Walking down a city street and being greeted with impressive artistic displays by each of its houses and murals is the gift that Zara Fernández gives us in abundance.
Instilled from an early age by her father with a love of art and the communities that create it, Zara's mission has become to share this same magic with the world and boy does she do it!
And not only in one way, the tireless Zara is not content with leading the way in the well-known cradle of artists, Instituto Allende, but also year after year it does a kind of “takeover” to Calle San Antonio with the highly anticipated artwalk where it will unveil the work of at least 45 extraordinary artists.
As if this were not enough, she does not forget about giving back, and everything that art gives her, she gives back through the RODARTE artistic education program where they focus on bringing art workshops to low-income children in rural areas, awakening in them the seed of a new approach.
Learn more about Zara's vision and the grand plans it has that will undoubtedly be implemented.
L: What was the process behind opening the Allende Institute to the public?
Z: The Allende Institute opened its doors in 1950 and was widely accepted, as well as attracting many foreigners to study art and Spanish, it was also a huge source of work for many San Miguel residents. The Allende Institute is fully incorporated into the University of Guanajuato, so we offer four-and-a-half-year accredited educational programs and short-term non-accredited programs of 18 to 36 hours. It was and is a cradle of artists and also a niche for the expression of other established artists.
L: What is the basis for curating the workshops and happenings that take place within your facilities?
Z: It is based on the content of the workshops as well as the demand from the public. We offer a wide range of visual and plastic arts, providing an excellent level of education. Our teachers are mainly Mexican, but we bring teachers with specialties from abroad to be able to have continuous learning within our community. This summer we are offering more than 19 courses, in photography, stone sculpture, jewelry, textiles, painting, drawing, ceramics, etc. Thus, we offer programs for students from 5 years old to 88 years old. There is no age limit, abilities or prior knowledge for artistic expression.
L: What does it take to produce an Art Walk?
Z: The most important thing to be able to produce an Art Walk is to have a community and spaces for artistic expression. The San Antonio neighborhood is one of the oldest neighborhoods in San Miguel with a very family-oriented atmosphere. I don't think it's a coincidence to have a neighborhood so close to the Allende Institute that has become one of the hot spots for artists, artisans or designers.
Another very important part of doing an Art Walk is having a team within the community and support from different San Miguel businesses to be able to carry it out.
What fulfills me and mainly why I have dedicated my professional career to art and culture is inspiration and motivation, but at the same time it intrigues me and reminds me of how fantastic the creativity that human beings are capable of generating is.
L: How are your maps altered? Are streets replaced by names of artists?
Z: The map for our event, MyStudio San Antonio Art Walk, is a map of the San Antonio neighborhood. In this edition, we will be exhibiting more than 45 artists in different studios, galleries, or artists’ homes. We have the artists with numbers at the locations where they are located. So, in order to tour and visit the artists, it will take two full days, July 16 and 17 from 11 am – 5 pm.
L: MyStudio's Art Walk will be in the San Antonio neighborhood, what can we expect to find on this tour?
Z: In this Art Walk you can see all kinds of techniques of Jewelry, Oil Painting, Mixed Media, Watercolor, Engraving, Acrylic Painting, Bronze Sculpture, Stone Sculpture, Textiles, High Fashion, etc, etc.
The works come from small formats 7” by 11” to 2m by 2m.
This year we will have our Artistic Banners that we have made in past years, placed inside the Allende Institute, in San Antonio Wide #22 (the academic part) with different themes. This year, with the work and organization of Peter A. Davis, we will debut seventeen new murals in the San Antonio neighborhood made by different artists from San Miguel de Allende who are also listed on our map.
Starting on June 20th we will be working with two wonderful organizations, Casa Hogar Corazón Valiente and Escuela de Educación Especial SMA, giving classes in Painting, Textiles and Ceramics. The works made by the children of these institutions can be seen this weekend at MyStudio.
On Thursday, July 14th we will have our opening party at El Faro, located in San Antonio Wide #30 from 4 pm to – 9 pm, where everyone is invited to come and meet our artists.
On Sunday, July 17th, we would have the closing of MyStudio Summer at Café Lula from 5 pm – 9 pm, where we would have live music, live-painting, and a silent auction of works donated by the artists to raise funds for Casa Hogar Corazón Valiente and Escuela de Educación Especial SMA.
So we would have lots of activities, lots of fun and lots to see the weekend of July 14-17, 2022. So join us in celebrating the artistic diversity of the neighborhood.
L: There are also scholarships for artists in the Outreach Program. How do you apply and what are the benefits for scholarship recipients?
Z: The Outreach Program began in 2017, where emerging artists who do not yet have their own space to exhibit their work are invited to participate. This year we have 6 different artists in different media who will be exhibiting their work at the Allende Institute.
You can apply at the time we launch the call, they are for those who live, work or study in Colonia San Antonio, between 8 to 10 works can be exhibited.
L: How do you think supporting underprivileged children through art benefits?
Z: Since I was little, my father, Rodolfo, always took me to the communities of San Miguel to work on academic artistic projects – community work is in my blood, so to speak. After studying at the university, I started again with a new project, “RODARTE”.
The extracurricular arts education program RODARTE is a project whose intention is to continue bringing art workshops to low-income children in isolated rural communities in the city of San Miguel de Allende, promoting artistic development.
RODARTE aims to develop creativity and critical thinking, along with the knowledge and skills that allow children to detect and solve problems related to the creation, analysis, evaluation and management of images, especially those of an artistic nature, as well as to teach and ensure the transmission of attitudes, knowledge, skills and values involved in the process.
We raise money for RODARTE by holding fairs and bazaars that support local and national Mexican artisans, designers, and entrepreneurs, creating a safe and enjoyable place for the art trade at reasonable prices. The funds we raise are handled with transparency and honesty: one hundred percent of what we raise is used to run RODARTE. These expenses include salaries for teachers and assistants, gasoline for transportation, and art materials. We donate the use of our vehicles.
We believe that art is a medium to reflect, transform and develop the human spirit. Art reinvents the world and celebrates life and freedom.
I am extremely excited to invite you to our MyStudio Art Walk on July 16-17, 2022 from 11 am – 5 pm.
