Re-opening
Galeria de Arte Axixic, owned by local artist Jesus Lopez Vega, will re-open after a remodeling on Saturday, November 12, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Besides his own mystical Mexican paintings, Lopez will offer an exhibition of works by Kathy Seaboyer, Linda Richards, Gloria Palazzo, Cha Chazano, Gabriel Mariscal, Judy Dykstra-Brown, Isidro Xilonxochilt, DePaul Durham, Pat Apt and Antonio Lopez.
The exhibition will be mounted for one month, ending on December 12. Regular gallery hours will be Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Galeria de Arte Axixic is located at the corner of Ocampo and Rio Zula in west Ajijic.
ASA
The Ajijic Society of the Arts will meet on Monday, November 7, 10 a.m. at La Bodega Restaurant, Calle 16 de Septiembre 124. Speakers at the meeting will be Sergio Aimar and Tim Caldwell, who will demonstrate working with stained glass. The coffee is on at 9:30 a.m. ASA is a gathering of about 120 local artists and crafts people who meet to exchange ideas and to promote art in the Lakeside area. All are welcome.
Expressionism
Galeria Di Paola at Colon 11 in Ajijic will open an exhibition of work by painter, sculptor and designer, Lewis Kant, the President of the National Chamber of Design in Mexico, on Tuesday, November 15, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The show, “Nostalgia,” will feature Kant’s abstract impressionist paintings and bronze sculptures. This very important artist will be present. Galeria DiPaola is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The telephone number is 766-1010.
Storytellers
It’s time for Storytellers #3 on Tuesday, November 8, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the back patio of the Lake Chapala Society (LCS). This is a benefit for the Jim Collums Education Fund that raises money to help Mexican kids stay in school. Readers of short stories include Michael Warren, Neil McKinnon, Ken Clark and Judy Dykstra-Brown. Show up and enjoy an early evening’s entertainment. The cash bar opens at 3:30 p.m. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated.
Not at home
An exhibition of the latest of Diane Pearl’s abstract paintings called “Shifts,” will open at La Bella Vida on Friday, November 11, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This ‘New Awareness” series by Pearl is stunning and not to be missed. La Bella Vida is located in “The Heart of Ajijic” at Calle 16 de Septiembre #4. The telephone number is 766-5131.
On your calendar
Los Cantantes del Lago is once again presenting their annual musical tribute to the holiday season with two performances. The first on Tuesday, December 13 at 7 p.m. and the second Wednesday, December 14 at 4 p.m. in Auditorio de la Ribera del Lago. Tickets for this very popular event are available now for 250 pesos. Call Judy Chambers at (376) 766-1090.
Tandem
“Past and Present” is the theme for an exhibition of the works of resident artists Dimitar and Helen Marie Krustev. The Krustevs have recorded the ever-changing world since the 1960s: he in oil and painted drawings and she with acrylics. Enjoy this unique exhibition opening on Monday, November 7 and running until December 5 at the Ajijic Cultural Center located on Ajijic’s principal plaza. Meet the artists at the 5 p.m. opening.
Kicked off
The Music Appreciation Society (MAS) kicked off its 2011-2012 season in grand style on Friday, October 28 at La Nueva Posada, with the majority of season ticket holders in attendance. The music was a quartet made up of harpist and director of the Orquesta de Chapala Javier Raygoza, Jose Moreida, Jesus Ortiz and Manuel Martinez. They played a fascinating collection of Mexican music from the Victorian era, featuring a dulcimer, harp, guitar and bass.
Diana Anthony, Mary Lu Saavedra and Reed and Charlotte Vawter were thanked for their recent generous donations to MAS.
MAS is now selling tickets for their first event of the season, the Blas Galindo Orchestra scheduled for Tuesday, November 15, 7:30 p.m. at Auditorio de la Ribera del Lago. Tickets are now on sale at the Lake Chapala Society and Charter Club Tours.
Book signing
Author Joaquin A. Hawkins will present his book “Calamity’s Children” for reading and signing on Friday, November 11, 1 p.m. at Galeria Sol Mexicano, Colon 13 in Ajijic. The story is about the final months of the Civil War in the United States, its aftermath and one man’s struggle to surmount the physical and emotional wounds he suffered in defense of his family and homeland. Hawkins, who retired to Lakeside in 2005, spent several years as a Civil War re-enactor. The characters are fictional but realistic, taking the story through Reconstruction and finally the western migration to California’s Promised Land.
Virtuoso Piano Concert
Lakeside music lovers will have an opportunity to hear a concert by internationally acclaimed pianist Michael Tsalka on Sunday, November 6, 3 p.m. at Auditorio de la Ribera del Lago in La Floresta. The young pianist has performed worldwide and is appreciated for his special affinity for Bach, Mozart, and Schubert.
He has been a faculty member at Temple University and the Settlement School of Music in Philadelphia. Currently, he is a professor of early keyboards at the Stockholm Music School in Sweden.
The program on Sunday afternoon will include “Piano Sonata Opus 2” by Beethoven, pieces from the “Art of the Fugue” by Bach, two etudes by Chopin and “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6” by Franz Liszt. Tsalka has been praised as having ‘remarkable virtuosity and sensitivity with natural and unaffected playing.’
Tickets for the concert are 300 pesos. VIP tickets for 500 pesos include the concert with reserved seating in the auditorium followed by a gala champagne reception with Tsalka and his wife in lovely village home. Tickets are available at the Lake Chapala Society Tickets, Etc., Diane Pearl’s, Charter Club Tours and the Auditorium. This concert is a benefit for the Auditorium Upgrade Program.
Arts and crafts
It’s the annual Lake Chapala Society Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday, November 6, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The admission is free to this impressive display of artistic endeavors by folks in the Mexican and foreign communities. Many eager young artists form the Children’s Art Program will be showing off their best, including holiday cards. They will also be taking special orders. Since this day will mark their juried competition, prizes will be given out for first, second and third places. Judges for the children’s competition will be Marianne Carlson of Feria Maestros del Arte, Deena Hafker, president of the Ajijic Society of the Arts and local artist, Antonio Cardenas.
Get to the sale early for pancakes that will be served from 9 a.m. to noon. An assortment of traditional Mexican foods will be available from various vendors throughout the day. LCS volunteers will concoct screwdrivers and Bloody Marys along with the usual selection of wine, beer and beverages.
The semi annual used book sale will offer great prices on library books and the Fauna Silvestre will have its most interesting wildlife on display.
Come out for a great day!
Garden Guild
A private Lakeside residence will be the stunning backdrop for The Lakeside Garden Guild’s annual floral design show to take place on Friday, November 11, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The outstanding show, this year themed “Celebrations,” will feature spectacular and unique arrangements by Guild members for events like Christmas, the Brazilian Carnaval, Thanksgiving, a Wedding, Bastille Day, The Royal Ascot and such. A limited number of tickets at 200 pesos each are still available for this singular event. Admission includes catered canapés and a glass of wine. Contact Leslie Martin at 766-2274 or Barb Carol at 766-5452 for tickets.
To catch a glimpse of the glamorous surroundings awaiting you, see some of the Garden Guild’s past shows at www.lakesidegardenguild.org.