter to students and fellow artists, by Mike Alewitz.
When we plant trees…
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Politics, tagged Árbol de la Diversidad, Bisexual, Gay, Gente Diferente, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, Lesbian, LGBT, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, public art, Transexual, Vinnii Gaxhee, Wangari Maathai quote on May 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »
“When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.” — Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. From the poster for the inauguration of the Árbol de la Diversidad (Tree of Diversity) on Macedonio Alcalá celebrating May 17, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The Ombudsman for Human Rights of the People of Oaxaca said the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia is an opportunity to become aware as a society of respect and acceptance that we owe to the other, a day that encourages us to live and work in building a more just, more humane, more egalitarian and fraternal society. (Noticias, 17 mayo 2014)
Shadows on the wall
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Gardens, Travel & Tourism, tagged architecture, cactus, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, shadows on May 16, 2014| 4 Comments »
Information please
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, Gorilla Glass, graffiti, Jason Pfohl, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations, SCOM, street art, urban art on May 13, 2014| 8 Comments »
These creatures began materializing around town a couple of months ago. I wonder…
Who are they?
Where did they come from?
What do they want?
Perhaps, I should ask here!
The walls of Oaxaca… you have questions, they have answers.
Update: The monsters sprang forth from the mind of SCOM.
h/t Jason Pfohl of Gorilla Glass.
Celebrate the children
Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Holidays, Museums, Travel & Tourism, tagged art, children, Children's Day, Colorum, Day of the Child, Día del Nino, exhibitions, MEAPO, Mexico, Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, San Bartolo Coyotepec on April 29, 2014| 4 Comments »
On Saturday, we drove to San Bartolo Coyotepec for the opening of the exhibition, Colorum, an exhibit of art by the children of Oaxaca, mounted as part of tomorrow’s el Día del Niño (Children’s Day) celebrations. We went primarily to support my friend Juan, as his son Allan was one of the young artists participating in the show. However, we stayed because it was a wonderfully inspiring and uplifting experience and I applaud the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca (MEAPO) for encouraging and showcasing the imagination and creativity of the children of Oaxaca.
What is given to children, the children will give to society.
Children are the most important resource in the world and the best hope for the future.
The free imagination transforms the world and makes things fly.
The Colorum exhibition lasts until May 20, 2014. It is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday.
Invasion of the giant dragonfly
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Travel & Tourism, tagged Andador Turístico, art, Calle Macedonio Alcalá, culture, dragonfly, exhibitions, Fernando Andriacci, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, public art, sculptures, street art, urban art on April 27, 2014| 2 Comments »
No, not a newly discovered mutant killer variety — only one of the sculptures currently hanging out along the Alcalá. It is part of a public art exhibit, “El migrante,” by Oaxaqueño artisit, Fernando Andriacci.
Still life at CASA
Posted in Buildings, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged bins, CASA, Centro de las Artes de San Agustín, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, recycling, San Agustín Etla on April 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »
One of the stops while my gal pals were visiting two weeks ago was the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CASA), in San Agustín Etla. This re-imagined former textile factory is one of the most esthetically pleasing spaces I’ve ever experienced.
Even the recycling bins are exquisitely designed and placed!
Reptiles, real & imagined
Posted in Animals, Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged alebrije, Bertha Cruz, ceramic gecko, geckos, lizards, Mexico, Mitla, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, reptiles, San Antonio Arrazola, Talavera on April 8, 2014| 6 Comments »
This post was inspired by a couple of recent close encounters of the reptilian kind.
When my gal pals were visiting at the end of March, naturally we went to Mitla and wandered through the archeological site. In addition to the intricate fretwork, remains of wall paintings, massive columns, and tombs, one of the, very much alive, residents of this “place of the dead,” caught our eye.
She was extremely busy digging a hole in the rocks (to lay eggs?) and allowed us get within less than a meter from her. One of her relatives was, no doubt an inspiration for one of my favorite alebrije by Bertha Cruz of the woodcarving village of San Antonio Arrazola.
And then, a couple of nights ago, one of my resident, but very shy, geckos made a rare appearance on one of the beams that spans my brick ceiling.
While my geckos greet me in the morning and night with their welcoming chirps, they seldom come out into the open when I’m around. However, there it was, high above my head and frozen in place as I approached. It remained while I went to get my camera and then stayed for the requisite photo shoot. Thank you my chirping friend!
I wonder if, during its nocturnal wanderings through my apartment, my little gecko came across its talavera likeness hanging on the wall?
Just because…
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Travel & Tourism, tagged graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, street art, urban art, wall art on April 1, 2014| 4 Comments »
Good Samaritans
Posted in Beverages, Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Food, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged agua fresca, Día de la Samaritana, Día de las Aguas, Good Samaritan day, Horchata, Lent, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, popular travel destinations on March 30, 2014| 4 Comments »
If you are in Oaxaca and it’s the fourth Friday of Lent, it must be Día de la Samaritana (AKA, el Día de las Aguas) — a uniquely Oaxacan celebration. It is inspired by the Gospel of John story in the New Testament: At noon, a tired and, apparently, thirsty Jesus, on his way to Galilee, asks a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well in Sychar for some water. His request was highly unusual because, according to the Old Testament, “Jews regarded the Samaritans as foreigners and their attitude was often hostile.” The woman complied with his request and the rest is history.
By noon, this past Friday in Oaxaca, the thermometer had already reached 90º F in El Centro Histórico and people of all ages, from small children to abuelos, were already lined up at bougainvilla and palm decorated booths in front of churches, schools, and businesses for the traditional Día de la Samaritana free aguas. It wasn’t just plain water they were waiting on, it was for divinely flavored aguas frescas made with fresh fruits and flowers — jamaica, horchata, chilacayota, tamarindo, sandia, and others. However in front of the churches, prior to the offering of aguas, there was a reenactment of Jesus and the Samaritana, as well as a priestly blessing — and an article in Noticias reported that, given the blazing hot sun, some in the crowd became a little impatient.
All were eventually served and the streets were filled with smiling people drinking a rainbow of aguas. Within an hour the serving pots, pitchers, bowls, and buckets were empty and all that remained were garbage containers filled to overflowing with plastic cups.
By the way, talking to my friend Sam, who teaches at Universidad José Vasconcelos de Oaxaca, they had an aguas frescas contest — memorable combinations of watermelon with strawberries and lime; atole with tuna nieve; and coconut with strawberries. However, I was informed the day’s winner was the piña colada — alas, minus the rum, I’m thinking.
Speaking of danzantes
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Politics, Protests, Travel & Tourism, tagged dancers, Danza de la Pluma, danzantes, demonstrations, Mexico, Oaxaca, penachos, photographs, photos, protests, San Bartolo Coyotepec on March 24, 2014| 8 Comments »
Reason number 579 why I love Oaxaca…
Today was the first day of a way-too-short first time visit to Oaxaca by a couple of California gal pals — an orientation walk through El Centro was the order of the day. And what did we stumble upon in front of the Government Palace? Danzantes waiting to perform a couple of the dances from the Danza de la Pluma.
They began dancing and I flashed on Saturdays’ blog post, Danzantes in training. However, these guys definitely weren’t apprentices — they had the steps and jumps down WITH those heavy and seemingly unwieldy penachos on their heads — and the crowd cheered.
The danzantes and most of their gathered audience were from San Bartolo Coyotepec, about 15 km south of the city. It’s a village known for the artisans who make black pottery. However, along with the band and dancers, there were banners and protestors.
According to this article (in Spanish), “they arrived at the presidential palace in the main square of the city to demand the replacement of the elections because the process was considered seedy and does not represent the will of the community.”
Culture and politics… I couldn’t have arranged a more quintessential Oaxaca experience, if I had tried. And my friends, what did they think? They loved it all!
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Heart and soul
Posted in Creativity, Culture, Economics, Politics, Protests, Sports & Recreation, tagged Copa Mundial 2014, El Tri, fútbol, Francisco Goldman, graffiti, Mexico, Oaxaca, photographs, photos, political commentary, soccer, street art, urban art, World Cup 2014 on June 23, 2014| 4 Comments »
What a game; three goals in 10 minutes in the second half!!! Another thrilling win by El Tri advances Mexico to the next stage in World Cup 2014. They struggled and needed a little help from their “friends” in el norte to even play in Brazil. However, against all odds, this team exhibits a gutsy and tenacious heart and soul that can’t help but have people rooting for them — much like the country of Mexico, itself.
Mural under fútbol stadium in Oaxaca – Dec. 2012
Francisco Goldman wrote an op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times. His article, “Fooling Mexican Fans,” relates the current politics of Mexico, the “bread and circuses” diversion of the World Cup, and the notion that El Tri might exemplify all that is inspiring and hopeful in the Mexican national character.
Goldman’s op-ed begins…
The day before the Mexican soccer team’s thrilling underdog tie with the World Cup favorite, Brazil, last week, the lead editorial of the news site SinEmbargo was titled, “Ready for your Clamato and Gatorade?” — common hangover remedies. “In about three weeks, when you wake from your World Cup dreams,” the editors wrote, “remember that when the soccer fest began, the country was on the verge of monumental decisions. If upon waking, you realize that the country’s energy reserves have been cheaply sold off or whatever else, don’t bother protesting because this is a chronicle foretold.”
To debate and pass laws that could open Pemex, the nationalized oil company, to foreign investment, the Mexican Congress scheduled legislative sessions from June 10 to 23, dates precisely coinciding with you know what. Final passage might be pushed back, but it originally looked like it was supposed to happen on Monday, when Mexico plays Croatia to decide which country advances to the elimination rounds.
As I wrote previously, Mexicans have been Expressing the outrage since last year, when Mexico’s newly elected president Enrique Peña Nieto (initials EPN), from the PRI party, first made the Pemex energy “reform” proposal.
Graffiti seen on a wall south of Oaxaca’s zócalo, May 23, 2014.
Goldman goes on to discuss this and other “reforms,” the role of the PRI, and the current overall political climate in Mexico. However, as dismal as it all sounds, he ends on a hopeful note…
There has been much talk lately about the way the style of soccer teams manifests national characters. I don’t know if that’s true. But when I look at the Mexican team which, after barely even qualifying for the World Cup, has been playing so well, I see a team without stars — a gritty, hard-working, pretty humble, resourceful, creative, disciplined, joyous, friendly-seeming group of players who seem to be learning to play the game as it is meant to be played.
These are values that we see enacted and re-enacted all over Mexico, and in Mexican communities elsewhere, every day. Someday Mexico will get another chance to vote the PRI away and to restart the long process of building the country from the ground up. It could do worse than take some inspiration from its national team.
Absolutely, those are the values I, too, see exhibited in Mexican communities both in Mexico and the US. There is hope for the future — and not just on the pitch! I encourage you to read Goldman’s op-ed in full. In the meantime, Mexico vs. Netherlands on Sunday at Estadio Castelao Forteleza. ¡¡¡ VAMOS EL TRI !!!
h/t K Hackbarth for the article
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