The debut of the Fernandez Martinez Award
By Marilyn Sibley April 18, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Cognizant of its significant history and involvement in the arts for over 50 years, the Shops and Galleries of the Instituto Allende understood the need to award deserving artists the opportunity to explore and expand their skills by funding and administrating a grant program. The Fernandez Martinez Award will be offered to talented and deserving young artists in honor of Enrique and Nell Fernandez Martinez, founders of the Instituto Allende.

The award is open to artists under twenty-five years of age from the San Miguel community in the fields of painting/drawing, sculpture and photography. Judges, soon to be announced, will be selected from among the many talented and respected artists in the San Miguel community and beyond.

The submission of actual work or quality photos, a current resume and an essay explaining how the winner would use the award funds will be required for consideration. The entrants will be judged on all this criteria.

Award funds may be used to pay for tuition and/or materials for an approved arts program. In addition, the funds may be used for travel or living expenses for an approved workshop or special internship.

An initial fundraising event will be held April 26, 2008 at the Shops and Galleries of the Instituto Allende. A world premier of the San Miguel segment of internationally renowned interior designer William Stubbs’ new PBS series “A Moment of Luxury” will be presented. The designer will then give a short presentation.

Sponsors of this first event include the Shops and Galleries of the Instituto Allende, Artesanas Rosewood Residences, Dos Casas Bed and Breakfast, William Stubbs, ASID and “A Moment of Luxury” PBS television program.

During the month of August, a special reception at the Shops and Galleries of the Instituto Allende will be held to showcase the winner and finalists’ bodies of work.

For more information or applications, contact Marilyn Sibley or Ulyses Torrescano at Galeria Pergola, marilyn@galeriademexico.com  or at 154-5595.

Necessary or unnecessary?
By Sae Otomo

Art Opening
Sae Otomo installation
Fri, Apr, 18, 6pm
Los Arcos
Bellas Artes
Hernández Macías 75

I am from Tokyo, Japan. I have been living in Mexico for nine years. About 15 years ago in Japan I saw some shocking news on television. The frozen ground called permafrost in Siberia had begun to melt.

According to the scientists it was melting because the earth’s temperature was rising. The image on television was of houses that had been built on the frozen ground. They were falling over because the solid ground was melting.

I am only an artist. I don’t know how to work against global warming in the way scientists are doing, but I can ask myself, “What is necessary and what isn’t in my daily life? Is there anything I am doing that is speeding up or slowing down the warming of our planet?”

It doesn’t help much to get rid of unnecessary things I already have. The only thing I know to do is to use recycled materials to express myself in my way, through art. Hopefully my optimism will reach you and not just my anxiety for our children’s heritage.

The exhibit will be open through May 31.

Come to see and share
By Akiko Yasuda

Omusubi Party
Sat, Apr 19, 11:30am–1:30pm
Biblioteca Pública courtyard
Insurgentes 25

What happens when 500 different artists all work on one masterpiece? Call it a community collage and the result is fantastic, not only as a piece of art, but as a piece of community development. Sanmiguelenses will have the chance to see the results of this project along with the photographs of Russell Monk in an exposition at the Biblioteca Pública, April 14–May 5.

Come to the Biblioteca to find your piece and to see how the color, form and relationship changed as all the pieces became layered. I hope you will enjoy the exposition. One person is planning to put the work on the wall of her house one evening and have a big party. Perhaps other people may want to borrow the work as well and share the energy of Thank You Art.

We invite everyone to an Omusubi party to enjoy this art exposition. Omusubi means rice ball, a kind of “Japanese taco” with rice and a filling inside. “Musubu” means “make together,” so like the collage, we want people to join us to make the Omusubi, 10am–11:30am.

Akiko Yasuda is a San Miguel artist and art teacher who can be reached at martesartes@gmail.com.