June 17 - Art on the streets of Cali

 Today the group got to see yet another part of everything Cali has to offer. We visited Cristo Rey and a couple of museums near downtown which where all very cool but the part of the day area that caught my eye was the murals that were everywhere as we walked down the streets from place to place.



I love the color and vibrance that these things bring to the city. The image above pictures one mural that the group passed. This particular mural depicts a character that apparently has some very interesting folklore attached to it which is one of the many reasons why I love public displays of art.


It is impossible to talk about street art without mentioning a less appreciated form known as graffiti. Graffiti comes in many forms and receives varying opinions from the public. In Cali there is a lot of graffiti, some of which adds to the vibrance and atmosphere of the city and others that move more towards destruction and disturbance by covering other pieces.


                                         

        Art is meant to evoke emotion and spark the imagination. It also has the power to start conversations like the woman in the mural in the first image with a story all her own that gets carried from generation to generation because of the publicity that she receives by being able to be seen by any and all people who choose to look in her direction.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 18th- The Climb

Image
 Today our group ventured to the Nirvana Nature Reserve about an hour and a half away from Cali. Upon arrival, we enjoyed some coffee and pan de bono before beginning our hike. I find it best to summarize our experience hiking through the lyrics of the iconic song "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus (2009).  There's always gonna be another mountain I'm always gonna wanna make it move In our case, our hike through the nature reserve was a seemingly never ending incline. To say that some of us were feeling a bit out of shape today is an understatement.  Always gonna be an uphill battle Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose I am happy to report that we came out on top in our uphill battle (except for the last 20 minutes of our hike where we had to trek all the way back down and then it was a downhill battle). When we reached the top there was an amazing view that went for miles (or kilometers if you are in Colombia).  Ain't about how fast I get there Ain't about what's...
Read more

June 22nd- Las Mujeres Tejedoras

Image
This afternoon, after our morning Spanish classes, we had the opportunity to meet with Maria, a member of the NASA indigenous community. Maria works with a women's cooperative called La Fundación Tejedoras de Vida. La fundación, or foundation, aims to preserve, strengthen, and disseminate cultural information about the NASA people. In addition to sharing information about the NASA people, the foundation primarily works to defend the rights and interests of indigenous women. A few of its objectives are to: provide training for women's rights and civil rights, develop projects that benefit urban and rural indigenous communities, and provide opportunities for employment that support the economic development of indigenous communities.  One of the ways the foundation achieves its goals is through artisan work. The NASA people have a strong tradition of weaving beautiful and meaningful works of art. One of their most detailed pieces of work are their "mochilas" or bags. Eac...
Read more

June 26 - Bosque Colibrí (Villacarmelo), Reserva Natural

Image
 June 26, 2022 Today we got to explore the Bosque Colibrí, which is a nature reserve that also cultivates several crops, such as coffee and honey. The entire experience from start to end seemed very intentional and introspective, and we also got to learn so much about how they maintain the reserve and how it sustains itself. Everything that we came in contact with was very environmentally-conscious and connected to the ecosystem in which it is situated.  When we arrived, we enjoyed a short yet steep hike to the gates of the reserve, where we were greeted by our guide, a biology student at the Javeriana. We then walked up even further, learning about the different birds and trees that surrounded us and finally reached a house with several outdoor spaces to facilitate our learning and reflection. When we reached the reserve, we got to meet the owners of 12 years and are professors at the Javeriana.  We learned about the different geographical nuances of Cali and Valle del C...
Read more