UNA NOCHE DE ARTE
AN EVENING OF ART
Mexico has a rich artistic patrimony. And the Riviera Maya area boasts some fabulous resident artists.
Our inaugural Una Noche de Arte fundraiser took place on Saturday, November 28th, 2020 at the open-air rooftop of Hotel Biwa Tulum. We featured works from a total of 13 established local, Canadian, and US artists, as well as promising young artists in a variety of mediums such as watercolors, acrylic, oil, sketches, photography, and more.
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Scroll down to see the artists who were featured, along with their bio and a sample of their incredible work.
All donated pieces were offered in a silent auction format. Proceeds from the sale of auction items are earmarked for our University Scholarship Fund, providing the opportunity for exceptional students to attend University. Other pieces were also available for sale with those proceeds going to the artist.
The event was a sold out a few days beforehand. We are so very grateful to all who purchased tickets and our deep gratitude to those who purchased one or more works of art. We were able to achieve nearly 2/3rd's of our University Schoalrship Fund goal for 2021 through this event. The weather was perfect and the food and beverages well-done.
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As w received such positive feedback from patrons and artists alike, we will likely plan a similar event in Spring 2021 in Akumal. Keep checking back for details!
 Riviera Maya (Paradise)Jesse Montenegro began his art career in 2004 as a self-taught artist, inspired by Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. "I believe a brush is only a brush, and a canvas is only a canvas; but once you reach a point of inspiration to create, you are able to apply that positive energy on a canvas via brush and paint. The end result is the ability to change the mood and inner creativity of all mankind." Visit Montenegro Fine Art Gallery in Playa del Carmen. "Designs to fit your lifestyle". |  green heron with dragonflyAkumal photographer Rick Reiling recently moved here from Nashville, TN where he has for lived for 20 years with his girlfriend Melissa. Recently retired as a Behavior Analyst, Rick has had much more time to pursue one of his new passions, photography. He loves living near the ocean and especially loves photographing the local wildlife. Rick also enjoys taking pictures of people with their pets. More at rickspicts.net |  GuasonArtist Tariq Ayub is of Lebanese and Mayan descent. His work has been shown on 4 continents and he has visited 200 countries and lived in 50 different cities. His painting reflects a fragment of what he saw and experienced during his travels around the world. Painting theatre curtains and costumes led to his initial foray into painting on canvas. |
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 mirar donde todos miran, ver lo que nadie mas ve"Mariah Pa: "What I believe is a mere projection of what I am, what I value and admire, those wounds through which I walk, the fears that anchor me, my resilience to the max, my rhythms, my turns, my jumps, my stumbles and my endless latent passion ... that gives me that blind step to return to me, through an image. an image that plays the role of mirror, and reveal the blast to recreate you as much as you are and as you could be. we are what we hear, what we see, do and think." |  UntitledSonnye Lizzio, an art historian and plastic artist, graduated from the University of Milano, Italy, and received a Masters of Contemporary Art from the University of Bologna, Italy. She teaches art history at the Universidad de la Rivera in Playa del Carmen and drawing and painting at the Cultural Center. She has traveled around the Mexican Republic, deepening her knowledge of the great muralists and of Pre-Hispanic culture. |  lluvia turtle"My name is Lluvia Lucero Cupul Tec, I was born in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico on October 24, 2002. I started painting when I was 5 years old and I have always loved the authentic way in which a brush and a bottle of paint can transform our reality into a magical world, although in reality the art of painting is not what you see, but what you make others see." "Because what would our life be if we didn't have the courage to make art?" |
 P.S. I love youArtist Willie Wong was born in Borneo and this vanishing tropical island of exotic flowers and birds influenced his decision to study art throughout Asia. He teaches at University of Alberta and is artist in residence in public and Catholic schools. He teaches out of his Kamena Gallery and can be found at kamenagallery.net |  Big BlueMiguel Guillermo is an ocean and nature lover and photographer who lives in Tulum. "We are fortunately surrounded by an invaluable treasure who lives in the sea and beneath us. I love creating images and videos showing how great and beautiful the ocean and its inhabitants are. My passion started when I took a diving course when I was 13 years old." Now at 18 years of age, Miguel works as a freelancer photographer, creating content for a diverse variety of projects and media. |  El Beso de Eros y PsiqueDaniela Palacios is originally from Mexico City, where she studied painting & philosophy. The theme of eroticism & the human figure are recurrent as representative symbols of the dynamism of life & possibility of living it more fully & intensely. Daniela is well-known for more than 20 murals created in QROO, including at the Government Palace in Byzantine mosaic, as well as in schools & Riviera Maya hotels. She has been a teacher since 1996 in public & private institutions. |
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, April Larkin studied art at the Design Arts Academy and discovered her passion during a Master Class in Aborginal Art. Many of her works were displayed in Native Galleries in Edmonton. Recently she has explored Acrylic Pouring. The intense colors have been transformed into Mandalas. April is a part-time Tulum resident and a member of the Tulum Rotary.
Internationally-known Mexican-born artist Pepe Soho describes his photographs as a love-letter to nature; through her he succeeded in healing his life, so that he can now pay her constant homage. Pepe Soho was awarded the gold medal for his picture "Believe" at the 2017 World Photographic Cup (WPC) in Yokohama, Japan. Tulum Rotary member Bill Ward is donating his print of "enlightenment" for auction.