June 2007
 What
does the future hold for Mexican folk and indigenous art? Only time will
tell. But does it not seem likely that potters will abandon gathering
their own clay from the earth, pulverizing and processing it by hand, when
commercial clays are now available? That artists who use the traditional
stiff brushes chewed from the midrib of a yucca leaf or made from the hair
of children will begin to use commercially made brushes to paint designs.
That rather than take the many hours needed to gather and process wool,
spin it, dye it, and then weave it on handmade looms, weavers may go to
automated equipment and store-bought yarns?
Mexico’s indigenous and folk art
is in danger of extinction. This is not an exaggeration; many of
the world’s cultures have lost most of their indigenous art due to the
same hardships that face Mexican artists today.
The 6th Annual
Feria Maestros del Arte’s (November 9-11, 2007) sole purpose is to create
public awareness of the plight of Mexican folk art, rapidly disappearing
because artists cannot sustain a livelihood on their art alone. In
Mexico, more and more artists are abandoning their work to take jobs in
cities where they are assured of a guaranteed income. Many art forms
are becoming “endangered” of being lost forever unless something is done
to promote and sell this work.
This is where Feria Maestros del
Arte comes in . Created by an expatriate, this event is now a legal Mexican
non-profit organization manned by expats and Mexicans who have come together
to do their small part in keeping Mexico’s art alive. The artists
are hand selected and invited to participate. Artists pay nothing
to attend the show – no booth fee, no percentage of their sales – and,
they are housed by Lakeside residents for the 3 days they are in Ajijic
and fed one meal each day. This means they can sell their work at
the best prices possible and, hopefully, find new contacts such as gallery
owners or collectors to purchase their art on a continuous basis.
All artists invited to the show are Mexican and many are considered to
exemplify standards of excellence set in their art medium for generations.
Mexico has many moods and faces and
is, without a doubt, steeped in ancient Indian lore and seasoned with Spanish
colonial customs. The array of folk art and crafts in Mexico is simply
mind-boggling. Each region has its own specialty, with villagers
maintaining the traditions handed down from countless generations.
A common thread throughout has been the creation and re-creation of tradition.
Craftsmanship has no boundaries or
government: pottery, basketwork, and weaving have survived Mayan priests,
Aztec warriors, and Mexican presidents. Craftsmen have no country
- they are from their village, from their neighborhood and first and foremost,
from their family. The craftsman does not define himself in terms
of nationality or religion. His workday is not ruled by a rigid time
schedule but by a rhythm linked more to his body and senses than to the
abstract necessities of having to produce.
There is a tendency today to downgrade
the value of the beautiful and overstress the value of the useful.
Because the value of art can be sensed through emotions and requires no
intellectual analysis, appreciation of art is ultimately in the eye of
the beholder and its value is whatever you will pay for it. The
job of the artist is to awaken that eye, to offer you something you cannot
make yourself, something that moves and stirs your imagination and love
for beauty.
|
