Published November 24, 2022 (sp)

The Ignacio Ramírez Cultural Center “El Nigromante”, site of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (Inbal), attached to the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, continues the celebrations for its 60th anniversary with a series of free admission activities, within the framework of the exhibition Progressive Clamor, by the artist Abraham Cruzvillegas, which will be open to the public until February 2, 2023.

“The Necromancer reaches its 60th anniversary full of projects. It has been six decades of promoting artistic education and the presence of important artists in our space, such as the exhibition we currently have,” said Laura Bustos, director of the venue located in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

He explained that the cultural space develops an important task, both in the training and dissemination of arts and culture. On the first floor, courses and workshops are offered throughout the year not only in visual arts, dance or music, but also in trades, such as ceramics, textiles or cardboard, and on the ground floor a very vibrant exhibition activity takes place.

“This reflects a balance between the tasks of promotion, dissemination and teaching that the venue has, where, in addition, we have sought to coexist artists of different generations, with students and the general public, so we believe that this exhibition is ideal for the celebration, because Abraham Cruzvillegas summoned other Mexican artists, as well as teachers, students and people from the community. ”

Clamor progresista is an exhibition project composed of 61 pieces in which more than 60 Mexican artists or based in our country participate, which is distributed throughout the cultural complex. In the context of the exhibition, the venue offers a first cycle of free admission activations during November and December.

You are not alone is a cycle of micro concerts, which are performed in dialogue with the piece Right to full health, vigor and joy, made by the artist Minerva Cuevas. Every Saturday, from 11:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., a member of the San Miguel de Allende Children’s and Youth Symphony Orchestra offers a musical activation, where the exhibition area becomes a concert hall.

The piece highlights the exclamation: Right to full health, vigor and joy!, which has the shape of the Mexican Republic. The petition made by Minerva Cuevas is activated with the participation of children and young people of the orchestra to harmonize with this will and that these rights are effective.

Folclor entre el clamor is a cycle of presentations of the Folkloric Dance Workshop, Heart of Mexico, of the venue. Under the direction of Rafael Mata, the group offers every Friday, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., a series of folkloric dances that coexist with three pieces by Cruzvillegas.

Nexo: pan para el cuerpo, poesía para el alma is a performance by Chilean artist Cristián Velasco, which will be held on Friday, November 25, at 5:00 p.m. In collaboration with the Yam Gallery of San Miguel. Velasco will offer a series of buns with the written word “Todxs”, which will be prepared with the participation of different bakers from San Miguel. With this word the artist seeks to address the inclusive aspect of Cruzvillegas’ exhibition. On the same day he will present the book Body of work, with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Chile, at 7:00 p.m.

Devotional act will be the performance that the Guanajuato artist, José María Bahena, will offer on Saturday, December 3, from 12:00 to 16:00 hours. With an outfit of chinelo, the artist will seek to motivate reflection on origin and identity. Sitting in the garden of the enclosure, under one of Cruzvillegas’ pieces, the artist will carry a sack of corn that will weigh the same as he weighed at birth. The action that will take about three hours, as a cathartic ritual, will be to move the corn, considered an element of identity and culture, from one sack to another.

Over six decades, El Nigromante has become a meeting point for both national and international artists. Throughout its history, educational activities have allowed the cultural and artistic development of the town.

“By vocation, we always try to preserve local traditions, but we also have a look at the contemporary, which allows us to present current proposals and have new audiences,” concluded Laura Bustos. The venue is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

This beautiful former monastery of La Concepción church was converted into a fine-arts school in 1938. Don’t miss the murals of Pedro Martínez, plus the Siqueiros Room, which features the extraordinary unfinished mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros (it plays with your mind – we won’t spoil the surprise). The rest of the gallery holds temporary exhibitions.   It is located less than 5 minutes from the main square in Street Hernandez Macias that parallels Hidalgo street which leads right in the Main Garden. It is walking through this beautiful area worth, visit its art galleries and get you some photos on your patio or in one of the arches of the first floor, but if you are thinking that the arts are your thing you can consider it as a study center for you because it is a nationally recognized school.