Governor
Inaugurates State Center
of the Arts in Ensenada
text
by connie ellig; photos by david hopps & connie ellig
 The inauguration of the new State Center
of the Arts was one of Ensenada’s
most highly
anticipated events of the year. On July 30 & 31, huge crowds that
included
artists, art enthusiasts, patrons of the arts, and state and local
officials
were on hand to partake in the grand opening festivities that
celebrated the
completion of the first phase of the Centro Estatal de
las Artes
Ensenada
(CEARTE). Pre-inaugural festivities began on the evening
of Monday,
July 30 when internationally acclaimed musicians from Mexico City,
flautist Horacio Franco and
contrabassist Víctor Flores, presented a free concert of
instrumental
interpretations “From Bach to the Beatles” on the spacious open-air
esplanade
of CEARTE. The gentle music, the balmy sea breeze and the moonlit sky
made the
night a magical and memorable occasion for the convivial crowd of more
than 800
residents and visitors.
 On Tuesday, July 31, another large audience
gathered on the
esplanade for the official inauguration of CEARTE by Baja California
Governor
Eugenio Elorduy Walther. Additional guests of honor and speakers
included his
wife, María Elena Blackaller de Elorduy; Ensenada Mayor
César Mancillas Amador
and his wife, Beatriz de la Torre de Mancillas; María Teresa
Franco, Director
of the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes (INBA); Maricela Jacobo
Heredia,
Director General of the Instituto de Cultura de Baja California (ICBC);
and Oscar
Ortega Vélez, State Secretary of Education.
After words of welcome and speeches, the Governor and other
dignitaries unveiled a handsome commemorative plaque near the
building’s
entrance and presided over ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the door. Once
inside the
spacious vestibule of CEARTE, officials paused for a few moments to
listen to
live music performed by the Banda de Música del
Estado and admire the room’s centerpiece sculpture, the magnificent
15-foot-high, 550-pound “Sirena (Mermaid)” fashioned from copper,
bronze and
black steel by Ensenada
sculptor Alfonso Arámbula.
Dignitaries unveil the commemorative
plaque and preside over the ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the
inauguration of Ensenada's State Center of the Arts.
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Followed by the paparazzi and a massive crowd, the Governor
and guests of honor entered the Sala de Conferencias for a guided tour
of the
exposition “El Vuelo de Mi Hermano (The Flight of My Brother)”
conducted by
curator Berta Armas. This extraordinary retrospective exhibition is
comprised
of twenty large format oil paintings and mixed media works—many
consisting of
acrylics on canvas or wood with textures, photographic collages and
found
objects—created by Ensenada artist Ernesto Muñoz Acosta during
the past
few decades. It
will remain on display until October 14, 2007.
The multitude of visitors continued into the Sala de
Exposiciones for the inauguration of “Siqueiros:
La Colección Museo Soumaya.” On loan from
Mexico City’s Museo Soumaya, this
private collection
features a variety of works in different techniques and mediums by
illustrious
Mexican painter and muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros (1896-1974). The
collection
has been shown in Denver, Colorado
in the United States,
in San Salvador in the Republic
of El Salvador; and in
various cities
in Mexico.
It will remain in Ensenada
until October 14, 2007.
The dignitaries and crowd viewed
paintings by Ernesto Muñoz Acosta and David Alfaro Siquieros,
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On Tuesday evening, yet another large throng
gathered at
CEARTE, this time for post-inaugural festivities that included
captivating performances
of experimental dance by Danza Neo, directed and choreographed by Aida
Guevara,
in the Sala de Conferencias. Outdoor on three giant projection screens,
Enrique
Botello presented an outstanding exhibition of photographs of Danza Neo
and of
the curating of the Siqueiros and Muñoz art expositions.
 The first phase of the
two-story Centro Estatal de las Artes
Ensenada included the construction of the main building containing the
vestibule, conference hall, exposition hall, administrative area,
coffee shop
and bookstore. The second phase, scheduled for completion in October of
this
year, will feature a theater of the arts, plaza, rehearsal room and
multi-purpose salon.
Located across from the Riviera Cultural
Center
on the corner of Blvd. Costero and Calle Riviera
in the area formerly known as Manzana Ocho, CEARTE is open to the
public from 8am-8pm Monday-Saturday and from 11am-6pm on Sunday.
On-site parking
is available. Although there will possibly be a fee to attend some of
the
future special events, admission to art expositions is free. For more
information call CEARTE at (646)173-4307 and
(646)173-4308
or fax (646)173-4309.
Be sure to make plans to visit Ensenada’s
fabulous new landmark, an impressive
tribute to art and culture.
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