San Pancho Vida

Stories with Wings, Part 3

This final post in the Stories with Wings series can only be about...

...love and gratitude.

On the night of the show, I and my fellow adult contributors of art were honored sweetly by being brought up on stage. I had been ambushed by a group of entreamigos staff, herded to the stage area, and told in no uncertain terms to stay put until further notice. I had no idea I was going to be offered the microphone once they got me up there and so have no idea what I said except for a vague recollection of voicing my appreciation that the school children of San Pancho would be brought to see the whole exhibit in the following days...which photos follow in this post.

Photo by Craig Downs

Nicole Swedlow and Indira spoke many kind words and Plantaté stayed for moral support. Beside me is Gabriel, the creator of the scribble iron sculpture. Just behind Nicole, in pigtails and a handmade paper dress, is Kim Howard, artist/author extraordinaire of Un Circo Magico Entre Amigos.

Photo by Craig Downs

A few mornings later, I was honored yet again in a wonderful if somewhat less formal fashion.

I was privileged to be on site when the kindergarteners arrived at entreamigos to view the installations. The waited politely at the door with their teachers as Estibaliz explained to them the rules: 

"Are we going to touch anything?" "NO!" 

"Are we going to eat anything during our tour?" "NO!"

"Are we going to listen and be quiet?" "YES!"

These beautiful and courteous children listened closely as Estibaliz explained what they were going to see. "Who is ready now to go inside?" she asked. They were ready.

They filed in, holding hands two-by-two, fingers in noses, and Estibaliz introduced them to the Imagination Machine.

Then, in time-honored kindergarten fashion, they sat cross-legged on the floor, and, to my surprise, Estibaliz introduced me to them. I received a generous round of baby applause and a lot of wide-eyed stares.

That was it for me: the moment it was really all about.

The children who performed in the circus and produced the artwork for the show were given the gratitude of the community in a sunshiny ceremony on the entreamigos stage.

The circus kids (who, by the way, had a fabulous time at their invitational performance in Vallarta where they were treated to several fancy meals, tram rides around the elegant grounds, and enthusiastic applause) received certificates and DVD's of the circus from Indira and Condor, their amazing and humor-filled San Pancho trainer.

A huge thank you and much applause went to Gilles Ste-Croix of Cirque du Soleil for his creativity and inspiration and for his big part in making Circo de los Niños 2014 come to life.

The child artists also received certificates of appreciation along with their own artwork, framed and ready for hanging.

Of course, my own gratitude overflows for the many wonderful people who were crucial in the creation of even my part of the exhibit. My thanks goes out to all of them, and most of all to Carol Lee, tireless and faithful full-time co-creator, helper and partner-in-crime whose antics, intentional and unintentional, fueled me with laughter constantly. 

Here she is giggling with Travis, her accidental sidekick (in that he arrived for a visit and was immediately conscripted to the studio, where he performed bravely and added considerably to my own laughter-induced belly ache).

There was plenty of time for fun as we worked. Here are Jenelle and Sara, jigsaw bottle technicians, at work...and clowning. (Which reminds me: thanks to Doug Woodring who cleaned every one of those bottles and discovered innovative ways to remove the sticky labels and make them sparkle.)

Behind them, taking a well-earned feet-in-the-pool break, is Corinna, paper-maché maestra and endless font of patience and good ideas. Her daughter, Tyara, created the moon, sun, and heart in the Idea Mobile that hung above the sculptures.

Thanks also to the entreamigos recycling center, a rich source of empty bottles, plastic crates, bicycle wheels, gears, unidentifiable plastic thingies, bottle tops, tubes and valves and pieces of metal, broken fans and lamps and table legs. Thanks, too, to the people who send all that stuff for actual and potential recycling, for without them, the Imagination Machine could not exist.

And finally, one day, it was done (-ish). Deb and her partner Jennifer arrived with an empty van and we loaded it up for delivery down the hill. Here are Carol and Deb, spray painter and queen of the power tools, carrying Left Brain out to the van.

Last but not least, I wish to thank an eight year old named Adesha. She is Estibaliz's daughter, although I did not know this until very recently. When Indira gave me the stack of drawings that the children had made of their own "book-making machines", from which I received lots of inspiration and ideas, I had a long and happy laugh when I came across the one by Adesha.

She had drawn her picture at school during the same days I sat at home and drew my own idea of a "book-imagining machine". I am excited about the prospect of doing some dimensional art with Adesha, as I can only conclude either that I have the brain of an eight year old or that Adesha and I are kindred spirits.

 

My amor y gratitud to all.

All I Can Say is WOW!

One might think, in a sleepy little Mexican village like San Pancho, that nothing much ever happens. One might think, down here in a podunk pueblo in the farm state of Nayarit, that no one of particular interest ever visits, much less lives here and pays attention.

One might even think that life goes on in a monotonous sort of way with no true surprises to spike adrenalin and create a buzz not unlike a 747 taking off right down our six block main street.

One would be so wrong.

If you've been reading this blog for a few years, you would have already read about the children's circus, Circo de los Niños, produced by entreamigos three years ago this month. Back then, one of our residents who just happens to be a co-founder of Cirque du Soleil sent a crew of trainers down to work with San Pancho's children. In a mere two weeks, we had stilt-walkers, tumblers, clowns and trapeze artists ready for what was a marvelous show that no one fortunate enough to see has ever forgotten.

Since that time, our children have continued their training. Gilles Ste-Croix, the resident to whom I refer and current Creative Guide for Cirque du Soleil, has continued his interest in San Pancho. In fact, he has guided and created another circus to be produced right here two weeks from tonight.

This year, the second and even grander Circo de Los Niños will take over Plaza del Sol, the main gathering place in town. Our plaza will look different than usual, I've no doubt. For one thing, there will be seating for 700 people. It's a fundraiser for entreamigos, and all expect a sell-out.

Mostly, we expect surprises. We have seen our children practicing their skills at entreamigos and all over town. (We have heard rumors that Gilles Ste-Croix has sent all kinds of good things from previous Cirque shows.) We know he has sent trainers and artists because they are working at entreamigos as I write this. Other than that, we can only wait like wide-eyed children for the unveiling of this spectacular event which is unlike any ever produced in Mexico and very likely in the United States and Canada, too.

The evening after the Circo, entreamigos opens its doors for Stories With Wings, a fabulous museum of graphic art and installation art by the children and artists of San Pancho. I have witnessed and participated in the creation of this show, and I promise it will be as wonder-filled as anything entreamigos has brought forth to illustrate the creative passion and collaboration of artists of every age.

Reserved seats for these events go on sale this morning, Friday, March 7, at entreamigos and on their website, which is here. Don't delay. The preferred donation level, and believe me, it's worth it to support this incredible organization, is 500 pesos, which is around 40 dollars at today's exchange rate and provides admission to both evenings' events. 

Thursday evening, March 20, there will be a performance for the families of the participating children. In addition, in order to make the circus accessible to a wide audience, tickets are available for the main event on Friday night at the reasonable rate of 100 pesos for adults and 50 pesos for children. A person could buy a whole bunch of those and give them to all their wonderful friends among the local population, if she or he were so inclined. And they'll get to sit with us too! Woohoo!

 

There will be more in this column next week, don't doubt it. We are working hard and having fun at it. We are psyched.

 

Buy your tickets here!

 

Now I must tell you about one more thing that we in San Pancho are thrilled about. The founder of entreamigos, Nicole Swedlow, was given a most terrific honor last week.

 

At a ceremony in California's San Francisco attended by the Dalai Lama and other illustrious personages, our friend Nicole, tireless worker, creator and guide of entreamigos, was one of fifty-one recipients of the Unsung Hero Award. The honorees came from all over the world to accept the award, given every five years. Here is a quotation from the press release:

“These individuals have been selected as representatives of the tens of thousands of people worldwide who quietly serve the disenfranchised and work to improve our communities through their personal efforts...We don’t see them or hear about them in the daily news, but they exemplify a humanism and heroism to which we must each aspire.”

Thanks, Nicole, for all you are and all you do. I hope you know how much love and respect you have from this community. None of this would even be imaginable, much less possible, without you. You enrich our village, you enrich us all, with this vital and conscious organization that is our community center. Congratulations, felicidades, from me and many, many others in this podunk pueblo.

The Unsung Heroes of Compassion

entreamigos

The Art of Objects: Entreamigos Projects 2013

Our wonderful weeks of work culminated in the big night at entreamigos: Gracias a la Vida, the annual auction benefit. I've told you about the child artists who helped me with my own projects. Now I want to show you what we did...and what I bought.

Here, in a corner of my studio, are the completed pieces.

This is the Friendship Desk, created from a pine table made by volunteers Jack and Rick, painted and decorated by me and Antü Santiago Coss, age 10. The beads I added spell out phrases in English and Spanish: write to me/escribeme, thinking of you/pensando en ti, friends forever/amigos siempre.

Ten days or so before the auction, I received an email from entreamigos director Nicole Swedlow. She told me something had just been donated and it was right up my alley. It was a wonderful chunky cobwebby box, with rusty metal trim in the Mexican tradition. I cleaned it up and made it into a cookbook shelf.

When Antü and I were working one day, I showed him a mirror frame that I wanted us to decorate. "Paint something on it," I said, and went to work finishing the desk. When I turned around, he had painted a range of snow-capped peaks across the top. Antü loves snow, although I'm told he's never actually been in it.

Snow, I thought. Hmmm...now there's a challenge. One thing led to another, and the piece became the Viva México mirror, with scenes and artifacts on top from Mexico's mountainous interior, segueing into beach at the bottom.

I cut the palm tree out of a sheet of tin and Antü painted the lovely curly waves.

My other art partner was 7-year-old Angie. "My life is art" she had told her dad a few weeks before. I already had an art box in mind, but Angie's words brought it all together.

The well-used objects on the top collage are all reclaimed from the entreamigos art bodega.

Angie signed her name and added her unique self-portrait to the inside lid.

She also painted all four sides, including this night sky with crescent moon of which I am inordinately fond.

The art box now has a home at Angie's house. Her good daddy Fred bought it at the auction, and won't it be a wonderful thing to have for her when she's all grown up?

Those are our own pieces. Now I'll show you what I bought at the auction.

I saw this screen being fabricated when it was barely a third complete and fell head over heels for it. It was created by Adriana Coss (perhaps not coincidentally Antü's mama) who heads the glass art fabrica at entreamigos.

When I first saw it, Adriana was twisting wires to hold the glass in place. I loved the whimsy of it.

The rounds are slices of recycled bottles, the squares handmade glass tiles made under her supervision by San Pancho's kindergartners.

(By the way, the blue lamp on the shelf was also made in the entreamigos glass shop from a tall tequila bottle. I'm in the process now of beading the shade.)

Isn't it fabulous?

I was also extremely fortunate to "win" this exquisite piece by Sheri Hunt, a friend and neighbor here in San Pancho. I saw it, too, when it was only partially finished. I promptly had a bad fit of covet. 

This heavy wood box, along with the one I did and five others, was built by a local woodworking shop. It measures sixteen inches square and four inches high. Sheri did most of the work in pencils, although people always touch it to be sure it's not actually carved. It is the new focal point of the inside sala where everyone can admire it when they walk in the door!

The bonus for me is that Saint Francis is the patron saint of our pueblo, whose formal name is San Francisco. I didn't have a St. Francis, and wanted one. I'm really glad I waited for Sheri's! 

And so this year's benefit is over. It was successful thanks to the hard work of a lot of people who worked for months and months to envision it and pull it off. In reality, my part was minimal. It was a privilege to participate, as always...and to see the dedication and inventiveness of the volunteers and employees of entreamigos.

 

Gracias a la Vida: A Celebration

Last Thursday was the first night of the big event for entreamigos, which hosted a reception for the children and adults who had contributed their collaborative artwork for the subasta (auction) to raise funds for the organization. The children's parents and siblings were also invited to celebrate and see the pieces the artists had created around this year's theme: the things I am grateful for in life.

The gallery of children's art opened to rave reviews as the young artists showed their work to their families.

After the parents had taken a thorough tour of the art displayed throughout the building, we all trooped outside to the big center courtyard where rows of chairs were arranged before the stage.

The first ten rows or so were reserved for the children who had participated.

Behind them sat proud parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and brothers and sisters.

One by one, the children were called by name to ascend the steps to the stage and receive their congratulatory certificates. Here is Angie, who turned 7 on February 3rd, and was my partner on the Art is My Life Box.

And here is Antü, age 10, my partner on the blue Friendship Desk and the Viva México mirror.

After each and every one of the one hundred and twenty children had received their personal thanks, the entertainment began.

In Mexico, everybody loves a clown. This pair, in the tradition of Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, had the crowd laughing and clapping from the moment they stepped on stage.

Not only the children, either.

Then we all had brownies and horchata, a delicious creamy rice milk with cinnamon. This adult liked that, too. 

On Friday afternoon, the open house and auction preview for the public was followed by the Children's Parade down main street. I snapped some photos of the imps in costume in the entreamigos staging area.

Then I skedaddled down Avenida Tercer Mundo to Maria's Restaurant to have a glass of wine and wait for the parade to arrive.

Which it did, in fine fashion.

Our stiltwalkers (who first learned their skill from Cirque du Soleil trainers for the entreamigos auction event Circo de los Niños two years ago) walked from the community center all the way to the Malecon, which is a mile or so...and some of them walked all the way back on stilts, too.

The whole town turned out, and everyone seemed to enjoy the parade. How could you not?

At the Malecon, the paraders gathered for a celebration and a cheer, surrounded by admiring fans and spectators.

And now, as this post is already altogether too long, I will leave you with this photo of Antü and La Piñata. You'll have to wait until Part Two for news about the Main Event...and for photos of the art we created and the art I bought at the auction. 

See you next week. (And don't forget there are only eleven more days to vote again for San Pancho Vida as your favorite Mexico Blog. Thanks a bazillion to those who've been voting!)

The Sleepy Village That Isn't

Whew, what a week in San Pancho! February and early March are always busy in our little pueblito and the activities of past three weeks and upcoming weekend are why.

Last weekend we were treated to the San Pancho Music Festival, which, for you music lovers, is one to put on the calendar if you haven't already. It just keeps getting better.

Imagine, if you will, sitting in the newly refurbished town plaza sipping an icy cold beer from a vendor or a glass of wine from the bottle you brought along. You are probably in your own chair, as the ones supplied are quickly occupied by other listeners. Overhead shine the stars and the nearly-full moon, this year glimpsed between scuttering clouds driven by a cool breeze. You have something warmer to wear for later, as it will be long and festive night.

With two stages this year, there's no lag time: musicians play one after another from early evening on. And what musicians! I'll just hit a few highlights.

Our dazzling local group Dos Bertos y Las Musas--Humberto, Roberto, Nina, and Lau on fiddle--knocked everyone's socks off on Friday night. They play music that spans decades and continents. They sing in Spanish, English, and French. They are full of spirit and obviously having a great time performing and collaborating. And could they possibly be cuter? 

I couldn't get enough of their music. So much so that I went to Darjeeling, one of our great local hangouts, to hear them play some more after the festival. I danced to their gypsy music until midnight when they finally tired from their long day. I guess I did too although I'm not sure. (Thanks, HRN&L. I love having you as part of this community.)

Werther came back Saturday night. The town was all aflutter, especially some of the women whom I will not name. This was his third year at the San Pancho Music Fest, yet there were some in the crowd who hadn't heard him play. They will next time.

Werther Ellerbrock is a guitar virtuoso. He can, and does, play every style of music imaginable, segueing from one style to the next without a break, teasing and delighting his listeners. Werther turns the guitar into a whole new instrument. He's a performer who makes you laugh out loud with joy.

Sunday we were treated to Luna Rumba, playing at the festival for the first time. I can't imagine how so many people managed to sit down during this set. Those of us who couldn't, danced: I just can't resist a fiddle.

This is a band I'll go see wherever they are. The photo below is from their Facebook page as I sort of forgot to take pictures once the music actually started. Thanks to whoever took it.

The music festival blowout weekend was a great release for a whole bunch of people who have been working daily in preparation for this coming weekend, which is the entreamigos big fundraising bash. Spanning three days this year (the first evening being a reception for all the contributing artists, adult and child), this will be a gorgeous event.

Gracias a la Vida opens to the public Friday evening with an open house and silent auction followed by a children's parade down main street. Galleries in town will be open for an Art Walk featuring some of the pieces to be auctioned Saturday at the gala. Artists all over the region have been working on decorative objects for the home: tables, chairs, mirrors and wall decor, high chairs, lamps...and a collection of wooden boxes, each unique. 

I told you a bit about it in my post Thoughts While Spattered with Paint. I will have photos and more next week, including photos of the four pieces I contributed with the help of my little partners. (Can't let you see them yet--preview night is Friday!) Just let me say that the kids and I had a ball creating them, as did the other artists and children in town, judging from the beauty and exuberance of the work I've seen so far.

I took my pieces into entreamigos this morning in two trips. Afterward, I took myself out to eat eggs Benedict at La Taza de Café. Then I took a nap.

It's been a busy few weeks with more to come, and that siesta felt real good. Hope you'll join me here next week to see it all come together. Saludos!

San Pancho Music Festival Website

entreamigos Gala Benefit Info