TIJUANA: MECCA FOR THE ARTS
Submitted by adambehar on Sat, 05/15/2010 - 00:42.
By: Story and Photos by Glenn Michel
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series devoted to Tijuana’s creative community.
It was just another Friday night in Tijuana. Young parents and their small children crowded into the ground floor theater of the Multiforo de ICBC (Multiforum of the Institute of Culture, Baja California). They were there to see “A Performance of Clowns.”
In the main gallery “the Spirit of Jazz,” a showing of the late artist Arturo Romero Ruiz’s paintings, was on display. Down the hall was an exhibit devoted to three notable photographers. Even in the coffee shop, our guide for the evening, prominent artist, UABC professor and pediatric ophthalmologist, Roberto Rosique, proudly showed his students’ work on the wall.
A few blocks away, at Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), the impressive 9th Biennial Monterrey FEMSA Exposition, sponsored by the major corporation by the same name, was on view as well as a photography exhibit. Meanwhile another UABC art student showing in the CECUT café opened that night. Parents, friends and faculty joined the exhibitors.
In the heart of downtown, at the Palacio de la Cultura (Palace of Culture), yet another crowd celebrated the inauguration of “Angeles Enfermos, Entre Cruces y Espinas” (“Sick Angels, Between Crosses and Thorns”), a hauntingly beautiful exhibit of images from Mexican cemeteries by photographer Mario Castillo.
Meanwhile, on the west side of town at La Casa de la Cultura (The House of Culture), family and friends enjoyed the performance of the Ensamble Sinfonica Juvenil (Young Symphony Ensemble.)
But perhaps the best party in town was the grand opening of Aida Valencia’s Casa Valencia Gallery. An award winning sculptor/ceramist, she has upgraded her studio to include gallery space, displaying three artists’ pieces as well as her own extraordinary work. The expansive space was jammed with well wishers. This writer breathed a sigh of relief when one of Valencia’s small sculptures that his wife was seriously admiring (as was he as well) suddenly had a “SOLD” sign on it.
It was nothing more than a typical Tijuana weekend night. There was the regular traffic at leading galleries such as La Caja Galeria and Distrito 10. To an outsider, this may open some eyes. But to Tijuana residents, it’s routine. That same night a number of restaurants displayed local artists’ works and there were small impromptu gatherings of musicians and performers. Again, very routine. In fact, it was a rather quiet night; not a single world-class musical event, for which Tijuana is well known, was held that evening.
This is the Tijuana that doesn’t make headlines in the U.S. It is a civilized, sophisticated Tijuana that is establishing itself as an international cultural magnate.
Submitted by adambehar on Sat, 05/15/2010 - 00:42.
By: Story and Photos by Glenn Michel
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series devoted to Tijuana’s creative community.
It was just another Friday night in Tijuana. Young parents and their small children crowded into the ground floor theater of the Multiforo de ICBC (Multiforum of the Institute of Culture, Baja California). They were there to see “A Performance of Clowns.”
In the main gallery “the Spirit of Jazz,” a showing of the late artist Arturo Romero Ruiz’s paintings, was on display. Down the hall was an exhibit devoted to three notable photographers. Even in the coffee shop, our guide for the evening, prominent artist, UABC professor and pediatric ophthalmologist, Roberto Rosique, proudly showed his students’ work on the wall.
A few blocks away, at Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), the impressive 9th Biennial Monterrey FEMSA Exposition, sponsored by the major corporation by the same name, was on view as well as a photography exhibit. Meanwhile another UABC art student showing in the CECUT café opened that night. Parents, friends and faculty joined the exhibitors.
In the heart of downtown, at the Palacio de la Cultura (Palace of Culture), yet another crowd celebrated the inauguration of “Angeles Enfermos, Entre Cruces y Espinas” (“Sick Angels, Between Crosses and Thorns”), a hauntingly beautiful exhibit of images from Mexican cemeteries by photographer Mario Castillo.
Meanwhile, on the west side of town at La Casa de la Cultura (The House of Culture), family and friends enjoyed the performance of the Ensamble Sinfonica Juvenil (Young Symphony Ensemble.)
But perhaps the best party in town was the grand opening of Aida Valencia’s Casa Valencia Gallery. An award winning sculptor/ceramist, she has upgraded her studio to include gallery space, displaying three artists’ pieces as well as her own extraordinary work. The expansive space was jammed with well wishers. This writer breathed a sigh of relief when one of Valencia’s small sculptures that his wife was seriously admiring (as was he as well) suddenly had a “SOLD” sign on it.
It was nothing more than a typical Tijuana weekend night. There was the regular traffic at leading galleries such as La Caja Galeria and Distrito 10. To an outsider, this may open some eyes. But to Tijuana residents, it’s routine. That same night a number of restaurants displayed local artists’ works and there were small impromptu gatherings of musicians and performers. Again, very routine. In fact, it was a rather quiet night; not a single world-class musical event, for which Tijuana is well known, was held that evening.
This is the Tijuana that doesn’t make headlines in the U.S. It is a civilized, sophisticated Tijuana that is establishing itself as an international cultural magnate.