Guapamacátaro Center for Art and Ecology

The Guapamacátaro Center for Art and Ecology is a site-based and community-oriented initiative where artists from different disciplines, scientists, educators and activists converge to foster culture, collaboration and sustainable development.

The project was founded in 2006 by Mexican artist and curator Alicia Marván, as an extension of her artistic practice. Its conceptual and artistic framework includes ecology in its broad sense, not limited to its common association with the preservation of the natural environment. All components of the local ecosystem (human, natural and artificial) and their relationship to each other are subject of inquiry, creativity and growth.

Programs include:

Residency

Each year we hold 1-3 residency sessions in Winter/Spring (February - June). During their stay (3 weeks), participants use the hacienda grounds as a laboratory for the creative process and engaging with the local community. Open to professionals active in the performing and visual arts, design and architecture, humanities and social sciences, and natural sciences.

Internship

Features a 2-week immersive session with students and faculty, with subsequent study back in their place of origin. The focus is finding creative solutions to existing local environmental, infrastructural, organizational, and socio-economic problems.

After-school

During our residency and internship programs we ask each participant to impart at least one free after-school workshop to kids at the local elementary and secondary schools. Topics have included drawing, reading, dance, sculpture, architecture, art appreciation, theatre, music, English, cooking, crafts, horticulture, and ethnographic research.

The Guapamacátaro hacienda was built in the late 1800′s and is located in the culturally rich Purepecha region in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. The facilities, set on rural farmland, include several studios, large common areas and ample outdoor space. Housing is made available on the grounds in single and double rooms.