Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival

The Tulipanes Latino Art & Film Festival in Holland, Michigan is pleased to announce that "El Arte Popular Mexicano" (Folk Art of Mexico) , an art exhibition highlighting the rich history of Mexico, its art, people and culture from the 19th century to the present day will be on display during Tulipanes 2007.

It is said that in Mexico the past is always present. Throughout the country, artists continue to work with the timeless materials of clay, wood and fiber. But rather than seeing past tradidions as fixed and unchanging, Mexican artists turn to them as a limitless source of creative inspiration. As a result, the "popular people's art" of Mexico is flourishing even as rapid globalization challenges traditional cultural values.

Included in the exhibition are works that reflect a blending of the two dominant cultures that formed Mexico: that of the indigenous, pre-Columbian peoples and the Spanish conquerors who arrived in the 1500s. This merging of the Old and New Worlds is most clearly seen in religious works, particularly in that unique Mexican icon, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Other works have a more direct connection to the pre-Columbian past. The modern potters of Mata Ortiz use the ceramic techniques and designs of an ancient Indian culture that flourished in the same spot more than six centuries earlier.

Mexican folk art's deepest roots are in the land itself. The animals of Mexico are ever present in many forms. The deer, creator gof of the live-giving corn, is honored in Huichol yarn paintings. While real jaguars are rare in Mexico today, they live on in the "tigre" masks that enliven fiestas throughout the country.

Popular art is also deeply connected to the social life of Mexicans. The great variety of artistic creations appearing in "Day of the Dead" celebrations are striking exaples of this. They give such festivals a uniquely Mexican character. The making of art itself can be a social affair. Some of the great centers of folk art are in small villages, where whole amilies are involved in the production of ceramics, carving and weaving.

While this exhibition can only hint at the vitality and variety of Mexican folk art, the works included speak to the rich mingling of many influences. It is this unique mixture of past and present, tradition and innovation that reveals the creative genius of the Mexican people.

"El Arte Popular Mexicano" will be on display at the Holland Area Arts Council, 150 East 8th Street in Downtown Holland beginning at 2pm on Friday, August 31 through Sunday, September 2, 2007.

The exhibition can be seen during Tulipanes on:

Friday, August 31 • 2-9pm • Holland Area Arts Council
Saturday, September 1 • 9am-3pm • Holland Area Arts Council
Sunday, September 2 • Noon-4pm • Holland Area Arts Council