Ambos Lados International Print Exchange: Taos Talk -- Part 4

PART 4

TAOS TALK

URUAPAN, MICHOACAN

The second stop on our Mexican tour was at MAPECO in Uruapan, Michoacan. 14 printmakers submitted to Ambos Lados through this studio. Samuel Diaz Gaona and his wife Irma Reyes Almanza have been running the print studio since the 70s, being very productive with little funding and resources. We were quiet impressed with their participation, their techniques, and the previous portfolios that they had produced!

The printmakers at MAPECO

in Uruapan, Michoacan

MAPECO studio

Samuel Diaz Gaona, Irma Reyes Almanza,

Marco Sanchez and Manuel Guerra around the press

Samuel Diaz Gaona

did a milk carton etching for Ambos Lados

Samuel Diaz and Irma Reyes taught us how to make drypoint prints on essentially on flattened out old milk cartons, and even on old Arizona Tea cans. One could, or might not, add a little shellac brush work to print with extra texture effects.

They gave us a quick workshop on milk carton etching

Every print studio needs a cow in back,

like at MAPECO

PORTFOLIOS

LAKE PATZCUARO

MAPECO studio in Uruapan created a portfolio of 64 large prints about preserving Lake Patzcuaro, on paper made from the water lilies that grow on Lake Patzcuaro.

Portfolio of large prints

made on paper made from water lilies

that grown in Lake Patzcuaro

ZAPATA PORTFOLIO

They also organized a print portfolio of large prints commemorating the 100 years since the death of Emilino Zapata, with various other studios, on cheap paper. The idea was exchange the prints, and paste them up on public walls. We had already seen some of those prints pasted on walls in Guadalajara.

Wheat paste print exchange,

on the subject of 100 years since Zapata's death

Wheat pasting the Zapata prints in a public space

MAPECO was invited to paste the prints inside the community governing building of Cheran -- a small town in Michoacan which has run off all the illegal loggers, drugs lords, and police. They are now a self-governing pueblo, which is quite remarkable.

The Zapata print exchange

pasted on the walls of the government building in Cheran

Most of the printmakers from MAPECO traveled from Uruapan to Oaxaca, to attend our presentation at the IAGO.

Later the MAPECO artists came to Oaxaca and Zaachila,

to see the Ambos Lados presentation

Later, after Manuel Guerra and Karl Whitaker returned to the United States, they were interviewed on the radio by MAPECO in Uruapan. They talked to Samuel Diaz and Irma Reyes by cell phone, from Silver City, New Mexico, during the Southwest Print Fiesta.

When Manuel Guerra and Karl Whitaker

were in Silver City, New Mexico,

they had a live radio interview, via telephone,

with Uruapan radio, on October 12, 2019

Later we visited the beautiful town of Patzcuaro, just an hour away from Uruapn, visiting with printmakers who did not participate in Ambos Lados. We met Angel Pahuamba, who originally is from Cheran (the self governing city mentioned above).

In Patzcuaro

(l to r) Marco Sanchez, Karl Whitaker, Julian Guerrero Calderon,

Angel Pahuamba, and Manuel Guerra

MEXICO CITY

Later we stopped in Mexico City.

Marco Sanchez and Manuel Guerra in the Zocalo,

the center of Mexico City

CUAUHTEMOC KAMFFER

Karl Whitaker had gone to the ex-Academia de San Carlos (now part of UNAM, the Autonomous National University of Mexico), to get his Maestria en Artes Plasticas. He went to that art school with Cuauhtemoc Kamffer, who contributed to Ambos Lados.

Karl Whitaker went to graduate school with Cuauhtemoc Kamffer (left)

at the ex-Academia de San Carlos

Cuauhtemoc Kamffer

ALEC DEMPSTER

We also went to the house of Alec Dempster, toward the edge of Mexico City. Everywhere in Mexico we saw prints by Alec Dempster, and then noted that he even participated in the Serie Project of Austin.

Alec had organized an exhibition of prints from at leas 18 different countries -- Tierra Herida -- and those prints were showing in the National Palace. Quite impressive, and we realize that was a lot of work. He also participated in Ambos Lados.

Alec Dempster and Teresa Irene Barerra

Alec Dempster

The "Tierra Herida" exhibition poster,

made by Alec Dempster

The back of the National Palace,

is where the Museum of the Cultures of the World is located --

which is where they showed Alec Dempster's Tierra Herida print exhibition

Print by Oaxaca artist Gabriela Morac

in the Tierra Herida exhibiton

TALLER 75 GRADOS

While in Mexico City Karl Whitaker and Manuel Guerra made a collaborative serigraph print edition at Taller 75 Grados. It was based on one of Karl's drawings that had been altered in AI (artificial intelligence) with Google's free online Deep Dream Generator program. We look forward to making more serigraph prints at this studio in Mexico City, because the quality is superb.

Maestro Arturo Negrete,

holding a print and directing Taller 75 Grados

The collaborative serigraph print

TRAGEDIES

On August 3rd, a mass murdered killed many Americans and Mexicans in an El Paso Walmart, while we were in Mexico. Meanwhile, a few days later, August 8th, 19 bodies were found hanging from a bridge in Uruapan, which we left just over a week earlier, victims of cartel drug violence.

Out pouring of grief from El Paso

In El Paso the art community organized (including Horned Toad Prints) two fundraisers to support the victims of the shootings. We donated a print to each venue, made at Taller 75 Grados. Marco Sanchez brought them with him from Mexico City, just a few days before the fundraisers.