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 Vallarta Living | Art Talk | April 2007 
Sedona's Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village
 Sarah Horton - gatewaytosedona.com
Sedona, Arizona - It's so much more than a collection of high-end galleries and boutiques - those you can find anywhere. What makes Tlaquepaque unique is the way the arts play a role in every single shady corner of the 30+ year-old enclave. You can't enter a secluded courtyard without encountering a working painter engrossed in her canvas, a musician strumming along with the songbirds, or a bold sculpture playing with the diffused sunlight. The atmosphere of this carefully crafted environment invites guests to slow down and enjoy an unguided aesthetic experience at their own pace. Many come away with major works for their art collection. All come away with distinctive memories of this special place.
History
While Tlaquepaque was built just over 30 years ago, newcomers will often ask shop owners if it was originally an old Spanish mission, a testament to the careful attention to detail and quality lavished on the project over 30 years ago by its founder Abe Miller. His vision for Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tla-kay-pah-kay) was modeled after a small community on the outskirts of Guadalajara, famous for its pottery, blown glass, and the community of artists who lived, worked and sold their creations all in the same place. The architecture and landscaping was inspired by the rural villages and Spanish Colonial structures of Mexico, and Miller imported vast amounts of raw and finished materials and accents from Mexico to be assembled by hand by a small group of craftsmen. The resulting authenticity and feeling that when you enter Tlaquepaque's massive gates that you've stepped into another place and time resonates to this day.
Shopping
While it's possible to spend hours at Tlaquepaque just wandering around taking it all in, it's nearly impossible to leave without claiming something from the many galleries and boutiques as a personal treasure. Its 18 galleries and two dozen clothing, jewelry and gift shops serve up the unique, the intriguing and the hand-made every day of the year. The galleries vary in focus from local and Native American to an international array of artists in every medium. Specialty jewelry purveyors blend the lines between art and accessories, and you'll find hand-made textiles and inspired clothing designs that make dressing a sublime act of artistic expression.
Weddings & the Chapel
In addition to shopping, there's another favorite and time-honored Tlaquepaque activity: getting hitched in the lovely whitewashed Chapel with its giant wood and iron doors, ethereal mural and cozy pews. Couples can live out their fantasies of running off to a little chapel in Old Mexico with the bonus of a four-star restaurant just a few paces away. The courtyards of the village are also popular places to tie the knot and are particularly nice in the evening, illuminated by luminaria or colored lights.
Events
The simple paper lanterns known as luminaria hold a special place in Southwest holiday traditions, and they help give Tlaquepaque a festive South-of-the-Border flavor during the annual Festival of Lights, when 6,000 luminaria illuminate the village's pathways and courtyard walls, and guests celebrate the season with old-fashioned holiday entertainment all day long. Fiesta del Tlaquepaque marks Mexican Independence Day with dancers, food, musicians and open-air artists booths.
Performing Arts
It's not just about the visual arts at Tlaquepaque. Shakespeare Sedona, the seasoned local professional company that previously produced the acclaimed classic theatre festival in various locales around town, has found a natural stage in the village's dramatic architecture. This year they'll perform Romeo and Juliet and Two Gentlemen of Verona among Tlaquepaque's fountains, balconies and cobblestone courtyards. The Flagstaff Symphony holds a Pops Music Festival at Tlaquepaque in September, and on any given day you might experience the soothing acoustic guitar of Tlaquepaque's resident musician Patrick Ki.
For more information on Sedona's Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, visit www.tlaq.com. |
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