Ten International sculptors will converge upon Puerto Vallarta to participate in the First Puerto Vallarta International Sculpture Symposium (PVISS), which will take place January 31 – February 13, 2010.

What is a Sculpture Symposium? It’s a cultural exchange, in which sculptors from different countries come together to create work in a common environment. The City of Puerto Vallarta is a backdrop and an inspiration for the artists as they carve their forms in large blocks of stone.

This will be a unique educational experience for the community. Those who have a curiosity about sculpture and the process of carving stone in large scale are invited to visit the Symposium site to watch the sculptors work, and to exchange their curiosity and energy with the artists.

The Symposium Sculptors will also display smaller scale works during the two weeks of the Symposium at a special gallery Exhibition of International Sculptors.

The Grand Finale Exhibition of Symposium Sculptures will take place at the Peter Gray Museum of Art. All of the completed Symposium Sculptures will be installed on the Museum grounds and will be for sale, with a percentage of the proceeds to benefit the Peter Gray Museum. The Symposium Sculptors’ smaller scale sculptures will also be on exhibition at the Museum at this event.

An Educational Program will be held at Centro Universitario de la Costa Universidad de Guadalajara, in which students, faculty, and art enthusiasts are encouraged to interact with the Symposium Sculptors as they share their past, current, and Symposium works in progress via Power Point and individual presentations.

The PVISS 2010 Sculptors are:

• TOM ALLAN, Scotland
• JUAN CARLOS BEJARANO, Argentina
• MARTIN DISTANCIA, Mexico
• BIRGIT GRAPENTIN, Australia/Germany
• DAVID ALEJANDRO MARTINEZ BUCIO, Mexico
• WON LEE, Canada/Korea
• JOSE CARLOS CABELLO MILLAN, Spain
• DANA O’DONNELL, USA
• MANUEL PALOS, Mexico
• CAROLE TURNER, USA

Schedule of Events:

• Symposium site: Palos Talleres de Arte (January 31 – February 12, 2010), Calle Brasil 1039 in the 5 de diciembre neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta. The public isinvited to visit daily between the hours of 10-12 and 3-5
• Gallery Exhibition: Proyeto 512 Gallery, February 1 – 12, 2010). Exhibition of International Sculptors, 512 & 518 Venustiano in the zona romantica neighborhood of Puerto Vallarta.
• Symposium Sculptor Presentations: Centro Universitario de la Costa Universidad de Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta Campus (February 9, 2010 7-9 pm), No. 203 Av University, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico
• Final Exhibition of Symposium Sculptures: The Peter Gray Museum of Art (February 13, 2010 4-8 pm), Centro Universitario de la Costa Universidad de Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta Campus

About the Organizers:

Dana O’Donnell has been creating art for more than thirty years. She is a part-time resident of Puerto Vallarta where she is represented by Galleria Dante. In Colorado, where she lived for twenty-six years, she organized the all-stone exhibitions, Stone Sculpture Showcase 2001 and 2003 at the Colorado History Museum. She has been participating in International Sculpture symposiums since 2005. She currently divides her time between Puerto Vallarta and Santa Monica California.

www.StoneSoulStudio.com

Carole Turner is a professional sculptor, commissioned and exhibited internationally. Based in Oregon, she is frequently invited to participate in International Sculpture Symposia and was recently honored to have her “Rhythmic Dancer” exhibited in Beijing during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She is the Executive Director of Columbia Sculpture Center, Northwest Stone Sculpture Association Board Member, and founding Board Member of Pacific Northwest Sculptors, Inc.

www.TurnerStudio.com

PVISS is a cross-cultural collaboration between Stone Soul Studio and Columbia Sculpture Center, in cooperation with Palos Talleres de Arte.

60 Years of Art: An anthology of Art Exhibits produced in Puerto Vallarta for over the past six decades will be on display beginning December 18, 2009 and running until January 14, 2010.

by Rubén Cham arte@bayvallarta.com

The importance of the exhibit lies in the historical significance of its contents: through the selected works, the viewer can appreciate the journey of the visual arts of Vallarta over six decades of evolution. Its central purpose is to document, promote and revaluate the art.

During the opening ceremony, acknowledgements will be made to Ramon Barragan; the organizer and participant of the first art exhibition in Vallarta and the creator of the first version of the sculpture of Miguel Hidalgo in the Park by the same name, and to Manuel Lepe, perhaps the greatest local artist in historical terms.

In 1952, on the occasion of the inauguration of the Hotel Paraíso, Ramón Barragán, Esteban Ramírez Güereño and Joaquín Rodríguez Pedroza, organized the first visual arts exhibition in this city.

Much water has flowed under the bridge since then: from the primitive or naïve style imposed primarily by Manuel Lepe, and Javier Niño as the foundation and hallmark of the Vallarta School of Painting that attracted a significant number of followers in the art market and the artistic community; over the years, the art produced in this city has gone beyond “localism” and adopted a universal character which places it in the global movement of contemporary art. This is evident in the work of artists like Fernando Sanchez or Ireri Topete.

The list of exhibitors registered to date of this writing, in alphabetical order, is: Edward Alexandre, Dr. Ayotl, Ramón Barragán, Cecilia Bojórquez, Helmuth Bornemann, Regino Carrillo, Rafael Castillón, Ada Colorina, Cinthia Corona, Rogelio Díaz, Pepe Gutiérrez, Angeline Kyba, Marcella Lepe, Manuel Lepe, Gustavo López, Jorge López, José Marca, Z. Marissa, Édgar Martínez, Luis Fco. Martínez, Héctor Montes, Luz Elena Moreno, Israel Niño, Javier Niño, Pico Reséndiz, Saúl Salcedo, Fernando Sánchez, Pedro Tello, and Ireri Topete.

The opening is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 18, from 6 pm to 9 pm at Paco – Studio & Gallery, Venustiano Carranza 512, Tel: 222-8168.