SMA’s art scene marches to its own drummer

Published July 21, 2023

Today, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato is world-famous for its ambiance. After all, Condé Nast declared it the “world’s best place to live” three times. But one important feature is its artists community, second in Mexico only behind Mexico City despite its small size.

Without a doubt, the establishment of an art school in the once-almost-deserted town not only revived the pueblo’s fortunes but also made it one of the world’s most unique places to live.

That school, the Instituto Allende, still exists today and still offers an art degree (in English!). Although it was certainly the spark that got things started, it is also fair to say that San Miguel’s reputation as an artist colony — as well as its position as the No. 2 art market in Mexico — has come more from the community that the school inspired over the past decades.

After getting off to a promising start, the school’s fortunes began to decline, with student strikes, a failed collaboration with legendary muralist David Siqueiros, problems with locals and the opening of other opportunities for foreign artists in Mexico. The campus moved to the edge of the town.

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