Art co-op expo
About 25 members of a newly-formed artist co-operative in Bucerias showed off their work to the public on Friday, January 6.
The first street “expo” of the Bucerias Art Producers Co-op or Cooperativa de Productores de Arte de Bucerias (on Facebook: Cooperativa de Artesanos de Bucerias), took up the entire block of Benito Juarez, between Lazaro Cardenas and the beach access.
This will be the location of the group’s show every Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
According to Co-op Secretary Jesus “Chuy” Mosqueda Ramos, this is the culmination of what he started envisioning about 15 years ago.
“It just took time to find the right people to talk to,” Ramos said. “I wanted to go back to the old idea of community, versus the individual.”
Manny Venegas, the organization’s legal representative said the idea behind the co-op was to organize local artisans, “so they can have a resource to earn money.
“They are usually a little bit shy when it comes to merchandising their creations. They are simply not as assertive as the beach vendors.”
On January 6, Co-op members were selling handmade jewelry, empanadas and baked goods, wooden home décor and furniture, ceramics and products, such as purses, made from natural materials, Ramos pointed out.
Both men mentioned that since this was the first expo, rules were a flexible in regard to what was being offered for sale.
“We want expo vendors who are hard workers who make the products they are selling, not “re-sellers.”
Ramos was referring to several vendors who he said likely traveled to Tonala or Tlaquepaque to purchase products for resale at higher prices.
He emphasized the “hard work” aspect of co-op membership, which currently stands at 39. He noted that the logo for the co-op includes a silhouette of a parota tree, known for its long life and very hard wood.
In reality, the weekly expo is only a “stepping stone” toward expansion; next perhaps moving to a larger area as more vendors become associated with the co-op. In keeping with the parota logo, organizers are looking at the southside Bucerias Pemex station, where there is plenty of room and a large parota tree.
The ultimate goal of the co-op is to have a building, a “house of artisans,” as Ramos put it, with the help of funds from the federal government and a lot of “sweat equity” from the membership.
Bucerias on the map
While John Forget, the co-owner of Elements Realty Group in Bucerias, needed a marketing tool that people wanted, he also saw the need for a good, free map for tourists to use and businesses to advertise in.
With the help of a Romanian architect/artist/city planner, that’s what he is going to have.
An initial printing of 10,000 Bucerias maps will be available this week, if all goes well, at advertisers’ locations and anywhere else someone wants to make it available, free of charge, Forget said.
The map was created with the help of Raluca, the Romanian artist, who won a bid to do the job.
“My wife and I loved her work. She did this as a fun project to fill a couple of empty days,” Forget said.
He had read about map design and one suggestion was to outsource, so he posted his map job on the internet and asked people to bid on creating it.
Forget said he actually hired two designers to see what directions they went in. His instruction to them was “touristy and fun.”
“Raluca’s was great and artsy, the other one ... not so much,” said Forget.
“We wanted something that was touristy and prettier than what had been done in the past and included area gated communities No prior map had these developments and we thought that was crazy considering they represent about 1,000 homes. We had to drive through them ourselves because there really was no place to find the information.”
His biggest surprise, he said, was how much work the project was.
“I am not a designer but had to do a lot of the work myself. I expected this to be a one-month project, but it turned into a three-month job. We had to do some driving around to confirm and we know it’s still not 100 percent, but it is the best tourist map to date.”
Forget said www.thebuceriasmap.com is coming soon. It will be a bilingual website advertising local businesses, as well as those up to ten hours north or south that want to be included.
In a few weeks, Forget will be starting a La Cruz map.
Don’t forget …
The three-part Bucerias Street Festival, January 18, 19 and 20. On Wednesday and Thursday is the Chalk Art Walk, Taste of Riviera Nayarit and Bucerias Craft Faire and on Friday you can enjoy the children’s chalk art workshop. Proceeds from Taste of Riviera benefit PEACE. Proceeds from a raffle benefit Manos de Amor children’s shelter.
All activities take place until dark, on Lazaro Cardenas, between Galeano and Benito Juarez.
For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Peace monthly at Mega
The monthly appearance of PEACE volunteers and persons associated with animal welfare and a food collection program will move from the second Saturday of the month to the third Saturday, starting January 21.
Representatives of PEACE animal adoption and spay/neuter clinics and its Work For Food program, as well as those from two northshore no-kill cat shelters, are on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to find homes for pets, pass out information about community programs and answer questions.
Concert in Nuevo Vallarta
O’Rourke & Associates of Puerto Vallarta, in cooperation with the Anglo-Mexican Foundation, is hosting a special concert this month.
Renowned international performers Jamie McDougal, tenor, and Matthew McAllister, classical guitarist, both of Glasgow, Scotland, will join Angel Padilla, harpist, of Mexico City, to present a concert entitled Flores de Alma at 4 p.m. on January 21, at the Paradise Village Hotel Convention Center in Nuevo Vallarta.
Traditional songs and music from Scotland and Mexico will make this a very entertaining presentation. Terry O’Rourke has worked for many months with the performers and the Anglo Mexican Foundation to make this musical and cultural event possible.
Seating is limited. Make a reservation by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 322-176-0770.