The indomitable spirit of Cuba
By Luc Bedard, Feb 16, 2007

“Cuba Libre?” Photos by Luc Bedard Fri, Feb 16, 3–6pm Umarán 79

La Havana, Cuba: No other city in the Northern Hemisphere evokes as many conflicting and contradictory images in people. The exotically sensual is often overlayed with a drizzle of dull grey reminiscent of decay, like a tropical fruit rotting slowly in the sun.

Havana is a city partly frozen in time. Caught between the heady days of pre-revolution opulence and the austerity of Castro socialism, it strives constantly to re-invent itself to survive. For over 50 years, Cuba has been the David to the US’s Goliath and one of the last bastions of resistance to American dominance in the Americas. It is this fact that held my fascination three years ago and led me on a photographic journey there. I decided to concentrate on Havana, since the effects of the American embargo are most apparent there.

For seven weeks (apart for a few short outings to the countryside) I walked the streets of Havana Viejo and Nuevo interacting with people from all walks of life and photo-documenting the ever-changing tapestry of daily life. During my daily forays I met artists, musicians, professionals and laypeople, some of whom were very sympathetic to the Castro regime. One artist even went as far as describing Fidel as a “benevolent dictator” and added that because his motives were for the common good, “he must be obeyed.” I also had long conversations with people who had been imprisoned for speaking against the regime, and most were afraid to say anything about the Castro government. One auto mechanic in his early sixties who had spent four years in jail in his twenties and now felt he had little to lose, had this to say about the regime: “Que me matan, comunismo es mierda!”

By now the image of classic 1950s American cars plying the narrow streets past crumbling colonial architecture is a well-worn (and photographed) cliché. But beyond the clichés lies the complex reality of a well-educated people struggling with the limitations and contradictions brought on by Castro’s brand of socialism. A reality where freedom of speech is nonexistent, where the average monthly income is US$8 to $12 in a country where frozen chicken legs cost US$3.50 a pound and where taxi drivers can make more than doctors because of their association with the tourist industry. In the casa particular where I lived, an extended family of six, all university-educated, shared a tiny fifth floor walk-up apartment and worked 12 hours a day just to make ends meet. 

Despite the hardships and daily frustrations that make life difficult for most Cubans, I found a warm and hospitable people who openly invited total strangers into their homes. I could just as easily find myself sitting in the bedroom looking at a family photo album as gyrating wildly to the beat of Cuban son or rumba in the living room.

Music is the cement that binds the Cuban soul, and wandering the streets of Havana every day, I was never out of earshot of music blaring from countless portable stereos or from musicians practicing in garages, abandoned buildings or anywhere the neighbors would tolerate them. Music is everywhere in Cuba, and as one author eloquently put it, “In Cuba, even communism marches to the Cuban beat.”

If my photographs succeed in capturing even a glimpse of the indomitable spirit of the Cuban people, I will feel that my journey there has been a great success.

Primavera Art Walk in Pozos
By ManRey Silva

Pozos Primavera Art Walk Sat & Sun, Feb 17 & 18, 10am–4pm Mineral de Pozos

Spring comes early to Guanajuato, and the Mineral de Pozos Turismo y Cultura, A.C., invites the public to Primavera Art Walk 2007 this weekend, the first of many monthly events planned for this energetic little town this year.

Beverly Sky opens her new studio and gallery at Centenario 47; Galeria del Cielo. She hails from Salzburg, Austria, and is one of the newest arrivals in Pozos. She excels at making handmade paper, pulp painting/landscapes and fabric collages. Also at Cielo are wall sculptures by Mario Kon.

Galeria 6 is proud to exhibit the works of abstract artist and photographer Olivie Ponce. A reception for the artist will be held Saturday beginning at 2pm. Also on exhibit are the fascinating photographs of Texas artist Nick Hamblen. Galería 6 is beginning its third year of operation and is located at Jardín Principal 6. 

Members of the locally celebrated pre-Hispanic music group Corazon Endiosado will perform both afternoons at Galería 6. Pozos is nationally famous for its pre-Hispanic musical tradition as well as its mariachi musical heritage. Upcoming on the events calendar is a mariachi festival to be held in May.

Dave Winslow is exhibiting his new collection of black-and-white photographs titled “Sombra y Luz” at Posada de las Minas gallery. Located inside the restored ruins of a 19th-century grand casona, later turned soup factory. This beautiful B&B is one block from the Jardín Principal.

Lena Bartula Studio Gallery, located at Cinco de Mayo 5, will display a collection of new figurative paintings, oil and mixed media on panel. Also, at Cinema Colectiva, Cynthia Buzzard will present a composite film titled 15 Minutes of Fame at noon and 2pm each day. It is an interactive journey complete with murder, sex, travel and revenge.

For a break from the day’s walking tour, drop in to see hostess extraordinaire Susan Montana, owner of Casa Montana Hotel and Restaurant. An excellent menu and friendly staff await you.

Los Famosos Gallery and Restaurant are also on the tour. Drop by for late brunch or drinks on the roof terrace. The gallery inside the restaurant features paintings by Dan Rueffert and photography by Bill Lieberman.

Local artisans abound in Pozos. Pre-Hispanic musicians and instrument makers can be found on the upper plaza, Plaza Zaragoza. This old marketplace, one block west of the main Jardín, is full of workshops and studios of local Pocenos, including Ohtetl-Camino de Piedra, Puerta del Sol and Manos Creativas. On the main road Centenario, the route to the old silver mines “Cinco Senores,” you will find more musical instrument artisanías such as Casa Venado Azul, owned by Luis Cruz Martínez.

Another regular on the Art Walk, Lucia García at Mineral de Pozos A.C., will open the first phase of her museum devoted to antique mining memorabilia.

Galería de Pozos, located inside the Casa Montana Hotel and Restaurant, features a photography exhibit of David Spear’s Mexican work. His new book of photos, Visible Spirits, is available for purchase. Many of the photos were taken in Pozos.

Sculptor John Osmond, owner of Pozos Maya Gallery, is opening his studio for visitors to see his outstanding stone and clay creations. Known for his large statuary, Osmond’s work is collected by both private individuals and government agencies.

Shuttle service to and from San Miguel will be available Saturday and Sunday, departing from the old Gigante parking lot at 9am and returning at 3pm or leaving at 11am and returning at 5pm. Cost is 150 pesos round-trip. Shuttle reservations can be made by calling 01-442-293-0032. A free shuttle bus service will be provided once you arrive in Pozos if the self-guided walking tour is too much for you. Maps will be available at all locations displaying the numbered blue and white “Art Walk” signs. An ATM is not available yet and most artisan shops do not accept credit cards. 

“After the City” explores urban chaos

Works by Olivie Ponce Sat, Feb 17, 2–4pm Galeria 6, Jardín Principal 6, Mineral de Pozos

Olivie Ponce channels the confusion, chaos and tension present in a materialistic world into his work. His exhibit “After the City” will include paintings and photographs, combining the themes the artist has been developing for several years: the coexistence of routine, estrangement, overcrowding and solitude in the modern urban setting, and its juxtaposition with the beauty and tranquility found in the banal.

“Urban abstract landscapes” would be an appropriate label for the artist’s recent paintings, which look beyond the immediate surroundings and reveal elements often imperceptible to casual observance. His use of enamel and technique of layering varying intensities onto the canvas give a delicacy and flexibility to the austerity of the urban perspective, transmitting the tranquility behind the chaos.

Born in Mexico City, Ponce graduated from the University of Guanajuato. He has exhibited extensively in Mexico, the US and the United Kingdom. His work is held in a number of public and private collections in Mexico, North America and Europe.

Playfulness of vibrant exuberance 
By Linda Aron 

Jess Zimmerman Thur, Feb 22, 6–10pm Un Día Gallery Mesones 39

Vibrant new artwork by the exuberant artist Jess Zimmerman will be on display in his open studio. 

His works, a combination of oil pastels and watercolor on paper, are evocative of the warmth, depth and playfulness that move him. This is Zimmerman’s fourth biannual show in San Miguel.

Born and raised in New York, Jess graduated from the School of Visual Arts, where he majored in Conceptual Sculpture. His family brought him to Mexico for the first time on vacation when he was eight. His journeys here continued into adulthood, and he found Mexico to be a source of artistic and personal inspiration. He lived in Isla Mujeres, the vibrant fishing village, for over two years and was seduced daily by the inviting colors of the Caribbean. Its impact led Zimmerman to put his visions of Mexico onto paper. The result has been an ongoing collection of bold images depicting the many facets of this country.

Zimmerman’s work is shown in Puerto Vallarta, Isla Mujeres, Merida and San Miguel. He also works on commissioned pieces portraying homes, gardens and favorite locations. To view more of his work, see www.jessizak.com 

Reopening of a reinvention

Art Estudio 46 Thur, Feb 22, 6pm Zacateros 46

Ceramic sculptures with hormones and cravings: wall-hung female torsos with bosoms and bellies bulging, imbued with metal elements are but some of the new work by Joan Elena Goldberg. They are beautiful and haunting, much like her scandalous past.

Hedy Parks, joins Estudio 46 as the new gallery director. She is a studio jeweler with a background in architecture and a former student of Billy King. Her work reflects her love of modern design and is inspired by her surroundings and the materials she works with. Her jewelry is sterling silver; some pieces include copper accents, others beautiful Mexican jaspers or opals.

Andrea Oberholtzer, a jeweler, is also a Swiss native who has made San Miguel her home. Her work shows influences from her native soil as well as from her extensive travels, especially in Latin America.

Gallery owner Lisa Simms presents new wearable sculpture pieces, plus funky, organic chains and charms from the “Charramusco-Bling” series.

Lisa’s sculptural pieces, always influenced by her tales of the world at large, include “The Mystical Dreams of the Tiger King,” “The Playmates of Princess Natalia of Xochimilco” and “That Is Not A Crab, That Is Not In My Room.” Her pieces incorporate diverse materials such as ocean rocks, Vietnamese scrimshaw plaques, black pearls, plastic, silver and gold. 

Keith Keller will show new oils, including “Enrique’s Hopeless Love” and small paintings from the “Screaming Women” series.

Paintings by Goode-DeBlanc at RaLuz

Paintings by Isabel Goode-DeBlanc Sat, Feb 17, 6–8pm Sala RaLuz, Posada de San Francisco Plaza Principal 2

Isabel Goode-DeBlanc’s artistic gift is demonstrated by her wide range of subjects in pastel, oil and watercolor. A plain-air painter, painting landscapes on-site, and she is also known for her nudes and portraits. Isabel has exhibited in Texas, New Mexico and California. Chosen as one of the top 10 artists in Austin by the Austin Visual Artists Association, she has also won many awards through the Austin Pastel Society and other group exhibitions in Texas.

Galería Reloj 46 holds second opening
By Venae Warner

Art Opening

Galería Reloj 46

Sun, Feb 18, 3–6pm 

Reloj 46

The idea for the new Galería Reloj 46 was conceived by Gerry Gill. As a former gallery owner and the owner of a beautiful colonial building located in Centro, she came up with the idea to open a cooperative gallery. This would give her time to pursue her own artistic career and to bolster other accomplished artists around San Miguel. In all there are 12 artists, including Gill. The gallery’s first grand opening, in January, was a success, so the members of the cooperative are hosting another reception to allow the community to view their work, meet them and see a few new pieces.

Gill’s work is indicative of her personality: light and thoughtful, technically strong and yet playful. Her paintings are colorful in a tasteful way, and her palette is vaguely like looking at Easter, in a grown-up way. 

Ellen Schechner Johnson is known for her finely crafted ceramics. Her pieces are clean-lined, refined and delicate, yet with some elements of rustic contemporary design. She has developed her own technique for layering paper and clay. 

Johnson’s husband and fellow artist, Mike, paints small fauvist-style landscapes. When this creative couple is not in the studio they are running the family vineyard business.

Edna Dickinson is a ceramicist with a group of luminous Raku platters and vessels. Exquisite and delicate, they seem conceived to brilliantly show off the Raku glazes. 

Delphine Scott has been painting for only six years but has produced some seriously sophisticated work. She paints in a contemporary chiaroscuro style that is mysterious and moody. Her canvasses are large and they speak volumes about depth.

Lorraine Rosenbaum began as a jeweler at FIT in New York. Her work is mostly small and intimate, and each piece tells a story. 

Federico Correo holds a BFA and MFA in painting, and his work is reminiscent of Chagall. He was described by art historian Rudy Bleys as “producing paintings that are inscribed within the great Spanish traditions of Goya and Roman Catholic sensibility.” 

Sharon Milligan is known for her “open-minded vessels”: large ceramic busts with familiar faces and space for your imagination. Her bronze sculptures are polished and lovely. 

Harriet Ballard’s paintings are somewhat abstract but very readable. She also uses layers to pull together a piece that is surprisingly cohesive with so many elements. Her sense of design is intelligent and her technique is individual and developed. 

Patricia Mann is a recent convert to the world of painting. She was a flamenco dancer for 25 years in the US and Europe. She has painted her responses to her environment on large canvasses with uninhibited use of color. Her ability to move as a dancer conveys itself on the canvas. Her landscapes are both figurative and imaginative. 

Murray Freidman is also a bit of a Renaissance man. Once a family physician, he was later an owner of a B&B in town. His photographs clearly reflect his love of color and attraction to what is both festive and dreamlike. His recent venture into painting is abstract and bold; his palate is cool and transcends the figurative.

Venae Warner uses gold frequently and judiciously, painting small, imaginative, allegorical paintings and large abstract paintings that are perhaps related to her Navajo Indian Heritage.

House & Garden Tour visits Casa Renacimiento, February 16, 2007
By Jennifer Hamilton, Feb 16, 2007

House & Garden Tour, Sun, Feb 18 11am, entertainment with Estudiantina (tour departs at noon) Biblioteca Pública, Insurgentes 25, 150 pesos/US$15 Info: 152-4987

The home of Mayer Shacter and Susan Page is so full of wonders that it could take a whole book to describe it! The house was designed by prize-winning San Francisco architects House & House, and to say it is a treat for the eyes is putting it mildly. A riot of color, a plethora of sensual and undulating shapes, a flood of design treats await visitors as they enter under a canopy separating the main house from the studio/gallery. 

A softly flowing water wall falls gently to its pebbled base, leading to the entranceway, where an abundance of delights greets visitors once they are inside. Windows are curvaceous, as too are the lighting fixtures, kitchen islands and walls. Soft colors blend in concert from wall to wall, room to room. Although large, every room has been cunningly designed to emanate a feeling of coziness and warmth. The master suite encircles and is open to part of the garden, with both indoor and outdoor showers encased in colorful tile mosaics, and the bathtub designed to Susan’s exact proportions. There are four guest bedrooms, and what should not be missed throughout are the bathroom sinks—each diverse and stunning in its concept, and mostly unrecognizable as a bathroom sink! One shower contains a cross behind glass. It was painted by the workers on the day they began construction. 

Their intention was to tile over it after construction was completed, but Mayer and Susan wanted to keep this remembrance as a tribute to their workers and had it enclosed in glass. Comfortable furnishings have been placed throughout, and you will view numerous collections from Japanese ikebana baskets and antique teapots to contemporary ceramics and glass to excellent Mexican folk art and much more. The dogs even have their own private dog-washing bathroom! Impossible to describe it all here, it is worth a return visit for a private and detailed tour. With eight acres of land hugging the Rio Laja, Mayer and Susan are still working on details outside, but of special note is the infinity pool with its extraordinary sculpture by Jerry Rothman. 

The Santuario de Atotonilco can be seen from the rooftop deck. Cathi House designed the entranceway and its softly rolling canopy specifically to align with this famous and ancient retreat just a mile away. Mayer’s gallery is choc-a-bloc full of treats, including over a hundred vintage Mexican textiles, antique Mexican furniture, historic photographs and distinctive folk art. 

Susan is a respected and recognized author of six relationship books. The lights in her office were designed by the architect to incorporate words from her books.