Japanese Art Exposition in Full Swing

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Friday July 1 saw the opening of Puerto Vallarta’s first major exposition of Japanese art held in the city’s Centro Internacional de Convenciones, marking the start of a series of free workshops and conferences as well as screenings of Japanese cinema.
The Mayor, Salvador González Resendiz,and his wife Jennifer Serur, the local Secretary for Culture, Mónica Venegas, the president of Puerto Vallarta’s tourist board, Ignacio Guzmán and various other local dignitaries and politicians welcomed over 15 Japanese artists and the president of the Club des Amis de l’Europe et des Arts, Mariko Magori, who is in charge of organizing the traveling exposition. As is customary in Japan, the opening cocktail saw the exchange of gifts in a respectful display of generosity and ceremony.
The exhibition, organized and co-funded by the Club des Amis de l’Europe et des Arts and the International Arts Council with the support of the Jalisco state and local council, boasts a range of artistic disciplines employed by over 200 Japanese artists, including painting, calligraphy and etching. Accompanying the exhibition there are also a number of free workshops and Japanese cinema screenings open to the public. See the timetable for dates and times of activities.
With the Malecon under construction, for visitors and residents of Puerto Vallarta, the exhibition and workshops are the perfect way to entertain the family in July and gain a taste of Japanese culture. It is also a chance to visit the city’s conference center, whose modern architecture poses an intriguing contrast to the typical architecture found in Puerto Vallarta.
The exhibition and workshops continue until July 15.

What’s in a name?

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… That which we call rain by any other name would be as wet.

According to popular belief, the Inuit have over a hundred or so words for snow. While that may or may not be true, as the rainy season takes hold of Vallarta, it becomes apparent that rain expressions and idioms are not limited to the British (and those living in Seattle). Indeed the Spanish language is also rich in rain vocabulary and has many creative alternatives to our favorite English language rain expressions.
You no longer need to limit yourselves to está lloviendo or llueve (it’s raining). Below is a short selection of the most common ways of describing the rain in Spanish (some of which are specific to Mexico). Impress your Mexican neighbors during the next downpour with the accuracy of your description.
 Spanish                                                        English
Está chispeando                                         Light spotting of rain
Está chipi-chipi                                          Light spotting of rain
Agua espanta tontos                                   Light spotting of rain
                                                                     (lit. rain that frightens fools)
Llovizna (está lloviznando)                       Drizzle (it’s drizzling)
Brizna (está briznando)                             Very light misty drizzle
Agua moja tontos                                       Drizzle that gets you really wet without
                                                                     realizing it (lit. rain that gets fools wet)
Aguacero                                                     Downpour
Dios lloró sobre la tierra                          Downpour (lit. God cried on the earth)
Chubasco                                                    Very heavy rain / cloudburst
Diluvio                                                        Heavy downpour / deluge
Está cayendo el cielo                                Heavy downpour (lit. the sky is falling
                                                                    / the heavens open)
Los cielos rasgaron                                  The heavens tear apart
Se exprimieron las nubes                        The clouds are squeezed / wrung
Lluvia torrencial                                       Torrential rain
Tormenta                                                   A storm
Llueve a cántaros                                     Raining buckets
Lluvia monsónica                                     Monsoon rains

Summer Culture

Thanks to Puerto Vallarta’s Department for Art and Culture, there are plenty of special events and courses on offer this summer to keep us out of the heat and the rain. Check out the options below and make this a creative summer season.
The following activities are offered in addition to the regular arts and music classes held at Centro Cultural Cuale.
Saturday June 25
Details: La Muerte Chiquita, a play by Boa Viagem
Alternative theatre, for open-minded audiences only
Venue: Centro Cultural Cuale Theatre
Date: Every Saturday and Sunday in June
Time: 7pm & 9 pm
Cost: 60 pesos.
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: “Reencuentro”
A music band remembering four unforgettable decades
Venue: Plaza de Armas
Date: Every Saturday
Time: 8pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95 / 113 01 07
Details: La Casa del Niño Perdido a play by Alberto Sosa (terror)
Venue: CECATUR Auditorium
Date: Saturday June 25 (last showing)
Time: 6pm & 8pm
Cost: 80 pesos
Tel: 223 00 95 / 113 01 07
Details: Children’s Cinema - Rango
Venue: Rio Cuale Auditorium
Date: Saturday June 25
Time: 12pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95 / 113 01 07
Sunday June 26
Details: La Muerte Chiquita, a play by Boa Viagem
Alternative theatre, for open-minded audiences only
Venue: Centro Cultural Cuale Theatre
Date: Every Saturday and Sunday in June
Time: 7pm & 9 pm
Cost: 60 pesos.
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Tuesday June 28
Details: Cinema in your neighborhood
Children’s Movie (surprise)
Venue: 1 Mayo
Date: Tuesday June 28
Time: 8pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Wednesday June 29
Details: Los Amates del Circulo Polar
Movie classification “C”
Venue: Rio Cuale Auditorium
Date: Every Wednesday
Time: 7:30pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Thursdays June 30
Details: Fusion
Circus and theater arts
Venue: Rio Cuale Auditorium
Date: Thursday June 30
Time: 9pm
Cost: 40 pesos
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Friday July 1
Details: “Tierra Magica” - second exhibition in Galeria Uno
by members of the municipal sculpture workshop
Venue: Galeria Uno
Date: July 1-15
Time: 6pm-10pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: Arte en Manos Japonesas (Art in Japanese Hands)
Opening ceremony and cocktail
Venue: Centro de Convenciones
Date: Friday July 1
Time: 6pm
Cost: Free *
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: Arte en Manos Japonesas (Art in Japanese Hands)
Presentation of Xiutla folk dancing
Venue: Plaza de Armas
Date: Friday July 1
Time: 8pm *
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: Arte en Manos Japonesas (Art in Japanese Hands)
Exhibition of Japanese art
Venue: Centro de Convenciones
Date: July 1 – 15
Time: Mon to Fri 11am – 6pm / Sat & Sun 11am – 4pm
Cost: Free *
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Saturday Jul 2
Details: Arte en Manos Japonesas (Art in Japanese Hands)
Origami Workshop
Venue: Centro de Convenciones
Date: Saturday July 2
Time: 5pm - 6pm
Cost: Free *
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: Children’s Cinema
Monsters Aliens
Venue: Rio Cuale Auditorium
Date: Saturday July 2
Time: 12pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: Naval History Museum
An invitation to learn about naval culture
Venue: Naval History Museum
Date: Tuesday to Sunday
Time: Tue to Fri 9am – 7.30pm / Sat & Sun, 10am – 7.30pm
Cost: Free
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Sunday July 3
Details: Okinawa Drums – 16 artists
Tickets in benefit of the international Red Cross (Japan)
Venue: Teatro Vallarta
Date: Sunday July 3
Time: 12pm
Cost: 200 (donation)
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
Details: Summer School
For children from 5 to 10 years old
Venue: Centro Cultural Cuale
Date: July 18 to August 5
Time: 9am – 1.30 pm
Cost: 800 pesos
Tel: 223 00 95-113 01 07
* All of the activities and workshops related to Arte en Manos Japonesas in the Centro de Convenciones are free. Groups limited to 50.

Out of the Heat and into the Water

Last weekend saw as many as 150 kite-surfers and windsurfers descend on Banderas Bay for the Riviera Nayarit Wind Festival 2011. With competitors from all over Mexico, United States and Canada, the beaches from La Cruz de Huanacaxtle to Bucerias were teeming with man-sized kites and wind-surf sails of all shapes, colors and sizes; the horizon was peppered with somersaulting sails lashing the breaking white water. As the sweltering heat this last week reminds us of the temperatures yet to come, what better way to cool down this summer than take to the water.


Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Nayarit offer a host of different water sports for all levels of ability to keep us in the ocean during the hot and humid summer months: amazing scuba diving and snorkeling, wakeboarding, kayaking and so forth. Below is a list of some of the more adventurous aquatic activities in and around Banderas Bay:

Surfing
By far one of the most popular water sports in the area, surfing (and boogie boarding) has long been an attraction for many visitors. The warm waters of the bay relieve surfers of the need for wetsuits and its soft sandy beaches make learning to surf even more pleasurable for children and adults alike. There are some fantastic breaks both to the north and south of Puerto Vallarta, with the most popular surf beaches found around Punta de Mita, Bucerias and Sayulita. Beginners will find plenty of surf schools providing top quality instruction and board hire, while the local surf communities are surprisingly friendly and accommodating to more experienced surfers.


Paddle Boarding
Paddle boarding or stand up paddle surfing came originally from Hawaii, where it was a method used by surfing instructors as a means of managing larger groups of students: they gained a better view and could see oncoming swells. Today, it is a pleasant, and relatively easy, pastime that involves balancing on an extra-large surfboard, either standing or on your knees, while using a paddle to navigate the sea beyond the breaking waves. For more adventurous and skilled paddlers, there is also plenty of scope for tricks and maneuvers as surfers catch the waves as they would with any long board. There are various places in the bay that rent paddleboards, including Sayulita, Bucerias and Punta de Mita.


Kite Surfing
January to June is the kite surfing season in Banderas Bay, when the onshore breeze provides just the right winds to make the area perfect for this evermore popular water sport, especially in Bucerias. The equipment can be expensive, so renting is a great option at first, and instruction is essential owing to the complexity of the activity. It combines various sport skills, such as surfing, wakeboarding and kite flying, giving you the freedom of near weightlessness and adrenaline. The equipment includes a board, similar to a wakeboard or snowboard, which is lightly attached to the feet and used to surf the waves, while you hold onto a traction kite, which helps you lift yourself over the water, flying or somersaulting through the air.


Sea Kayaking
There are many places in Puerto Vallarta that offer kayak rentals and tours of the bay. The water beyond the waves provides an idyllic setting for leisurely and safe kayaking. Los Arco beauty spot is a popular location as well as tours to Colomitos, just south of Boca de Tomatlán, where there is a picturesque sandy cove. Kayaking also provides the perfect opportunity to combine a snorkeling adventure, exploring the wonderful world beneath the surface of the ocean.

Sea-Doo / Jet Skis
For those who are looking for speed and adrenaline, renting a jet ski might well be the answer. Like an aquatic motorbike, you control the speed and direction of your excursion, blending freedom, velocity and exhilaration in an idyllic setting. Many rental companies offer combined tours that include Jet Ski rental and secluded beach breaks.


Wake boarding
Wake boarding combines the principles of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. The rider is towed by a motorboat traveling between 18 and 25 miles per hour and navigates the water’s surface on a board similar to a snowboard. While beginners will be happy to simply hold on and avoid falling into the water, more experienced wake boarders find pleasure in the tricks and jumps that make the sport truly invigorating and addictive.

With such an array of thrilling water sports on offer in Banderas Bay, there is no reason to be hot and sticky this summer? Slap on the sunscreen and dive into the sea of possibilities – don’t get hot, get wet!

RÍO CUALE ISLAND Pt.2

Photo by Javier Perez

In the final installment of this two-part article, city chronicler Prof. Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación reveals more of the enchanting history of the Rio Cuale Island, taking us from the 1950s to the present day.

The Fifties. During the 1950s the island’s elevation was really low. It was inhabited by guamuchile trees as well as various types of bushes and plants. There was only one little house, near where the anthropology museum stands today. The family that lived there had donkeys and horses. Every year in dry season, they would make a rustic bridge out of logs and wooden boards so that they could cross the river opposite Calle Juárez by foot. However, each rainy season the bridge would be washed away by the first swell.

At this time, and for many years after, the plethora of women who came to the banks of the river to wash clothing under the shade of trestle branches was a common scene, or the sight of huge stones covered by white sheets and other items exposed to the sun’s rays to dry. Meanwhile, Vallarta’s children would bathed in the deeper patches of the river, such as those known as “La Bomba” or “El Gauyparín,” making a rumpus that competed with the sounds and splashes of the local birds.

To the far east of the island, which is now home to the Centro Cultural Cuale, was “Los Veneros” (the well), where everyone went for their supplies of drinking water. Opposite, on the northern bank was the water pump, which drove this precious liquid into a storage tank up towards the mountain so that it could be later distributed to the rest of the town, which was still quite small at this point.

There was a hanging bridge located a few meters up river where the city’s first stone bridge now joins Calle Insurgentes in the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood to the center of Vallarta. This hanging bridge, made out of wooden boards and supported by steel cables and vertical planks was the main access route during rainy season for the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood. Along the northern bank of the river, where the market is today, towards the beach and sea, there was a vacant space, called “El Campito,” where young people and children would play sports such as baseball or soccer.

The center of Vallarta on the south side went as far as Calle Agustín Rodríguez, where there was a retention wall between the road and the river running from the hanging bridge to almost the mouth of the river. Here it met with another retention wall, called “El Maleconcito.” This wall continued from south to north along the seafront until the children’s park Aquiles Serdán, in front of the main plaza.
At the end of this decade, in 1959, the first stone bridge over the Rio Cuale was built, putting an end to the communication problems between the center and the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood during the rainy season.

The Sixties. The Rio Cuale Market was built, as well as a new retention wall between “El Campito” and the river. The center of Vallarta grew by three blocks. The western part of the island began to become populated with a few houses, which would eventually turn into a poor neighborhood, giving life and movement to the market. On the eastern part, where the Centro Cultural Cuale is situated today, two basketball courts were built in cement and a football pitch was created.

The Seventies. In 1971 Hurricane Lilly caused the Rio Cuale to swell and flood the neighborhood to the west of the island. In turn, the local authorities saw the need to evacuate this neighborhood, relocating them to the north of the city to form the Valentín Gómez Farías district, better known as “Palo Seco.”

During this decade the Fideicomiso Traslativo de Dominio Puerto Vallarta arrived to carry out work on the island. They built a bridge over the river to join Calle Morelos and Ignacio L. Vallarta. Channels were dredged from the river and the island was protected with a shield of rocks around the edges to the far east. The land was also filled, which raised the level of the island considerably. In the west, shops were built as well as the museum. On the eastern part they constructed the buildings for the art workshops. At the end, where the auditorium of the Centro Cultural Cuale can be found today, they erected a circular building with a high palapa roof. Expositions, concerts and workshops would take place there, and it was also the home of the music school. In the open brick square in front, there was a round fountain with stone sculptures of children.

In 1978 a number of workshops began: literature (with Jorge Souza), dance (with Tomás Arizmendi), theater (with Alberto Fabián) and painting (with Javier Niño). This cultural movement, which promoted creation and artistic practices amongst Vallarta’s local population, would continue until 1988 under the precursor and founder Lic. Jorge Souza Jauffred, first as Head of Social Communication for Fideicomiso Puerto Vallarta and later as head of the Department for Culture for City Hall, during the 1983-1985 administration. Many renowned artists contributed with their presence to this valued cultural movement throughout its development. Roberto Bermejo, José Marca, Daniel Icháurregui, Juan Pueblo, Dr. Ayotl, Katy Huet, amongst others formed “Grupo Vallarta.”

The Eighties. At first the Fideicomiso built commercial stalls with palapa roofs, which at that time were offered to small businesses for renewable periods of six months, in order to begin to create a mini commercial center. They were charged a nominal rent, in fact very little, because the Fideicomiso really just wanted to recuperate the investment they made on federal property. Those palapa stalls were destroyed in a fire caused by fireworks from the feast of Our Lady Guadalupe, one December 11 at the beginning of the 1980s. A rocket hit one of the palapas and the fire passed to the others in a chain reaction, until every one of them was destroyed. At this time, Vallarta didn’t have a fire brigade.

Following the fire, permanent buildings were authorized; however, the cost of these fell to each of the owners, or tenants. The Fideicomiso then transformed the island into a garden with forest; they even installed a sound system to provide atmospheric music using underground electric cables. On the western side of the island they put a children’s park and from then on it became known as the “Island of the Children.”

At the beginning of the 80s the first artisan stalls were opened on the island.

The Nineties. In 1996 the River Café restaurant was opened by Mrs. Evangelina Sánchez Dueñas. Before this, it was Don Luis Trejo’s El Duende restaurant and before that, Chily Willis owned by Javier Juárez.
Óscar restaurant opened in 1997, while around the same time in the eastern section, Café Bolero, owned by Ismael Moreno Jiménez and before that María Elena Ramírez, and Las Brazas restaurant were also opened.

The first stage of the Centro Cultural Cuale was built with equipment for various art workshops from local, state and federal funding

The First Decade of the Twenty-First Century. The second stage of the Centro Cultural Cuale was built in 2003. The auditorium was erected and the art workshops were furnished with equipment.

Prof. Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación

With such a rich history to explore, why not take a stroll through the Rio Cuale Island starting from the Artisan Market, downtown. Step out of time and into tropical tranquility in the heart of the city.

RÍO CUALE ISLAND

By Prof. Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación, City Historian

In this intriguing two-part article, city chronicler Prof. Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación shares the charming history of one of Vallarta’s most enchanting locations. Translation by Deborah Buley.

As though the jungle of the mountains had extended a verdant arm to stroke Vallarta, the island of the Río Cuale surfaced in the heart of the city. This beautiful island, the habitat of tranquility and the native flora and fauna of our beloved tourist destination, was formed by Mother Nature during the 1926 tornado, which performed a propitious operation leaving the heart of the river magically exposed.
These days when noise and haste permeate daily life, Vallarta has an ace up its sleeve for those who love serenity and excellent cuisine. This isla-corazón (heart-island) of the old, authentic Vallarta is a showcase for gastronomy and local culture.

Embraced by the banks of the Rio Cuale, the island is located between downtown and the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood, and can be reached by three fixed concrete bridges and three wooden suspension bridges. Upon crossing any one of them, visitors find themselves in a naturally charming and personable atmosphere, whether you wish to savor the rich dishes on offer, sample a good wine, read a book or simply stroll among the lush and ancient trees.
Cradling a range of beautiful restaurants, the Centro Cultural Cuale, an archaeology museum and an assortment of local Mexican artisans, the Cuale Island always welcomes with open arms locals and visitors alike.

The Cuale Island is a long and narrow strip of land of just over two hectares. It is densely forested by species such as the guamuchil, rubber tree, parota, amapa, salat or fig, mango and bamboo, among others. There are also many garden plants and bushes. The green hues of nature dominate, providing a fresh climate.

It is common to find green parakeets, squirrels, herons and many different kinds of birds among its wildlife. If you are lucky you can see otters playing in the river. Being on the island gives you the feeling of having one foot in the city and the other in the jungle.

CHRONOLOGY
Physically the island has transformed and undergone various uses over time. What follows is a synopsis of the changes that have shaped the island as we know it today.

Twenties. By word of mouth we know that the Cuale Island was initially formed by a great flood caused by the tornado of October 1926. The river’s water level was so high that it burst its banks, flooding the town. Two accounts of the event are cited follow:

[…] The Rio Cuale used to be a single channel. During the 1926 floods, when the water reached Calle Libertad, it made two channels and formed the island… (Manuel Andrade Beltrán, Foros Revivir La Historia, año 1999).
[…] In that year (1926), on a stormy October night, a tornado sprang from the minerals of the Rio Cuale and brought with it trees uprooted by the force of the wind, leaving in its wake a deafening noise and destroying everything it could. This is how all the mango and banana orchards that used to be on the other side of the river were destroyed. This phenomenon caused the river water to breach its normal course and flood Lupe and Victoria Ruelas’ pens as well as the shop and warehouses of don José Baumgarten Escudrero, which were full of wood, leather and other merchandise; everything was destroyed. The water began to enter the town in an alarming manner; there had already been 15 long days and nights of torrential rain … (Catalina Montes de Oca, Vallarta en mis recuerdos, p.110).

Thirties. During 1932, thanks to an initiative implemented by Mayor Christopher Ruelas with the support of neighbors, the first wooden suspension bridge was installed across the Rio Cuale. Doña Margarita Mantecón de Garza put it this way:

[…] Any bridge that crossed the river was washed away by rising water levels, and so, to stop those on the other side of the river from being isolated during the rainy season, City Council, with the cooperation of the town, built a magnificent hanging bridge that was inaugurated on April 5, 1932.

The Forties. Manuel Andrade Beltrán left the following account concerning some of the developments that took place on the Cuale Island during this decade in Foros Revivir la Historia, (1999).
[…] With regard to drinking water, young men carried it in buckets balanced on each end of a pole, while girls placed pitchers on their heads cushioned by material that helped to distribute the weight. It was pleasant to see them march to the river and cross it by foot. There was a well we called ‘el Venero’. This well supplied water for the whole town. Some people made a business out of it. They attached wooden boxes on both sides of a donkey’s hind in which they put the buckets or pitchers. They placed a small gourd on top to stop the water from spilling. They sold the water to different clients.
[…] On some occasions the Rio Cuale grew so high that the two branches joined, damaging the bridge and knocking over the bars and beams. People then crossed in canoes. There were two men that I can remember who offered this service: Barajas y el Chocha.
The town and governments were concerned by the constant threat of the Rio Cuale’s swells. In 1946, the municipal government, lead by Teniente Coronel J. Encarnación Ahumada Alatorre, sought the help of Gral. Marcelino García Barragán, the governor of Jalisco, to build a retaining wall on the north bank of the river. “Las Memorias del Gobernador Marcelino García Barragán” (The Memoirs of Governor Marcelino García Barragán) from the library of Jalisco’s Historical Archive makes reference to this in the following fragment:
[…] In 1946 a 30-meter long screen was built on the north bank with the intention of stopping the river from flooding onto Calle Libertad

Doña Catalina Montes de Oca, in the work previously cited in “Mejoras materiales y obra social 1947” (Material Improvements and Social Work 1947) records the work undertaken by the City Council, and the continuation of this wall to contain the river water. On page 212, she writes the following:

[…] The Mayor in this year was Federico López Rivas. His term only lasted from January 1 to April 8 of the same year for political reasons. He was succeeded by J. Roberto Contreras Quintero until the end of the year.
In this short lapse of time, a retaining wall was built from the Guayparin tree until a few meters before the mouth of the Rio Cuale to avoid the problem of flooding when the river broke its banks. Also, a part of the malecon was leveled off in front of the post office.
To be continued …

Next week, Prof. Juan Manuel Gómez Encarnación will continue to relate the fascinating history of one of Vallarta’s most cherished treasures, taking us from 1950s to the present day.

Rio Cuale Island: Only a step away from paradise

How do I get to the island?
The Rio Cuale Island is easily reachable by one of three hanging footbridges from downtown (Centro) or the Emiliano Zapata neighborhood. There is a fourth bridge from Gringo Gulch currently being constructed.
There are also two solid road bridges as well as the pedestrian-only continuation of the Malecon, which takes you along the waterfront.

What attractions are there on the island?
The island is home to the Centro Cultural Cuale, the archaeology museum, numerous quality artisan stalls and some of Vallarta’s finest restaurants, not to mention the habitat of many beautiful indigenous species of flora and fauna.
Step into the jungle in the heart of the city!
 

Close Up Vallarta 2011: The Reel Deal

For video enthusiasts, contemporary art aficionados and ‘culture’ addicts, spring break 2011 in Puerto Vallarta served much more than a round or two (or three) of cold beers on Banderas Bay’s spectacular beaches.

The area’s first international video creation festival: CLOSE UP VALLARTA 2011, headed by Angel Delgado, Yaima Esterlich and Christian Köhl provided a much needed shift towards enhancing Vallarta’s reputation as a cultural destination that offers refreshing alternatives to a typical vacation itinerary.

The festival kicked off to a grand start on Sunday night (April 24) with the colorful opening of renowned Mexican artist, Rubén Ortiz Torres’ exhibition of video art curated by Pilar Pérez at Haus der Kunst proyectos, which can still be seen for another couple of weeks. In addition, Artists Miguel Pérez and Chicharito Magnético created a series of intimate video interventions for the inaugural cocktail party held at Villa Leonarda, where many of the invited artists were staying thanks to the generosity of owners Sergio Toledano and Leslie Fausto.

Monday April 25 marked the start of the formal screenings in Teatro Vallarta, which spanned over two days. From over 200 initial submissions worldwide, 44 videos within five categories were short-listed and projected for audiences.

Winners of each category were announced on Tuesday evening after the final screenings by Radio Guadalajara DJ, Fito and are listed below.
A monetary prize of $1000 USD, donated by Colección LA BALSA and Colección KGJ, was split between two overall winners, both from the student category: Emilio Hernández Cortés (Mexico) for ‘Sin Título’ and Yoel Brito Machado (Cuba) for ‘Fallas del Origen’.

In addition to the competing video entries, work from selected invited artists was also projected in the theatre. Marta María Pérez Bravo, Paola Paz Yee, Davis Birks, Sandra Vivas and Iván Puig were among some of the artists especially invited to share their work.

Indeed, the notable success of CLOSE UP VALLARTA 2011, reflected by a healthy attendance at both free events as well as ticketed screenings, could well be attributed to the exceptional quality and notoriety of the festival’s invited artists, academics and critics, many of whom contributed videos as well as delivered free seminars.

Mariana Botey, Rubén Ortiz Torres, Juan Antonio Molino and Víctor Martínez were amongst the selection of prominent guest speakers who held conferences in the Centro Cultural Cuale, alongside Vallarta’s very own Carlos Michel Meza, Hugo Hernández, Louis Venosta, Emmanuel Rangel Valenzuela and Issac Ortiz.

Prizes:

Overall Winners
Emilio Hernández Cortés (Mexico) - ‘Sin Título’
Yoel Brito Machado (Cuba) - ‘Fallas del Origen’

Category Winners
Experimental Shorts
Carlos Matiella (Mexico) - ‘Clean is Good’

Video Performance
Luis Alfonso Almendra Villagran (Chile) – ‘Sismo 3’

Students
Rocío Pavón Rodríguez (Cuba) – ‘Utopía’

Dance Video (joint winners)
Sharon A. Toribio Pelayo (Mexico) – ‘Tiempos del Sueño’
Paola de la Concha Zindel (Mexico) – ‘Intevalo’

Video Art
Jorge Catoni (Chile) – ‘Hoy Juega Chile’

Commendations
Marcos Barbosa (Mexico) – ‘Morphe’
Luz Herrera & Ariel Sainz – ‘Cíclica’
Pedro Alejandro Bootz (Argentina) – ‘Retrospección a la camera y a uno’

Deborah Buley is a writer, translator and literature teacher. With her husband, Christian Köhl, she helps run Haus der Kunst proyectos, a contemporary art gallery in Puerto Vallarta’s Old Town.

www.hausderkunstmexico.com