Nature in Mexican Folk Art

By Susan Page

Mexicans are among the most prolific and imaginative artists anywhere on earth. Since they often live in rural settings or small villages, it is no surprise that nature is a major theme in their work. The Audubon Society has invited gallery owner Mayer Shacter to present a slide lecture exploring the theme of nature in Mexican art. He will present it in Teatro Santa Ana on Tuesday afternoon, August 11 at 3 PM. The talk is open to the public for 50 pesos and free for Audubon Society members.

Though marginalized by the Western art world as "folk art," the best of Mexican artists are highly skilled craftspeople, painters, and sculptors. While they usually work within a tradition handed down to them through generations in their family or village, their innovations within the style keep the work fresh and exciting. Thousands of families still make their living keeping centuries-old village traditions and the memory of pre-Hispanic Mexico alive!

Mayer Shacter's slides are dazzling and breathtaking! They present an overview of the remarkable range of Mexican popular arts, including painted wood carvings, ceramics, paper mache, yarn and bead work, weaving, and more; showing the continuing dominance of regional themes; and introducing many of the talented artists working today. As with any art, this work goes beyond its obvious subject matter to express deeper themes that reveal the living spirit of Mexico, themes like duality (sun and moon, life and death, land and sea, human and animal); fertility; idealized everyday life; fantasy; spirituality; their close connection to the earth and nature; and very often hilarious and delightful humor. The contrast between the images of suffering and tragedy that permeate Catholic and colonial art, and the generally happy and colorful themes of "popular" art with its indigenous origins, is quite striking!

Mayer Shacter was a much-published and widely known ceramic artist for twenty-seven years before becoming an antique dealer and, since moving to Mexico six years ago, the owner of Galeria Atotonilco, five miles north of San Miguel, where he exhibits not only folk art, but also vintage photographs, country antique furniture, and the finest private collection of vintage Saltillo serapes in all of Mexico. Eighteen of his serapes were recently acquired by the Museum of the Serape in Saltillo. He travels widely in Mexico to find the best artists working today, and then acquires their finest work. "One of the most obvious facts about Mexican folk art to even the casual viewer is the essential role nature plays in the art," says Shacter. "Birds, trees, cactus, dogs, flowers, grasses —these all form a thread of continuity from centuries of pre-Hispanic art through to work being done today by the descendants of those highly cultured civilizations."

Audubon, partnering with other NGO's and the Ecology Departments of the city and state, will work together to restore the Upper Rio Laja Watershed; develop and maintain a birding sanctuary and research center in Parque Landeta for the purpose of education and recreation, and in the future, assist in any other related ecological enhancement and protective projects."