AROUND TOWN
Meetings & Lectures January 25, 2008 San Miguel de Allende
City Secretary to address Unitarian Universalist
City Secretary and Mayoral Assistant Cristobol Finkelstein reports on “Problems and Opportunities in San Miguel” at this Sunday’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Meeting.
Mr. Finkelstein was born in France and graduated from Central University in Querétaro. Additionally, he obtained a Masters Degree in International Relations and an International Law Degree from the University of Madrid. The talk offers an extraordinary opportunity for English-speaking San Miguel residents to hear an assessment of the administration’s plans for the city’s future.
The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch.
Midday Rotary Club
On Tuesday, January 29, the Midday Rotary club will hold the first of their quarterly Club Assemblies. This is an opportunity for all club members to discuss decisions that affect the club and for the various committees to report on their activities. Past and future planned projects that involve Midday Rotary Club will be discussed in detail.
The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at their new location, the Hotel Real de Minas at the intersection of calles Ancha de San Antonio and Stirling Dickinson. Check-in time is 12–12:25pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30. Visiting Rotarians and others interested in Rotary are invited to attend this meeting. Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world. For more information, please go to the website:
www.rotarysma.org.
Adiós is Not Good-bye and Mañana is Not Tomorrow: (Mis)adventures in Language and Culture
Robert de Gast, a long-time resident of San Miguel, presents a not-so-serious talk he calls “Adiós Is Not Good-bye and Mañana Is Not Tomorrow: (Mis)adventures in Language and Culture” at 5pm on Tuesday, January 29 in the Teatro Santa Ana at the Biblioteca Pública on Insurgentes 25.
De Gast, a photographer, writer and author of Behind the Doors of San Miguel and several other books about our fair city, will relate some of his adventures (and misadventures) in becoming acquainted with the culture of Mexico and the Spanish language.
This is the second time de Gast has found himself in a very different culture. He was born in the Netherlands and emigrated to the United States where he enjoyed a decades-long career as a magazine photographer and writer.
“No two contiguous countries in the world are as different as Mexico and the US,” he says. “Even Holland, 3,000 miles from the nearest American shore, and a half-century ago, was culturally closer to the United States than Mexico is today. But I still find myself making the same linguistic (and cultural) errors I was making then.”
A recent issue of Independent Traveler mentioned the Biblioteca’s lecture Series: “Don’t miss Robert de Gast if he’s giving a lecture!”
The talk ends in sufficient time for those planning to attend the PEN lecture at nearby Bellas Artes. Admission to the presentation is 50 pesos and benefits the Library’s many programs.
Classes & Workshops
Free chess workshops
Free chess workshops for children 8 to 12 years old meet Mondays 4–5pm in the Sala Infantil, and adults at 5–6:30pm in the central patio of the Biblioteca Pública. The Biblioteca has chess sets, but bring your own if you’re fond of it, or if it seems to be lucky. Local chess master Francisco de Santiago will provide a few minutes of tactics and then you’ll have over an hour to practice tricks on your opponents. For the last two weeks, nearly a dozen players gathered in the patio and enjoyed the battle of wits so much they meet there informally on other days of the week. Players also meet Wednesdays, 5-7pm at Mama Mia on Umaran. They have tournament-class sets and their assistant manager Martín, is one of the best players in town. He’s planning a chess ID card with tangible benefits to those who play there.
Martes Literario
Biblioteca Pública de San Miguel de Allende, A.C. y la Fundación Un Chorro de Literatura, presentan: a Víctor Sahuatoba Martes Literarios. Presentación y análisis de corrientes literarias, escritores representativos y sus obras. Se inicia el año continuando con la serie: La vanguardia en la poesía hispanoamericana. Durante el mes de Enero analizaremos la obra de Oliverio Girando, poeta argentino. En el mes de Febrero iniciamos con Cesar Vallejo, poeta peruano. Se invita al público en general todos los martes a las 17 hrs. en la Sala Quetzal.
Models, music and the ghost of Lautrec
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On any given Thursday evening, on the second floor of an elegant art gallery, the otherwise quiet and somber Plaza de la Conspiración building transforms into a vibrant French-style art studio. |
With lively jazz music playing in the background and drinks flowing freely, the Ana Julia Aguado Gallery becomes a gathering place for artists of all backgrounds and skill levels to draw from nude models, in the fashion of traditional art academies. What sets the sessions apart from conventional drawing classes is the cocktail atmosphere. Rather than a drab drawing session where all the focus is on formal figure studies, the goal is to recreate the casual atmosphere of early twentieth-century art studios. Like those experienced by Toulouse-Lautrec or Degas, the ambiance evokes the Bohemian joie-de-vivre. The sessions are as much an opportunity to improve one’s skills as they are occasions to socialize and get together with fellow artists and friends.
The sessions follow at least one academic tradition—quick gesture drawing for the first half of the three-hour session, as professed by renowned art teacher Kimon Nicolaides decades ago. The concept is to attempt to capture what the figure is doing rather than what it looks like. This is best achieved with quick energetic poses lasting from five minutes to as little as 30 seconds. The rest of the session consists of longer poses, up to 40 minutes.
With complimentary drinks and occasional live jazz, the experience should appeal to any artist-at-heart wishing to free up the creative spirit in an inspiring and graceful setting. “Most will find that working in an art gallery rather than a studio is quite stimulating—as it is currently enjoyed in art spaces in cities like New York or London,” event organizer Ana Julia Aguado asserts. The sessions are held on the following Tuesdays: January 29, February 12 and 26, 5-8pm. The Ana Julia Aguado Gallery is located on second floor of the Plaza de la Conspiración building, Plaza Principal 18, across from Jardín. The sessions cost 100 pesos.
Please call the gallery 044 (415) 103-0228 or visit the event’s website www.drawsma.com
to check for any schedule changes.
“The outline of my hands lost their definition” at the Gathering of Healers
One time during this Gathering, a visitor connected with another person’s energy—the initial step in healing—by touch. His hands were touching the person’s leg and within two minutes the outline of that person’s leg lost all its definition. There was complete oneness, i.e., no subject/object. The person on the table also sensed this oneness, and her headache disappeared. It was a relaxed group of healers and beginners that shared and taught each other such skills last Thursday.
The next Gathering of Healers, an “energy exchange,” takes place at 12pm on Thursday, January 31 at Privada de Pila Seca 5 (turn into cul-de-sac at Pila Seca 45). The meeting is free and open to the public. Healers are invited to participate. Call Larry Mills or Alicia Mayo, 152-0376, to reserve a place on the program.
Critique group for writers forming
The San Miguel Authors’ Sala offers a writers’ critique group, open to experienced writers who would benefit from supportive feedback and professional networking. The first meeting will take place Friday, February 1, from 1–2pm in the Sala Quetzal at the Biblioteca. Let’s get acquainted! If you are interested but you can’t make it to this first meeting, let us know. Please contact Jan Baross at
BMI@easystreet.com.
Polymer clay workshop returns to Instituto Allende
Another special polymer clay workshop has been scheduled at Instituto Allende, from Tuesday, February 5, until Thursday, February 7, from 9am–1:30pm. Polymer clay is a new material with endless possibilities, popular amongst modern artists. The clay has a special texture that can take on the appearance of natural substances such as stone, ivory and wood. It’s also possible to transfer images directly onto the surface of the clay.
Myriam Bardoul is a visiting instructor and an old friend of Instituto Allende. Last year’s workshop was a smashing success. Bardoul teaches mixed-media jewelry at The Visual Art Institute in Montreal, Canada. She’s been working with clay for over 10 years. Her artwork is prominent in and around Montreal and Toronto, yet many of her pieces are hidden away in private collections.
The workshop teaches basic techniques in utilizing polymer clay. Students are shown how to manipulate, condition and work with clay, simulating the look of ivory, jade, turquoise, amber and coral. The workshop also instructs how to prepare and produce broaches or pendants and beads. Students should bring a ceramic tile or piece of glass as a surface to work on and an Exacto knife. The workshop costs US$150. For further information, call or visit Instituto Allende, Ancha de San Antonio 20 or call 152-0226. Visa and MasterCard accepted.
Amherst writers workshop
Kimberly Kinser begins the 2008 workshop series at LifePath, located at Recreo 80, on February 5. The group meets for 10 weeks, every Tuesday, 10am–1pm, concluding on April 8. Writers at all levels benefit from a weekly commitment to their craft in a safe and supportive environment. Each session includes two to three writing periods with a wide variety of prompts provided by Kimberly. Each member has an opportunity to read aloud their new writing and receive immediate feedback on the strengths of the piece from the other participants. Manuscript review and personal conferences are also included. The cost is US$200 or 2200 pesos for the entire 10 weeks. Please contact Kimberly by email
kekinser@mac.com to register or for more information.
Tours & Trips
Instituto Allende’s Bernal and Querétaro trip
On Saturday, February 2, at 9am, Instituto’s weekly fieldtrip heads to the quaint village of Bernal and then to the city of Querétaro. Bernal is a small town that boasts a breathtaking landmark—a towering boulder that looms over the village. Local weavers produce high quality wool blankets, sweaters, wall-hangings, shawls, vests, rugs and pillowcases. The town is also renowned for its semiprecious stones.
Afterwards it’s off to nearby Querétaro for stops at the famous Aqueduct, the Cementerio de los Hombres Illustres, the Plaza de Armas and the city’s centerpiece, the Villa del Villar del Aquila Fountain. Querétaro’s popular outdoor market is on the schedule, as is a walking tour through the colonial streets with preserved gardens, churches, fountains and the house of La Marquesa, now a luxury hotel. Lastly, we will visit the Hill of the Bells where stands the Benito Juárez Monument, along with the Chapel of Archduke Maximilian. The cost for this all-inclusive trip (transportation, museum fees, restaurant-served meal, snacks) is US$65.
Native-speaking, bilingual guides lead all tours in a safe environment. Reservations are required and fees must be paid in advance. Visa and MasterCard accepted. For more information, visit or call 152-0226. Each Wednesday, at 4pm, Instituto offers a free preview lecture on the upcoming weekend field trip.
International Lions Club trip to Oaxaca
On February 18, the International Lions Club of San Miguel will offer a six-day trip to Oaxaca. The tour stops in Puebla for one night, stays in a great hotel on the plaza for three nights in Oaxaca and then returns to Puebla for the final night. We arrive in Puebla in time for lunch, and then embark on an exploration of the town, seeing the Amparo Museum and the cathedral in the square. There is a BYO cocktail party at the hotel, with nibbles supplied by the Lions.
On Tuesday, the first-class bus arrives in Oaxaca at lunch time. After a meal we tour the central area. On Wednesday, the group explores the site of Mount Alban, which dates from around 500 BC. Then we are off to the pottery village of Alzompa and the village Arrazpa where the whimsical wood carving first began. On the way back, we stop for lunch and visit the monastery of Cuthipan. Thursday, the group visits the Tula Tree, supposedly the oldest and largest tree in Mexico, followed by a journey through the ruins at Mitla. Afterwards, we go to the rug-weaving village of Teotitlan del Valle and then have lunch at Que Tamal, the workshop of renowned weaver Armulfo Mendoza. Friday, the bus goes to San Martin Tilcamete, another wood-carving village, and the market day in Ocotlan and the home of the world-famous pottery of the Agular sisters. On the way back, we stop in San Bartolo de Coyotepec to see the black pottery that originated there. There will be time for lunch and then the bus will leave for Puebla, arriv
ing around 8pm.
Saturday morning, the group will visit the beautiful Rosario room of the Temple de Aanto Domingo, as well as the pottery places.
The trip costs 3350 pesos each, double occupancy and 5116 pesos single, or around US$320 and US$475, including the bus, hotels, breakfasts, tips and a donation to the clinic which dispenses glasses and performs diabetes testing for the needy every Thursday morning at 63 Correro. Call Janice Page at 152-5541 to make reservations. Jean Schickel collects for the trip on Wednesday, February 6, morning at Lloyds.
Performances & Events
Aikido demonstration
Aikido is a martial art of grace and subtlety. It differs from other martial arts in that its basic strategy is to harmonize with the energy of an attack rather than oppose it, thereby transforming it harmlessly. It is as powerful in cases of multiple attackers as it is against one individual and is practiced by men and women of all ages.
On Saturday, January 26, at 5pm, members of Aikido San Miguel demonstrate various Aikido techniques, including the use of a walking staff and defenses against knife attacks. The free demonstration takes place at the dojo (practice hall) of Aikido San Miguel, Ignacio Allende 57, in Colonia San Rafael. For information call 152-3709 or email
AikidoSMA@Yahoo.com.
Films & Videos
Bioneers winter film series
In honor of the upcoming historic occasion of the first Vote From Abroad primary (to be held at the library on February 5), the Bioneers Films this week focus on democracy and an era of new politics. The two films show on Tuesday, January 29, at the Santa Ana Theater. The first film features Van Jones, an activist working to combine solutions to social inequality and environmental destruction. Founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, he has won many honors and fellowships. He has served on the boards of many groups including The National Apollo Alliance, the Social Ventures Network, Rainforest Action Network and of Bioneers. Currently, Jones is pushing to create the first-ever Green Enterprise Zone in Oakland, California. A dynamic speaker, Van speaks about birthing a new brand of politics through building a green economy. He urges us to carry our spiritual, cultural, and economic movements into the electoral arena to transform politics and form a “New Deal” coalition, wherein prison-fodder kids can
help harvest the sun and heal their communities.
The second film is a Bioneers “classic,” in which author and activist Terry Tempest Williams speaks on The Open Space of Democracy. Williams eloquently articulates the relationship between Democracy and “Open Space,” a theme she evokes often in her books. Williams is an activist for the Canyonlands wilderness in her native Utah. One of the most compelling parts of her talk is when she speaks about her relationship with her father, highlighting the differences and similarities in their value systems. This family experience is bound to be one that resonates through many households in this election year. The two films are preceded by a 10-minute short, made by Anneka Campbell and Jeremy Kagan, documentary film makers, and part-time San Miguel residents, that introduces Bioneers speakers, participants and themes of the annual conference.
The films show from 3-4:15 pm. The cost is 50 pesos. A Conversation Café is open to all afterwards.