A collection of 40 intriguing and often quirky sculptures by 17 mostly local artists will grace the inside courtyard area of the colonial Palacio Municipal in downtown Guadalajara through June.

With his return to Guadalajara to play in the 2022 Festival Cultural de Mayo, Vadym Kholodenko will undoubtedly attract attention due to his proficiency and the current high profile of his birthplace in Kyiv, Ukraine. But Kholodenko has also gained attention from a tragedy that unfolded years ago in Texas.

Although Ukraine falls last in the alphabetical listing of the homelands of performers in the 2020 Festival Cultural de Mayo, the war-torn country seems destined to attract the most attention in this year’s line-up in Guadalajara, and not just because of the bombs and refugees.

When longtime Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra (OFJ) cellist Mariana Martinez studied conducting under Hector Guzmán, when he was director of the 90-member group from 2004 to 2010, she must have had more than an inkling of her musical aspirations.

Guadalajara officially took the mantle as 2022 World Book Capital in a ceremony held at the Cabañas Cultural Institute on April 23, World Book Day.

If you are seeking insight into legendary Jalisco-born muralist Jose Clemente Orozco, an exhibit at Guadalajara’s Museo de Las Artes, which houses his second most renowned fresco, packs a didactic punch for anyone who grabs the golden ring.