Events
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ince 2017, an important part of the Javier Marin Foundation’s efforts have been directed towards the creation of a Cultural Centre -specialized in design, art and gastronomy- in the former Thread and Textile Factory of San Pedro – Fábrica de San Pedro- in the city of Uruapan, Michoacan.
To this end, the Foundation has coordinated, together with professionals from the artistic and cultural sphere, an initial program that included art exhibitions, workshops and activities aimed at all audiences, which involved more than thirty-six thousand visitors. Approximately 40% of this public is made up of children and young people.
Statistics of the cultural projects at the Fábrica de San Pedro, 2017-20
Exhibitions | 4 |
Workshops related to the exhibitions | 4 |
Artists and curators participating in the exhibitions | 30 |
Artisans participating in the exhibitions | 15 |
Participants in sculpture and textile design workshops (visual artists, designers, students) | 54 |
School children who participated in art workshops related to the exhibitions (school visit program) | 2200 |
Exhibition design personnel and custodians | 18 |
Exhibition design assistants (university students from Uruapan, Morelia and Patzcuaro) | 40 |
Specialized forums for dialogue with sectors of the community | 5 |
Visitors | 36,000 |
Exhibition venues in other cultural centers in Mexico | 7 |
As a result of an important work developed since 2017, The Javier Marín Foundation signed with the authorities of the City Council of Uruapan a usufruct contract for the creation and operation of an Cultural Center in the old Factory “Antigua Fabrica de Hilados y Tejidos de San Pedro”.
Our main objective in this project is to establish a cultural center that functions as a laboratory for the convergence and collaboration between contemporary and traditional cultures. Based on the characteristics of the state of Michoacán, which is known for its crafts and culinary tradition, three thematic areas will be developed and encouraged: art, design and gastronomy.
This new cultural enclosure will have the following spaces: exhibition halls, a site museum on textile processes, residences for art, design and gastronomy workshops; a shop and public family spaces.
To accomplish this task, the Javier Marín Foundation invited the Mexican architect Mauricio Rocha to design the adaptation project of the enclosure, recognizing his talent and experience in retrofitting heritage buildings and other spaces dedicated to the same purposes.
Within the framework of this architectural process, the conservation of the building will be considered, ensuring the functional and historical integrity of the site from a contemporary and sustainable conservation point of view.
On April 2022, the Foundation opened the first part of the facilities of this new Cultural Centre with the exhibition “Punto de Partida. Modas, tramas y textiles” (“Starting point. Fashion, fabrics and textiles”) curated by the design specialist, Ana Elena Mallet. The exhibition seeks to provide a starting point for this new cultural center, taking the history of the City of Uruapan as reference, which is closely linked to textile and artistic production. In 2022, two main courses will take place: a laboratory workshop on natural dyes with Maddalena Forcella, an Italian expert based in Oaxaca; and a Seminar on collaborative design organized by the National University of Mexico (UNAM).
In 2023-24, an innovative residency-workshop program will be available for artists, to imagine, create and develop projects and collaborative practices between designers, artisans, students and teachers.
With this project, the Javier Marín Foundation seeks to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life in the community, to the recovery of the social fabric through the construction of the individual and the community, as well as the reinforcement of the cultural identity of the population of Uruapan and its surroundings, projecting this image nationally and internationally.