by the El Reportero’s news service
Now Muni urban transport users can enjoy the magic of art instead of seeing the usual commercials on the way to work or home. The buses will become galleries on the wheels.
This is what moved Mara Patricia Hernández, a local artist, and multimedia coordinator for the Mission Cultural Center, to enter the contest, and of course, to be among the five finalists to make her work part of the Muni project Art 2018.
For that she has worked tirelessly in the development of her work, which she hopes will be among the finalists, who are only eligible if they are from the SF Bay area.
The five artists with the most votes will each have their art displayed on Muni Buses from January to April of 2018 along with five short-listed poems, from local poets of the SF Bay Area.
This year, Muni Art 2018 seeks together with Poetry Society of America and Supervisor London Breed, for the first time to include local poetry.
The new element of poetry is a contribution of Poetry in Motion, a division of the poetry Society of America that places poetry in public transportation systems throughout the country.
A hundred buses will showcase this year’s theme, “The Art of Poetry in San Francisco,” where five pre-selected poems will be visually interpreted by this year’s winners.
This year more than 40 local artists competed for the five seats available. Ten finalists, selected by a local committee representing galleries, artists and arts institutions are now moving to a public vote.
In addition to having their art exhibited on buses, the artist receiving the most votes will receive $ 2,000 and each of the remaining four will receive $1,250.
The visual proposal of Hernández, a Mexican-American visual poet, creator of a multifaceted visual poetry, is based on a series of visual poems where the visual language is the essence; and verbal language works as a complement to the image.
She combines digital and traditional techniques, her attention to the form of a letter or the form of a word places the language and text in the tactile and metaphorical center of her work. Much of her visual poetry has been published and exhibited around the world.
Review the proposal and vote by visiting https://neighborland.com/ideas/sf-words-
Unfold until Monday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m., the last day to vote.
The Bolivian film Dark Skull, among the favorites of Fenix Awards
After winning achievements at festivals in Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Chile and Brazil, the Bolivian film Dark Skull or Viejo Calavera, is among the favorites in the fourth version of Fenix Awards, local press reported today.
Dark Skull recognized with special mention of the jury of version 69 of the Locarno International Film Festival, obtained the bronze statuette for the best film at the International Film Festival of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.
The film tells the story of Elder, a young man who has no responsibilities and his only option is to replace his late father in the mines of Huanuni, in the department of Oruro.
Some other pre-selected films for the event are April’s Daughter by Michel Franco (Mexico); The Distinguished Citizen by Mariano Cohn (Argentina-Spain), and Bad Influence by Claudia Huaiquimilla (Chile). TV series also compite in this international event, among them Red Eagle (Spain), Ingobernable (Mexico), Feriados (Uruguay) and Magnifica 70 (Brazil).
His discontent with such reality and the risks of extracting minerals will lead the protagonist through dark and painful ways.
Founded four years ago, the Ibero-American Fenix Award recognizes and celebrates the work done by those who dedicate their lives to films in Latin America, Spain and Portugal.
