The Mexico in Minneapolis Folk Arts Residency amplifies and elevates the presence and visibility of Mexican identity, spirituality, values and perspectives as practiced through folk art traditions. It connects Mexican-American diasporas, living and working in Minneapolis to heritage, skills and knowledge through mentorships, workshops, educational activities and public events.
In its inaugural year, the 2021 Folk Arts Residency launches with internationally celebrated Master artists, Jacobo and María Ángeles during Latinx Heritage Month from September 26 to October 10 and features master class workshops with local Latinx artists, public receptions, presentations and educational events.
Intercambio de artes populares de México en Minneapolis amplía y eleva la presencia y la visibilidad de la identidad, la espiritualidad, los valores y las perspectivas mexicanas tal y como se practican a través de las tradiciones de arte y cultura. Al conectarse las comunidades dispersas mexicanoamericanas que viven y trabajan en Minneapolis para un patrimonio mejor, las habilidades y el conocimiento a través de tutorías, talleres, actividades educativas y eventos públicos.
En su año inagural, el intercambio de artes populares se pone en marcha con los célebres maestros Jacobo y María Ángeles durante el Mes de la Herencia Latina, de el 26 de septiembre al 10 de octubre, y ofrecen talleres con artistas locales latinos, asi como tambien conferencias, presentaciones y eventos educativos.
Mexican Artists
Jacobo and María Ángeles
Jacobo and María Ángeles
Jacobo and María Ángeles are natives of San Martín Tilcajete, a town located about 14 miles from Oaxaca City, and located in the Central Valleys region in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. After many years of working in the fields they developed skills in the tradition of carving wooden ‘tonas’ and ‘nuhales’, also known as ‘alebrijes’. In 1993 they established their workshop or taller, naming it Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles.
Over the years, they have built an international following for their unique style, the craftsmanship and beauty of their work and ability to recuperate Mexican Indigenous cultural practices. Their work is characterized by intricately carved wooden figures and masks featuring Zapotec iconography painted with colors derived from organic and natural pigments made in Oaxaca.
The video below, Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles 2018 introduces their work, philosophy and community.
Jacobo y María Ángeles son originarios de San Martín Tilcajete, un pueblo situado a unos 14 millas de la ciudad de Oaxaca, y ubicado en la región de los Valles Centrales en el estado de Oaxaca, México. Después de muchos años de trabajar en los campos desarrollaron habilidades manuales tradicionales en la fabricación de ‘tonas’ y ‘nuhales’ de madera, también conocidos como ‘alebrijes.’ En 1993 establecieron Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles.
Gustavo Lira Garcia. Photo by Pierre Ware.
Gustavo Lira Garcia
Gustavo Lira Garcia is a painter, sculptor, ceramist, muralist and educator. A well-regarded and respected artist in the Latinx community, his public works include the Minneapolis South High School Human Rights Mural Project and exterior murals at the Seward Co-op Friendship Store and Centro Tyrone Guzman. His work is included in the permanent collections of the Weisman Art Museum and the Plains Art Museum, ND. He has been invited twice to install Day of the Dead ofrendas honoring ancestors at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Gustavo Lira García es un pintor, escultor, ceramista, muralista y maestro. Es un artista muy apreciado y respetado en la comunidad latina, y entre sus obras públicas se encuentran el Proyecto Mural de Derechos Humanos de la Minneapolis South High School y los murales exteriores de la Seward Co-op Friendship Store y del Centro Tyrone Guzman. Su trabajo artístico está incluido en las colecciones permanentes del Weisman Art Museum y del Plains Art Museum, ND. Ha sido invitado en dos ocasiones a instalar ofrendas del Día de Muertos en el Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Pablo Helm-Hernandez. Photo by Pierre Ware.
Pablo Helm-Hernandez
Pablo Helm-Hernandez is an illustrator, muralist, and filmmaker. Skilled in drawing and painting, his childhood creative expressions were inspired by street and public art works, an appreciation that informs his current mural apprenticeship. Pablo was a member of The Walker Art Center Teen Arts Council (WACTAC) a teen-led group of creators and advocates from throughout the Twin Cities. The group connected with contemporary art and artists and created new ways for teens to experience the Walker.
Pablo Helm-Hernández es ilustrador, muralista y cineasta. Con habilidades en el dibujo y la pintura, sus expresiones creativas basadas en la adolecencia fueron la inspiración para las obras de arte de la calle y del sector público. Pablo fue miembro del Consejo de Artes Adolescentes del Walker Art Center (WACTAC), un grupo de creadores y defensores de las ciudades gemelas dirigido por adolescentes. El grupo contribuyo con el arte y los artistas contemporáneos y creó nuevas formas de que los adolescentes experimentaran el Walker Art Center.
Alondra Garza. Photo by Pierre Ware.
Alondra Garza
Alondra Garza is an interdisciplinary visual artist. Born in the Rio Grande Valley borderlands of Mexico and South Texas allowed her to obtain dual citizenship status as a Mexican American. Her art practice expresses the dualities of her bi-identity struggles. She holds a BFA degree in studio art from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and an MFA in visual studies from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Her work has been exhibited internationally across the United States, Mexico, and Italy. Her work is included in the permanent collection of The University of Minnesota Chicano & Latino Studies.
Alondra Garza es una artista visual interdisciplinaria. El haber nacido en las tierras fronterizas del Valle del Río Grande, en México y el sur de Texas, es lo que le permitió obtener la doble ciudadanía como mexicanoamericana. Su práctica artística expresa las dualidades de su identidad. Es licenciada en bellas artes de estudio de la Universidad del Valle del Río Grande de Texas y tiene una maestría en estudios visuales de Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Su obra ha sido expuesta en Estados Unidos, México e Italia y otras partes de el mundo. Su trabajo artístico forma parte de la colección permanente de The University of Minnesota Chicano & Latino Studies.
Gustavo Boada. Photo by Pierre Ware.
Gustavo Boada
Gustavo Boada is a theater-based multidisciplinary artist. An accomplished storyteller, his professional theater practice has taken him to Peru, Chile, Puerto Rico, as well as within the United States to New York, Vermont, and Pennsylvania. A Heart of the Beast legacy artist he created countless puppets for the spectacular Powderhorn Park May Day parades in Minneapolis. Along with Julie Boada, he founded The Little Coyote Puppet Theater as an expression of their love and dedication towards creating and performing puppet shows that connect children of all ages with ancestral wisdom and culture.
Gustavo Boada es un artista multidisciplinario radicado en el teatro. Un narrador consumado, su práctica teatral profesional le ha llevado a Perú, Chile, Puerto Rico, así como dentro de los Estados Unidos a Nueva York, Vermont y Pennsylvania. Artista lejendario de Heart of the Beast, ha creado innumerables marionetas para los espectaculares desfiles del Primero de Mayo en Powderhorn Park en Minneapolis. Junto con Julie Boada, ha fundado The Little Coyote Puppet Theater como expresión de su amor y dedicación hacia la creación y representación de espectáculos de marionetas que conectan a los niños de todas las edades con la sabiduría y la cultura ancestral.
María & Jacobo Ángeles. Photo by Pierre Ware.
Welcoming Lake Street Community Reception for Jacobo and María Ángeles
The public is invited to meet Jacobo and María Ángeles at a free, welcoming reception with food and beverages provided at the Midtown Global Market on Friday, October 1.
At the event, the artists will be introduced to Latinx community leaders, business owners, activists, students, artists and the greater arts community. Jacobo and María will share their own stories and experiences as artists dedicated to preserving Mexican Indigenous practices in their hometown of San Martín Tilcajete. Also in attendance will be the four selected Minneapolis-Latinx artists who will be working closely with Jacobo and María during their residency; Gustavo Lira Garcia, Pablo Helm-Hernandez, Alondra Garza and Gustavo Boada.
Friday, October 1, 2021 | 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Program at 6:00 pm
Midtown Global Market | 920 E. Lake Street | Minneapolis, MN
El público está invitado a conocer a Jacobo y María Ángeles en una recepción de bienvenida gratuita con comida y bebidas en el Midtown Global Market el viernes 1 de octubre.
En el evento, los artistas se presentarán con los líderes de la comunidad latina, empresarios, activistas, estudiantes, artistas y a la comunidad en general. Jacobo y María compartirán sus propias historias y experiencias como artistas dedicados a preservar las prácticas indígenas mexicanas en su ciudad natal de San Martín Tilcajete. También asistirán los cuatro seleccionados artistas Latinos de Minneapolis que trabajarán estrechamente con Jacobo y María durante su estancia: Gustavo Lira García, Pablo Helm-Hernández, Alondra Garza y Gustavo Boada.
María & Jacobo Ángeles. Photo by Pierre Ware.
Welcoming Lake Street Community Reception for Jacobo and María Ángeles
The public is invited to meet Jacobo and María Ángeles at a free, welcoming reception with food and beverages provided at the Midtown Global Market on Friday, October 1.
At the event, the artists will be introduced to Latinx community leaders, business owners, activists, students, artists and the greater arts community. Jacobo and María will share their own stories and experiences as artists dedicated to preserving Mexican Indigenous practices in their hometown of San Martín Tilcajete. Also in attendance will be the four selected Minneapolis-Latinx artists who will be working closely with Jacobo and María during their residency; Gustavo Lira Garcia, Pablo Helm-Hernandez, Alondra Garza and Gustavo Boada.
Friday, October 1, 2021 | 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. | Program at 6:00 pm
Midtown Global Market | 920 E. Lake Street | Minneapolis, MN
El público está invitado a conocer a Jacobo y María Ángeles en una recepción de bienvenida gratuita con comida y bebidas en el Midtown Global Market el viernes 1 de octubre.
En el evento, los artistas se presentarán con los líderes de la comunidad latina, empresarios, activistas, estudiantes, artistas y a la comunidad en general. Jacobo y María compartirán sus propias historias y experiencias como artistas dedicados a preservar las prácticas indígenas mexicanas en su ciudad natal de San Martín Tilcajete. También asistirán los cuatro seleccionados artistas Latinos de Minneapolis que trabajarán estrechamente con Jacobo y María durante su estancia: Gustavo Lira García, Pablo Helm-Hernández, Alondra Garza y Gustavo Boada.
FINLANDIA. View the trailer here.
FINLANDIA a film by Horacio Alcalá
The public is invited to the U.S. premiere of FINLANDIA, a film by Horacio Alcalá. This is a tale of memory, mysticism and the master creativity of the Muxe (“moo-shay”), considered a third gender from the town of Juchitán de Zaragoza in the southeastern state of Oaxaca, Mexico.
The feature will be followed by a short film about Jacobo and María and a panel discussion with the artists and musician Azul Barrientos, whose work is featured in the film, and moderated by Hebe Tabachnik.
Saturday, October 9, 2021 | 3:30 p.m.
St. Anthony Main Theater | 115 SE Main Street | Minneapolis, MN 55414
COVID restrictions apply. Tickets to this event are $10 and will be available Sept. 23 on the Cine Latino website here.
Tras el largometraje se proyectará un cortometraje sobre Jacobo y María quienes a su ves darán una mediana conferencía asistida por Hebe Tabachnik, y contamos con la participación de la artista Azul Barrientos, quien tiene un aporte musical en la pelicula de FINLANDIA.
Se aplican las restricciones de COVID. Las entradas para este evento cuestan 10 dólares y estarán disponibles el 23 de septiembre en el sitio web de Cine Latino.
Jacobo and María Ángeles
Trayectoria Jacobo y María Ángeles
This short film (5:34 mins) describes Jacobo’s vision and motivation for his remarkable work and the transformative artwork and the personal crisis that laid the groundwork for what would become Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles in 1993. In this revealing video, we meet María and Jacobo in their workshop and meet their artistic collaborators. We learn of their dream of building a school of arts and trades to recover various artistic disciplines that were practiced many years ago in their town of San Martín Tilcajete.
Este cortometraje (5:34 minutos) describe la visión, la motivación de Jacobo hacia su extraordinario trabajo, la obra de arte así como su transformacion y la crisis personal que sentó la base de lo que se convertiría en el Taller Jacobo y María Ángeles en 1993. En este vídeo revelador, nos encontramos con María y Jacobo en su taller y conoceremos a sus colaboradores artísticos. Nos enteramos de sus sueños de construir una escuela de artes y oficios para recuperar diversas disciplinas artísticas que se practicaban hace muchos años en su pueblo de San Martín Tilcajete.
L to R: Jacobo & María Ángeles, Azul Barrientos and Hebe Tabachnik.
Photo by Pierre Ware.
Panel discussion
A panel discussion will follow the screening of both films. Cine Latino curator Hebe Tabacnik will moderate the conversation between Maria and Jacobo and Azul Barrientos. Their dialogue will explore themes of creativity and identity explored in FINLANDA and how artists play an important role in reviving and shaping Mexican folk traditions.
Tras la proyección de ambas películas se celebrará una mesa redonda. La directora de Cine Latino, Hebe Tabacnik, asistira la conversación entre María y Jacobo y Azul Barrientos. Su diálogo explorará los temas de la creatividad y la identidad que se indagan en FINLANDA y cómo los artistas desempeñan un papel importante en revivir y dar forma a las tradiciones populares mexicanas.
Hebe Tabachnik
Moderator, Hebe Tabachnik
Hebe Tabachnik has been a film curator, festival consultant and producer for 20 years with a focus on visionary artists and stories which highlight human rights as well as social, political, and environmental justice. She has participated as juror, project evaluator and panelist in the United State, Europe, Latin America, Israel and China.
She is Senior Programmer at the Seattle (SIFF), Palm Springs (PSIFF) and Cartagena International Film Festivals (FICCI) and is the Artistic Director of Cine Latino Minneapolis Saint Paul. She has worked for both Sundance and Los Angeles Film Festivals.
Es Curadora Senior de Seattle (SIFF), Palms Springs (PSIFF) y Cartagena de Indias (FICCI) y la Directora
Artística de Cine Latino Minneapolis Saint Paul. Trabajó para los festivales de Sundance y Los Angeles.
Azul Barrientos
Panelist, Azul Barrientos
Azul Barrientos is a musician and performer originally from Mexico City and now based in San Antonio as the artist in residence for the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Azul works to conserve and develop the folk music that she was first introduced to as a child. Having learned and continuing her study of the rhythms and stories of previous generations, Azul rejoices in her Latina roots and gives life and meaning to the narratives of Latin American history by highlighting the many cultural influences and interconnections between the Americas, Africa, and Spain.
Azul Barrientos es un músico e intérprete originaria de la Ciudad de México y ahora con sede en San Antonio como artista residente del Esperanza Peace and Justice Center. Azul trabaja para conservar y desarrollar la música folclórica que conoció de niña. Habiendo aprendido y continuando su estudio de los ritmos y las historias de generaciones anteriores, Azul se regocija en sus raíces latinas y da vida y significado a las narrativas de la historia de América Latina destacando las muchas influencias culturales e interconexiones entre las Américas, África y España.