Guadalajara-area residents who have a yen for hands-on classes in painting, pottery, piano, yoga, weaving and the like can drop in at a conveniently located municipal center on the city’s west side that just inaugurated an inexpensive program involving about 10 teachers so far.
On a recent Sunday, starting at 10 a.m. and lasting until 3 p.m., about 50 students from ages six to 65 could be seen, working mostly alfresco under trees or shelters throughout the sprawling municipal installations located on Eulogio Parra near Lopez Mateos.
They were crafting prehispanic musical instruments, clay figurines, weaving traditional rebozos and belts, painting portraits and flowers, and practicing hydroponic urban agriculture. Inside a group of shaded cabins, piano and voice teachers were at work. Near the free parking lot, about a dozen, well kept vintage automobiles sparkled in the sun.
Although the family-oriented program is only ten Sundays old, Guadalajara City Hall organizers are hopeful that it will grow and serve the needs of people who have to be turned away from a similar weekday program for lack of space.
“It is growing slowly but surely,” said Ricardo Niño, who is in charge of cultural efforts at Guadalajara’s municipal family agency, popularly known as DIF, or Desarrollo Integral de la Familia. He said the program was the brainchild of his boss Raul Robles, who noticed waiting lists for the other, weekday program and decided to organize drop-in classes which have no fixed starting or ending dates and which entire families could attend on Sundays.
“Many people don’t have anything in particular to do on Sunday,” said Niño. The idea, he continued, is to have different classes that appeal to various members of the family. “The father might take a dance class, the mother might paint and the children can take clay sculpting.”
Another advantage of the Sunday classes is that they only cost from 35 to 50 pesos per class, while the weekday program, which normally consists of individual classes that meet once a week, costs about 87 pesos per class. The weekend program also differs from the other in that entertainment — bands, the car exhibit — is offered.
In addition, students don’t have to make a commitment to the Sunday classes, Niño said, and that can be an advantage.
“When they come, they get to know the teacher and can decide if they like the class or not.” Niño added that many artists are unemployed or self-employed, so these classes are a boon to the teachers too.
“Most of our publicity is by word of mouth,” he said. “DIF doesn’t have money for a lot of publicity.”
Plans are to expand the program to include classes in various types of dance (classical, contemporary, ballroom, danzón), theater, Tai Chi, yoga and languages, including Spanish and Nahuatl.
Interestingly, DIF shares these installations with the Centro de la Amistad (International Friendship Center), an organization of local consulates, which, in years past, used the buildings for a variety of language courses. The Center is still housed there, although DIF-Guadalajara now uses most of the office space.
The drop-in program “Convive DIF ... erente in Guadalajara,” is offered Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at DIF-Guadalajara/Centro de la Amistad Internacional, Calle General Eulogio Parra 2359, near Calle Montreal and Miguel Angel de Quevedo. Classes are of the length desired by students. Information in Spanish: (33) 3848-5090. Free parking in lot.