Editor's note: This is an updated, revised version of a post originally published on Sept. 8 but subsequently removed since the event it referred to was cancelled due to Tropical Storm Maria. The activity is now rescheduled to Saturday, Sept. 17, in tandem with the inauguration of Plaza de Las Artes (Arts Plaza) at the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico.
ART AND THE CITY
Everywhere, cities big and small are turning to art to vanquish blight and generate economic activity.
In Spain, the city of Santander hopes to replicate the success of Bilbao's Guggenheim Center by building its own museum, the $90 million Botín Center to be designed by noted Italian architect Renzo Piano. In Detroit, where a decades-long exodus has left the city pockmarked with empty buildings, a nonprofit group recently spent $60,000 to turn an empty, former bank building in a crime-infested section of the city into an International Center for Contemporary Art, dubbed Kunsthalle Detroit. Organizers hope the center, which opened in June and is the first museum in the U.S. solely dedicated to multimedia and light-based art, will attract galleries and other businesses, helping to revitalize the blighted area.
And in San Juan, a collective of artists and venues working out of the west side of Santurce are putting their imagination and money to work as part of an ongoing effort to transform this decayed, working-class area of the city into a lively art center. On Saturday, Sept. 17, they will hold the third installment of "Santurce es Ley (Santurce is Law)," a colorful festival of the arts that will feature open air installations and art happenings, musical events and exhibits in and out of galleries and alternative spaces. The idea, according to organizers, is to celebrate Santurce and to bring art to the community. The event also coincides with another activity slated in Santurce for the same day: the inauguration of Plaza de las Artes in front of the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, on De Diego Avenue. (See below for more information)
The lineup for "Santurce es Ley" includes artists,10 galleries and alternative spaces such as C787 Studios and Petrus Gallery, musical acts, a photographic show by a French photographer known as JR, and the on-site creation of five murals that will turn vacant buildings into public art. Orchesta el Macabeo, Los vigilantes, Lado Ve and Jazz Bandana are among the musical groups that have signed on to enliven things with the sound of music.
"Santurce es Ley" kicks off at noon on Cerra Street, specifically the section between Fernandez Juncos and Calle Palmas in Miramar. However, parallel activities are planned in other locations so wear good walking shoes as there is some distance between participating venues. The walking will allow you to appreciate the diversity of Santurce, from it honky-tonk eateries and old buildings, including a few forgotten Art Deco treasures, to recent additions: high-rise, ritzy condominiums still mostly vacant.
"This artistic-cultural collaboration aims to reaffirm the value of this abandoned area through an alliance between art and community. It is an educational and cultural enrichment event," says the manifesto for the activity, going on to point out that it also seeks to promote alternative means of transportation. Yes, like walking, bicycling, and riding a bus.
The evolution of Santurce's west side may be a work in process but the designation of art mecca is well deserving. After all, the area counts with two museums (the above mentioned Museum of Art of Puerto Rico and The Museum of Contemporary Art at Stop 18 on Ponce de León Avenue) and several mainstream and alternative spaces, most notably Petrus and Espacio 1414, a showcase for the large private collection of Moisés and Diana Berezdivin, open to the public by appointment. A recent piece in the New York Times noted how the area's gritty charm and abundance of affordable real estate have attracted in recent years exhibition spaces, music halls, and design studios. "These creative new residents are bestowing freshness on the neighborhood, which is beginning to rival Old San Juan as an arts district," wrote Paola Singer in an article published in March.
Art is many things: food for the eye and spirit, entertainment, reflection. It is a window on the world we live in, a commentary on things big and small. Its aims: excite, enthrall, amuse, surprise, disturb, challenge preconceptions and allow us to fly on the wings of the imagination. Art is infinite in its variety. It can also be an instigator for change and transformation. Best of all, everyone can enjoy it for free. So by all means, don't miss out on "Santurce es Ley" this Saturday.
Espacio 1414 (the Moisés and Diana Berezdivin collection),
1414 Fernandez Juncos Ave. 787.725.3899 espacio1414.org
Petrus, 726 Calle Hoare, 787.289.0505 petrusgallery.com
C787Studios, 734 Calle Cerra, c787studios.com
ARTS PLAZA: The festivities planned for the Sept. 17 inauguration of Plaza de las Artes at the Museum of Art of Puerto Rico should please everyone. The program includes ballet performances, music (from an accordion orchestra, the San Juan Children's Choir, and the Youth Symphony Orchestra, to experimental music for the more adventurous), a tribute to conceptual artists Allora y Calzadilla who participated in this year's prestigious Venice Biennial, and a light show by artist Anaitté Vaccaro. Sounds like great fun, plus it's FREE. The event kicks off at 4 p.m. The light show begins at 8 p.m.
Museum of Art of Puerto Rico, 229 De Diego Ave. 787.977.6277
(Entrance to the museum will be free of cost on Sept. 17)
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Artwork by Lorraine Blasor
"Those who are terrified by the horrors,
please go away. History will not stop its
forward march for fear of paying a price."
--Writer Wang Meng
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☛A SIMPLE TIP: TO REMOVE WAX FROM A TABLECLOTH, FILL A PLASTIC BAG WITH ICE CUBES AND PLACE IT OVER THE WAX FOR 20 MINUTES. VOILÁ, WAX COMES OFF!
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Photo by Jack Bierschenk
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I reflected on the distracted, hurried kind of contact I often had with people I cared about. -- Sy Safransky
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Copyright 2011© Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved
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