Master craftsmen recognized for their work in Fine Arts

Mexico City. Mexican artisans entered the Palacio de Bellas Artes “not to leave,” said the Undersecretary of Cultural Development of the federal government, Marina Núñez Bespalova, when inaugurating the exhibition of the 23 winning works of the XI National Competition of Great Masters of the Artisan Heritage of Mexico.

The official said that the country’s largest cultural center was also created to protect popular art and that many years, decades, had to pass before that mission could be fulfilled.

He said that during the current six-year term, the artisan sector reached a level from which “it is very difficult to go down” and that the virtual president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, promised to continue this support in her administration.

Photo X @labespalova

The general director of the National Fund for the Promotion of Handicrafts (Fonart), Emma Yanes Rizo, announced that this body will propose that the awarding of this prize be established officially within the framework of the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, which is commemorated on August 9, and that it have the Palacio de Bellas Artes as its permanent headquarters.

She explained that in this version of the contest, 129 works were received, 66 from women and 63 from men, from 18 federal entities: Aguascalientes, Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Mexico City, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, State of Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Veracruz and Zacatecas, as well as from 12 indigenous peoples, such as Mixe, Tzotzil, Tseltal, Maya, Nahua, Amuzgo, Zoque, Tarascan Mixtec and Zapotec.

The manager stressed that, for the first time in four years, the exhibition of the winning works is being presented in the emblematic José Clemente Orozco Hall, where it will remain until September 15.

The deputy director general of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL), Héctor Romero Lecanda, read a message from the head of that department, Lucina Jiménez, in which she highlighted that in the 21st century we have overcome the dichotomous and binary thinking imposed in the 18th century, when the concept of Fine Arts was coined, which separated them from the artisanal heritage.

Photo X @labespalova

Following the participation of Cándida Fernández, director of Cultural Promotion Citibanamex, the Undersecretary of Welfare, Rocío García Pérez, mentioned that our country is the third in the world with the greatest artisan activity; and in that context, she stressed that it must be remembered that crafts are not only a product, but the representation of “a cultural heritage that gives us identity and a lot of pride.”

According to data from Inegi, he said, the sale of handcrafted pieces generates around 153 billion pesos annually for the culture and tourism sectors: “This economic contribution demonstrates the value of our crafts and underlines its importance as a driver of regional development and as a key piece in the construction of a fairer and more prosperous Mexico.”

Prior to the opening of the exhibition, 23 awards were given to master craftsmen of various specialties and techniques, including the National Award to Carolina García García, from Olinalá, Guerrero, and the Fonart 50-year Commemorative Award to Samuel Torres Briones, from San Tadeo Huiloapan, Panotla, Tlaxcala.