Saturday, November 25, 6-9pm
Galería Izamal, Mesones 80
Free

Galeria Izamal 25th Anniversary Party

n the summer of 1992, six local painters got together for coffee. They commiserated about their common problems---in those distant days, despite being known as “an art colony”, there were only three art galleries in San Miguel, and their pictures weren´t selling fast enough to live on. Worse yet, two of the galleries had just decided that they wanted exclusive rights to sell an artist´s work. Unfair! Fists pounded on the table. Strong words were spoken. And they don´t pay us when they sell our stuff unless we keep checking! And they stick our art in their bodegas where nobody sees it
After a long silence, somebody pointed to a sign on the door of a space adjoining the patio we were seated in: “Se Renta Local”. “Let´s do it”, he said. “We´ll start our own gallery!”

And in November, 1992, Galería Izamal opened its doors to the public. The founding artists were Manuel Lizarraga, his wife Rocio Hoffman, Julian Fedorak, Ed Osman, Rick Welland, Britt Zaist, and myself. Estela Macias soon joined us, as did Juan Ezcurdia and Jesus Real. The name “Izamal” was suggested by Lizarraga, a native of Yucatan. Izamal was the name of a Mayan god of artisans and is the name of a city in Yucatan.

Twenty five years and many adventures later, Galería Izamal is one of the region´s leading contemporary art galleries. The gallery´s friends, old and new and the public are invited to celebrate our birthday at a gala champagne party Saturday, November 25, from 6 until 9 pm at the gallery at Mesones 80, downtown, next to the Angela Peralta Theater. Live music will be provided by the gypsy-jazz band Tziganko.

The gallery has always been a co-operative. Its seven painters and two jewelers own the gallery. They share the expenses and the work at their handsome downtown space. Clients deal directly with the artists without paying the usual 40% (or more) mark-up at commercial galleries.

The gallery´s first location---for four years--- was up Calle Mesones in the Meson San Jose. In its early years, the gallery also showed original work by by Mexican masters such as Jose Luis Cuevas, Roberto Montenegro, Rufino Tamayo, Francisco Zuñiga, and Jaime Goded. It has also featured work by over thirty other fine artists, including Peter Leventhal, Marion Perlet, Keith Miller, Mathieu Kuhn, and Stan Goldberg (the illustrator of “Archie” comics).

The gallery´s current member artists are jewelers Maria Bracho and Crystal Victoria, and painters Juan Excurdia, Leslie Jakobovits, Roberto López Fuentevilla, Bill Morrow, Neal Smith-Willow, Henry Vermillion, and Britt Zaist.

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