Visiting Print studios in Oaxaca.

Thanks to Marietta Bernstorff for taking me around Oaxaca to see and visit people who love their work. I went to "Linotipografica Quintas" or a Lettepress shop that has been operating in Oaxaca since 1957. They work with Litho offset and other commercial processes to keep up with the times but its founder love still resides in letterpress 

This is Taller Colectivo Tamayo or a Community studio where anybody can learn Lithography, Etching, Painting and Sculpture

Oaxaca and the search for the city of the Dead

Carved stone facade detail from La Soledad church

Oaxaca is still under political unrest.

New toys

Old toys

One aspect that is constant in Oaxaca, after my second visit, is their use of color. Oaxaca uses a chroma that only makes sense when one is in the place. I saw women from all social strata wearing their huipiles (blouses) proudly but that doesn't happen in metropolitan cities through out Mexico.

Installation for Day of the Dead celebration at Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

Proposal #1 with projection mapping 

Central piece at Kirkwood hall

Another view of Proposal #1

It was a joy to draw over photographs to re-create the environment without using Photoshop

The center piece will be a translucent reference of an altar piece with added frosted looking Oaxaca skulls.

I have been invited to set up an installation piece as part of the Day of the Dead festival at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, MO. This installation will open exactly on November 2nd 2014. Here are some preliminary ideas presented to the museum Director and staff to launch a 4 month planning project. All people involved at the museum are helpful and open to this new idea. It seems that they are not surprised by any challenge as they take them graciously. I am loosing count of all people I am coming in contact with to make this installation happen. Be there!