| | |  Vallarta Living | Art Talk 
Galeria Pacifico's Tuesday Morning Sculpture Walks
 Pamela Thompson - PVNN
December 08, 2010
| | Galeria Pacifico's Sculpture Walks are held every Tuesday at 9:30 am starting at the Millennium sculpture on the north end of the Malecón. (photos by PromoVision) | |
Sometimes, when we live or spend any length of time in Puerto Vallarta, we can’t see the forest for the trees.
Though I have known for several years now about the Sculpture Tour Walks that Gary Thompson has put together and done on a weekly basis, I have never made an effort to find the time to attend. I am ashamed of myself for waiting so long!
Grabbing my good friend Maureen to join me, we met at the Millennium Statue (next to the Hotel Rosita) on a Tuesday morning. The air was crisp, the sky was a deep blue and I felt like I was playing hooky from school.
Approximately 18 people gathered round as Gary gave a brief introduction, instructions and basic rules of the tour (which of course, are simple!) He then introduced Sr. Fernando Baños (also known as Mathis Lidice) who is the sculptor of the Millennium Statue that we were sitting around. Within two minutes, I was hooked as I intently listened to this very talented man explain the history, the making and the details of this towering figure. The details and the symbolism in this sculpture are beyond belief. Who would have thought that Charlemagne, an Aztec Indian and a woman reaching towards the future with a dove of peace in her hands would share a place together on a statue?
As we left that spot and moved on to the next, I felt truly honored to have met this artist and mentally was trying to figure out how I could convince him to do an entire program for the public at Los Mangos library on his work!
I must add here, that I have never thought of myself as an art connoisseur. Sure, I like looking at pretty pictures but since the creative part of my brain is not at all cultivated, I’ve never really given it much thought. (Sort of like singing, dancing, cooking – you get the idea.)
As we moved from sculpture to sculpture, listening to Gary’s explanations of the artist, the history, the significance and especially his anecdotes of each figure, I realized that I have really been missing out. How in the world can I actually live in this slice of paradise and not know these things? I must have walked by all of this at least a million times over the past many years and of course, seen the sculptures. But in reality, I have not really seen them. Each and every one of them have minute details that, once you know about them, jump out at you and give you a deeper understanding of them.
Gary’s personal experiences and interactions with the sculptures as well as his numerous personal friendships with many of Vallarta’s icons make for lively conversation.
Ramiz Barquet, Colunga, Sergio Bustamante, Hector Montes – even the "sand sculpture guys" - all give, or have given, Puerto Vallarta such exceptional gifts. And Gary expounds on these gifts by sharing his knowledge and his talent by offering this tour at no charge.
The tour ends at his gallery, Galleria Pacifico. On this particular day, we were honored to meet and speak with Jim Demetro who is the artist of both the "Washerwoman" and "The Dancers" – both hugely impressive and fairly new sculptures to the area.
Gary, in his generosity, is a huge supporter of Los Mangos Library (Biblioteca Los Mangos) where tour attendees may leave a donation for the Library. This is the icing on the cake to one of the best things going on in Puerto Vallarta.
Block out a couple of hours on a Tuesday morning. Meet at the Millennium Statue next to the Hotel Rosita at 9:30 am. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring your camera. Plan on escaping the real world for a short time to become absorbed in this. I guarantee you, you will be glad that you did!
 Pamela Thompson has lived and worked in Puerto Vallarta for over 17 years, 10 of them in health care. Pamela now leads HealthCare Resources Puerto Vallarta, a local healthcare resource network. Her years of experience and expertise are available to you by emailing your questions to pamela(at)healthcareresourcespv.com or by visiting HealthCareResourcesPV.com.
Click HERE to learn more about the health and well-being services offered by HealthCare Resources Puerto Vallarta. |
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