Located in The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza A BROKEN ART Mosaic Gallery and School COLLANTES COLLECTION Original Oil Paintings by Antonio Collantes THE SPLURGE ART GALLERY World Wise Art and Designer Pewter WINGED IGUANA Contemporary Art PARRECHE COLLECTION MY MEXICAN KITCHEN Cooking School & Catering A PEACE OF ART Everything for Your Casa Schedule of Workshops Nov. 6th, 2009 Basket Weaving with Beth Fedigan Nov. 7th Wire Wrapping with Beth fedigan Nov. 13th-18th Jewelry Wire Wrapping with Rachell Knipping Jan. 20th-22nd, 2010 Chalk & Pastels with Beth Fedigan Mosaic and Painting Workshops are offered Daily |
Bucerias Art Walk Plaza
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The founders of The Bucerias Art Walk are proud to announce they will be hosting
the First Annual Madonnari Festivalin Bucerias. If you are not familiar with the
term, "Madonnari" is Italian for street painter, which originally referred to an artist
who makes pictures of the Madonna from Christian art. These images were the
original style of drawing for street painters, thus the title. An artist can be referred
to as a madonnaro or madonnara. Originated from European artisans dating from
the 16th century, who traveled to create drawings in public places for religious
celebratory purposes, street painting (also known as chalk art) has grown in the last
decade to become a world wide phenomenon. Today thousands of artists work as
“madonnari” in all visual genres at festivals and events across the globe. Simply
stated, street painting is a performance based art form involving drawing a fairly
large sized image in chalk pastels on a public street, plaza or thoroughfare.
The Festival will take place January 20th through 22nd, 2010 on Lazaro Cardenas,
between Benito Juarez and Galeana in Bucerias. The goal of the founders is to
introduce this affordable art to the artists of Nayarit. "With no malecon here for
artist to build "sand art" for display, we thought that the Plaza in the middle of
town would be a great venue for Mexican artists to practice this craft" says organizer
Christy Beguesse. Artists from around the world will be attending the festival,
performing and holding free workshops for artists who live in Nayarit. "We still have
openings for Mexican artists who wish to participate and welcome them" she added.
This year's theme is "Out of the Pacific" and cash prizes will be awarded for 1st and
2nd place winners. The street will be closed to through traffic to allow the artist to
paint directly on the street. There will also be food vendors and booths with hand
crafts for sale, along with chalk for the kids, to create a real festival atmosphere.
The story of The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza will remind you of that famous
legend of the Phoenix arisen from the ashes. Founder Christy Ann Beguesse
moved to Bucerias after coming here on vacation in 2005. "It was one of the
quickest and scariest decisions I have ever made" admits Christy, "but also
the best decision too". "I had lived in Baja California near the U.S. border, full
time for 9 years and thought I was living in Mexico. Then we took a drive to
the Bahia Banderas and over-nighted in Bucerias where I discovered "uno
pueblo typico" and I knew that now I was truly in Mexico. After just 2 days I
turned to my partner and announced "I am not going back!" I found a house
and converted it to A Broken Art Mosaic Gallery, but knew that there was still
something missing in Bucerias in order for it to become a true "art center".
I founded The Bucerias Art Walk in 2006, to encourage new galleries to
locate here and to offer artists of all types a venue to display their art. When
the property where A Broken Art is located became available, it was clear that
here was the perfect opportunity to create the "art center" I always dreamt of.
The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza is located on Lazaro Cardenas, the main
thoroughfare of Bucerias. Behind the almost hidden archway is a lovely
bricked patio area, shaded by palm trees and alive with art. Within the walls
of this tranquil setting are 4 galleries, and cooking school. Painting and
Mosaic Workshops are held under the palms. "It is hard to believe that just a
few months ago this was all a pile of cement, but we have worked hard to
bring this center to life."
When you walk thru the archway of The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza the first thing
you will notice are the lavish paintings of the Perreche Gallery adorning the
rustic brick walls. There is a shaded area with sofas, colorful cushions and
buckets with free ice water for visitors which is jokingly referred to as "the
husband parking lot". Enter The Plaza and you will catch a glimpse of Pepe
Perreche painting under the palm trees, where he is available to discuss his
paintings, show you around his gallery and if your lucky meet his charming
wife Esperanza.
Stop by A Peace of Art, a converted home that now houses everything for
your casa. Assorted dish ware including the popular "barra" and "blue ware"
are featured along with fine Talavera. A varied collection from painters
Antonio Collantes, Beth Fedigan, and Lee Ann Ghilain round out the
treasures you will find. Shopping tours to surrounding cities are offered by
owner Christy Ann Beguesse to help you find your perfect Peace of Art.
Next door is The Winged Iguana. This Contemporary Art Gallery is the love
child of Mary and Jay Piazza who have searched far and wide for the most
unique pieces of art, featuring glass sculptures, chandeliers and jewelry.
Affectionately known as the "Butterfly Gallery" due to the extensive and rare
collection of butterflies for sale.
Up stairs is the Spurge Art Gallery. New to The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza this
year, owners Wendy and Randal Wark bring a unique collection of art from
around the world. Featured is Chilean artist Carolina Echeverria, who uses
paper made of stone for her abstract paintings, making her art truly "green".
No trees are harmed with her art! Also artist Kevin Jenne and his bright,
colorful depictions of life in paradise. With an extensive array of Mexican
designer pewter The Splurge Art Gallery is a great addition to The Plaza.
Next Door is My Mexican Kitchen where chefs Edgar and Travis teach the
magical art of Mexican cooking. Menus vary daily and include classes in
salsas, appetizers, soups, main dishes and desserts, along with Vegetarian
Mexican cuisine.
Hi Christy, Now that I am back in New York, I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much
I enjoyed taking the Friday night course with Travis and Edgar. Although there just 2 of us
(actually I loved that we such a small group), I loved preparing all of the salsas and appetizers
especially the cuitlacoche empanadas. I had never eaten the "corn truffles" before and I just
thought they were great. The fact that we participated in all of the preparations and not just
watched was made the evening whiz by and it felt like we were making dishes for our own
party. I am a good cook yet learned a lot about Mexican seasonings, chilies and prep. I would
tell anyone visiting the area to spend at least 1 night taking a class. Hopefully when I return
next year I will plan on 2 nights of learning to cook other dishes. Travis and Edgar were
delightful and we all had SUCH a good time. You can feel free to bring your own libation and
then let the party begin!!! Con mucho gusto.......Joan Oppenheimer
The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza is located at 62 Lazaro Cardenas, Bucerias.
If you wish information about any of the galleries or classes, are interested in
displaying your craft in The Bucerias Art Walk Plaza or maybe looking for a
location for an Artist Reception, Workshop or Lecture Venue please contact
Christy Ann at thebuceriasartwalkplaza@gmail.com