November 14, 2008, Annual Wool and Brass Fair opens, By Krishna Villena, Revolution in the streets, By Kennedy Poyser, Glass acts: A feast for the senses, By Robert Conrow, Thanks from Mujeres en Cambio, By Joan Strouse, New cultural/retail center, By Arvin Kagan

Annual Wool and Brass Fair opens
By Krishna Villena November 14, 2008 San Miguel de Allende

Wool and Brass Fair
Nov 12–23, noon–8pm
El Cardo parking lot
Free

The 31st annual Feria de la Lana y el Latón (Wool and Brass Fair) opened this week in the Cardo parking lot and runs through November 23.

This year’s fair honors artisans from Oaxaca with artistic presentations of that state such as foods, handicrafts, a fashion show of typical clothing and the famous Guelaguetza in a version for children. Several concerts will be offered in homage to Mexican composers José Alfredo Jimenez, born in Dolores Hidalgo and author of the famous song “Caminos de Guanajuato” and Chava Flores whose song lyrics reflected Mexico City popular neighborhood life.

GravityWorks School of the new circus arts in San Miguel performs November 19. Your decision is simple—enjoy the spectacle free at the fair or pay 150 pesos elsewhere.

The famous ranchero singer Humberto Carvioto and the Mariachi Latino de Dolores Hidalgo appears November 21.

The celebration for Santa Cecilia, patrona of musicians, will be November 22 with Constelaciòn Musical. On November 23, the last day of the fair, soprano Libertad Allende performs.

Artisans from the state of Guanajuato who work in metal, brass or wool are eligible to enter a recent original creation in a competition that will be judged November 17 by representatives of the National Fund to Promote Handicrafts (Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías, FONART).

Tania Noriz Martínez from the Department of Economic Promotion said that 30 sales spaces were available at the time Atención went to press. The rental fee for Guanajuato artisans is 2,700 pesos, and 3,000 pesos for out-of-state vendors.

María and Abril, two vendors with permanent stands in the Artisans’ Market, agreed that the vendor’s fee is worthwhile because of the potential for sales. Abril noted that “a lot of people ask about the Wool and Brass Fair, which means that the tourists already know about it and they want to go.”

Vendors from several other states will sell their wares at the fair in addition to Guanajuato artisans from Irapuato, Dolores Hidalgo, Comonfort and San Miguel de Allende.

Fair Schedule

Fri, Nov 14, 6pm
Music: La Super Sonora Cumarebo

Sat, Nov 15, 7:30pm
Concert: Tribute to Chava Flores
Trio Chato, Cheto y Chico

Sun, Nov 16, noon
Humor & Music: Chilletin y Pingüica
5pm–Yoremen Jacobi, trova I
6pm–Xavier Gibler, trova II

Mon, Nov 17, 7pm
Music: Rossalba y su grupo

Tue, Nov 18, 7pm
Music/Bolero: Trìo Amigos

Wed, Nov 19, 6pm
Circus/Aerial Dance: GravityWorks
7pm–Music/Bolero-Son: Trio Dos Generaciones

Thu, Nov 20, 6pm
Spectacle: Grupo Artìstico Infantil de Oaxaca, Children’s Guelaguetza
7pm–Fashion Show: Typical clothing of Oaxaca’s seven regions

Fri, Nov 21, 8pm
Music: Tribute to José Alfredo Jiménez
Humberto Cravioto and Mariachi Latino of Dolores Hidalgo

Sat, Nov 22, 3–6pm
Music: Santa Cecilia celebration
Constelación Musical

Sun, Nov 23, noon
Music: Tribute to José Alfredo Jiménez
Soprano Libertad Allende

Street names are an early clue to visitors that Allende, Hidalgo, Aldama and Pípila might have been Insurgentes engaged in a conspiracy here in 1810. Embedded within these memorials to Independencia are another set of street names honoring the Revolución of 1910–20.

These 10 questions will help you sort them out and refresh your memory of Mexican history so you can properly appreciate the holiday. Among the three San Miguel street names listed, choose the one that most closely answers the question.

1. Who was the “utmost traitor” to the revolution, assassinated Madero and arranged a coup via the “Embassy Pact” with US ambassador Henry Love Wilson?

a. Huerta

b. Venustiano Carranza

c. Plutarco E. Calles

2. Who defeated Pancho Villa at the Battle of Celaya?

a. Venustiano Carranza

b. Álvaro Obregón

c. Pascual Orozco

3. When did Madero schedule the Revolution to start?

a. 15 de Septiembre

b. 16 de Septiembre

c. 20 de Noviembre

4. Who was Primer Jefe of the Constitutional Army?

a. Álvaro Obregon

b. Venustiano Carranza

c. Francisco Madero

5. Who was among the “big three” of influential revolutionaries?

a. Huerta

b. Pascual Orozco

c. Plutarco E. Calles

6. Who was in prison in San Luis Potosí when Porfirio Díaz was fraudulently re-elected?

a. Francisco Madero

b. Pascual Orozco

c. Emiliano Zapata

7. Who did General Pablo González arrange to have murdered?

a. Francisco Villa

b. Pascual Orozco

c. Emiliano Zapata

8. Emiliano Zapata is associated with which policy statement?

a. Plan de Ayala

b. Constituyentes

c. Municipio Libre

9. Which general fought Francisco Villa in the Battle of Agua Prieta in 1915?

a. Álvaro Obregón

b. Plutarco E. Calles

c. Huerta

10. Who was John Pershing looking for?

a. Plutarco E. Calles

b. Emiliano Zapata

c. Francisco Villa

Answers: 1. a 2. b 3. c 4. b 5. b 6. a 7. c 8. a 9. b 10. c

Glass acts: A feast for the senses
By Robert Conrow

Art & Music for Mujeres en Cambio
Tue, Nov 18, 5–7pm
Ana Thiel Studio & Showroom
Colegio Militar 1
Colonia Guadalupe
Free

A magical mix of art and music provides the ambience for Tuesday’s garden gala featuring the creative talents of Ana Thiel and Jake Oken-Berg. Delicious hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available, with bar proceeds benefiting Mujeres en Cambio, the nonprofit organization that for 13 years has provided scholarships to young Mexican women.

Visitors to this admission-free event will find themselves in a candlelit garden where they can make their way along flagstone paths dotted with glass sculptures, some resembling Stonehenge obelisks, others emerging from the lush foliage like sparkling torches. Strolling farther, visitors pass a papyrus-filled pond and beneath towering pecan trees before entering the showroom where they will be able to view more sculptures, prints and encaustics available for sale. Soothing piano melodies, compliments of Jake Oken-Berg, will waft through the jasmine-scented air. At two different times during the evening, Thiel offers studio tours to display her furnace and explain her unusual techniques for transforming glass into art.

Ana Thiel has “the ability to scratch one’s spirit and wring one’s heart,” says art critic Mónica Mayer. Thiel’s art conveys a message of harmony, strength and vision. She has twice received a three-year fellowship from the Mexican Council for the Arts, awarded to artists of high merit who have contributed significantly to culture. In 2006, she won First Prize at the Latin American Biennial of Art and Glass from the Museum of Glass and the National Council for the Arts in Mexico. Thiel will generously donate a percentage of the sale of her work to Mujeres en Cambio.

Portland, Oregon, pianist Jake Oken-Berg provides the evening’s musical magic. His band, the Retrofits, recently served as the opening act for a speech at the Oregon Convention Center by former US Vice President Al Gore. Jake began playing piano, singing and writing songs at the age of five and has performed in over 50 cities around the world. His musical virtuosity has been noted by The Oregonian, West Coast Performer magazine and the Statesman Journal, with critics comparing his songs to Ben Folds, The Fray and Coldplay. His solo EP, Find Love, will be released in January 2009.

Perhaps the real magic of the evening lies in the opportunity visitors will have to enhance the lives of young women living in rural communities near San Miguel. The cambio in Mujeres en Cambio stands for the change brought each year to 150 middle school, high school and university students who are able to remain in school and graduate. You can join in the magic when you become part of the cambio of these young women’s lives.

Thanks from Mujeres en Cambio
By Joan Strouse

Mujeres en Cambio Luncheon
Thu, Nov 20, 2pm
Hacienda de las Flores
Hospicio 16
120 pesos

Hortensia Mendoza from La Casita Feliz in Guadiana is this month’s guest chef. She will rouse our taste buds with irresistible handcrafted empanadas. Core members provide the salads, side dishes and desserts.

Tickets sell out quickly, so they need to be purchased in advance at Casa de Papel, Mesones 57A (the China Palace building).

All across the US people are getting ready for Thanksgiving. They are making grocery lists, perfecting pie crusts and planning menus and seating arrangements. We at Mujeres en Cambio want to use this opportunity to give our thanks to all of you who have helped support our nonprofit, all-volunteer organization. This year we have been able to raise the US$75,000 needed to give educational scholarships to 150 rural young Mexican women.

First we want to give special thanks to all our generous-of-spirit, kitchen-gifted guest chefs who graciously provided delicious main courses for our fundraising luncheons. The recent kitchen “rock stars” include: Patsy DuBois, Nancy Elias, Dilshan Madwala, Michele Vallon, Guadalupe Heck, Donnie Masterton, the China Palace, Donato Ciaraulo, Alicia Rivero and this month’s chef, Hortensia Mendoza.

Casa de Papel has been very helpful by selling tickets to our fundraising events. This service is priceless and we are deeply grateful.

Because of the invaluable help from Suzanne Ludekens, and the entire Atención staff, we are able to get the word out about events. Thank you for your enduring support.

Thanks also to the Lions Club for providing free vision testing and glasses to our students when needed. Schoolwork is a lot easier for our students as a result of help from Mirl Gratton at the Lions Club.

Alicia Franyutti de Cornish, of Hacienda de las Flores, kindly donates her dining room. This lovely setting helps us to set just the right tone for our luncheons. We have been fortunate to hold other fundraising events at Patsy’s Place, Instituto Allende, Casa de la Cuesta, the studio of Ana Theil and the Fernandez ranch in Atotonilco. We thank all of you for your extreme generosity.

To those who have attended an event or written a check to support Mujeres en Cambio, please know that we truly could not have done this without you! Locals, visitors and several foundations also have been sustaining friends.

Special notes of gratitude go to the San Miguel Quilters who donated their gorgeous quilt for us to use at an earlier fundraising event.

Here’s a heartfelt thank you to Mujeres en Cambio core members for coming to meetings, bringing food to luncheons, working on publicity, fundraising, helping in the kitchen and all the countless other things that you do. This cohort of ambassadors is an amazing group of people; your unselfish willingness to give is inspirational.

Lastly, and most importantly, we want to thank the young women from the rural areas surrounding San Miguel for all of your hard work and the enormous effort you put forth every day to stay in school and make the best of your lives. We wish you every possible success; we look forward to watching you reach your potential!

Visit www.mujeresencambio.org for more information or contact Joan at 152-2820 (sorry, no phone reservations).

New cultural/retail center
By Arvin Kagan

Art-Space Opening
Sat, Dec 6, 2–8pm
La OBRA de San Arvino
La Rosa 28, Colonia Allende

La OBRA de San Arvino, in the middle of Colonia Allende (one block away from the Kunsthaus), is the newest cultural/retail center in San Miguel.

The gleaming white, modern complex has 12 large and sunny spaces to be used as artist studios and galleries, specialty retail shops and a welding school. Some spaces are available for meetings and seminars. The complex eventually will house a restaurant and a hobby shop, Gizmos, full of radio-controlled airplanes and irresistible gadgets that will appeal to young and old alike. Parking is available on the premises, a precious commodity these days.

Tucked into one corner of La OBRA is a lovely three-suite hotel. The three-, two- and one-bedroom suites are fully furnished, complete with TVs, DVD players, stereos and fully equipped kitchens. All of the spaces are light and airy, available for rent by the day and/or week.

And that is not all—in the common green area is a stage for performances. We anticipate La OBRA de San Arvino will become a venue for musicians and theater arts presentations.

If you are interested in setting up a studio/gallery, opening a shop or restaurant or putting on a show, if you need space to have a meeting or teach a class, here is the opportunity to be in on the ground floor. If you would like to see the spaces, call La OBRA at 154-7812 for an appointment or by email at laobrasanarvino@gmail.com.