Meet the Artists: 2019 Merida Artist Studio Tour

Text/photos by Alison Wattie//

The world of an artist is unfettered by convention. Rules are self-imposed, boundaries non-existent, and time is simply a concept. The artist studio is both muse and nemesis — where inspiration thrives and all thought and action are challenged.

Within this world, it is the studio that becomes a sanctuary, where imagination and experimentation commune with silence and contemplation. Sometimes the communion is combative. At other times, the process of creation is like water in a river that has breached its banks and has nowhere to go but ‘out’.

An artist’s studio can be humble, impermanent, wild. It can also be ‘home’. A sketch on the wall, a collection of objects on a shelf, a pile of precious junk in the corner—all are cues to a language only the artist speaks. And yet, it’s a language we all long to understand. We want to share something beyond what we see—a story, inspiration, failure, success. We want to step inside the mind of the artist so that we may look, if just for a moment, into his or her world.

Over 30 years ago, the Merida English Library (MEL) was itself an artist studio. Painter and printmaker Mark Callaghan, painter Alonso Gutierrez, and photographer Victor Rendon (deceased) established a powerful synchronicity among each other and the community that lives on through the vision of the Merida English Library. Originally created as a lending library, MEL has grown to become a community outreach of culture, exchange and learning. Through ongoing programs geared to connecting English and non-English speaking visitors and members, students and intellectuals, art aficionados and artists, MEL is a story of generosity, sharing and partnership.

One such partnership is the Merida English Library Artist Studio Tour. Each year in February, MEL invites us on a self-guided tour to meet some of the many talented artists who live and work in Merida. On February 16th and 17th, 40 local, national, and international artists will open their studios, and ergo themselves, to curiosity, admiration and exchange. Ticket holders receive a detailed map to guide them in and around Centro, while the new two-day format ensures ample time to meet with new artists and return to favorite ones. Painters, printmakers, sculptors, photographers, mixed media, fibre, glass and ceramic artists will showcase their talents in studios as diverse as the work itself. Last year over 450 ticket holders walked, biked, and drove around Merida, and this year looks to be even more popular.

Tickets are 250 pesos in advance, 300 pesos the weekend of the tour, with all proceeds going to the Merida English Library, and all artist sales proceeds going to the artist. Visit www.meridaenglishlibrary.com to view the artists and get all the details on what is sure to be another memorable weekend in Merida.

Ticket sellers:

Merida English Library: Calle 53 #524 x 66 y 68, Centro

SOHO Gallery Calle 60 #400A x 43 y 41, Centro

Galería La Eskalera: Calle 70 #474-B 57 y 59, Centro

Lagalá: Calle 56 #426 x 47 y 49, Centro

Centro Cultural la Cúpula: Calle 54 #407 x 41 y 43, Centro

Lux Perpetua Art Centre: Calle 20 #87E, Itzimná

Centro Cultural Dante: Calle 17 #138-B at Paseo Montejo, Itzimná

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