History of CACH & HEART

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 





History
 


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Many years ago Jess Davila and his family left Huachinera, Sonora, Mexico, his Dad, Victor had told his parents that he was taking his family north for a better education for his children and a better life. He left what could have been a great way of life for his family in the region. His father was giving each one of the children (Jess’ Uncles) a 500 hectare (1,500 acres) ranch complete with cattle. But that wasn’t incentive enough to stay as the education and life would still be the same. Years later after his children had married, Victor would return upon his retirement and buy that that ranch from his brother in law and 10,000 more acres. After many years Jess had become an artist that wanted to give back. He wanted to keep those families that are left in the region together with something to do, now the children are leaving alone and most of them not coming back. Art had been great for Jess, why not go and give classes, teach what he knows, create jobs.

A few years ago they started talking about the idea Jess had to share his vision with someone and that someone was his very dear friend and fellow artist Guadalupe Apodaca, over dinner one evening Jess shared his idea of giving back to a community in need of developing jobs and of course, bring out the talent that already existed in the mountain region of the Sierra Madre in Eastern Sonora, Mexico, after that dinner Guadalupe was sold on the idea, he embraced it and wanted to start giving art classes, on their very first trip to teach they showed up with a truck load of art materials donated by them and other artists. The idea grew to invite other artists because from the very first classes they gave, the people where overwhelmed, during the full art classes they actually had children snick in to take the class. In preparation for the classes different people would participate by preparing palettes to the carpenters building easels. The children were the ones that would leave Jess and Guadalupe with the overwhelming impression that this needed to get done. After the first visit and at the end of the classes they were surprised with a special party in their honor by the children and grown ups, gifts of home made bread and home canned goods were the gifts of gratitude to the artists, you could see the appreciation on everyone faces. On the way out of town as they were leaving to get back to the US, the children ran out of their class rooms along with their teachers to wave and say good-by to their new friends, it was overwhelming!

That was the beginning, since then there’s several artists that have attended, along with Jess and Guadalupe, and the classes continue in barrowed buildings, such as the Huachinera Cattlemens Association Hall who have been very helpful.

Right after they began to talk about their vision, several artists showed interest of wanting to help and one of the first ones was Pablo Milan, Pablo started working right away at getting others interested and has succeeded in bringing in key players to the organization. Another person and board member from the beginning that has been very instrumental in helping the organization along with his wife, has been Jason Napier, they have both worked very digently to make this a reality.

Now more money is needed, as this has up to now been funded by the artists participating, a board needed to be formed both in Mexico and the U.S., CACH – Centro Artistico y cultural de Huachinera was formed, first with its members and a Civil Association was put together equivalent to the 501©3 that was being formed in the U.S., H.E.A.R.T – Huachinera Enterprise for Arts and Rural Traditions is now working under the direction of Guadalupe Apodaca as President. With the organization being formed everybody started working on the 1st. Annual Art Auction. The artists started asking other artists to donate artwork with 100% of the money to be made to be sent to start building, little by little we thought, this would get build, the auctions have been very successful with the help of the artists.

The Architects Ernesto Ruiz and Raquel Cordova from the University of Sonora heard about their project and decided they wanted to do their thesis on their idea. They met with Jess several times in Hermosillo and Huachinera. Jess explained to them that most materials for the building had to be from the region, thus creating and maintaining the jobs in the area. The main construction material, the adobe is what has been used in the region for centuries, timber and vigas were to be from there also and the rest of the processed lumber from the local lumber mill. The Architects went to work and created what is now going to be El Centro Artistico y Cultural de Huachinera or our Artistic and Cultural Art Center of Huachinera. With these Architectural plans, maquettes and architectural virtual rendering which they also supplied us with. Jess and Guadalupe went to work, now they had visual material to present their vision with.
Now with the help of Alejandro Sierra our spokesman in Hermosillo, Sonora the States’ Arts and Cultural Institute finds out about us and gives us our first art show at the annual festival in Alamos, Sonora, there we spoke to Governor Eduardo Bours about our project, with this the Cultural Director for the State and other dignitaries, see what we’re doing all on our own and grant us another art show at the Instituto Sonorense de Cultura, from there the Director of the prestigious Centro de las Artes at the University of Sonora grant us another art show, they wanted Jess and his students from Huachinera to show their stone sculptures. The show titled “5 Escultores y un Maestro” (5 Sculptors and a Master), was a great success and with so many people seeing it, opened up a lot of doors. Governor Bours had talked to and met the artists, but it was on the Governors annual horse ride, (each year in a different part of the state) this year in Huachinera that Jess and Guadalupe asked him to see their idea, they showed him the plans, maquette and visual tour, he was impressed at what he heard and saw. At that time the artists asked him if he would place the first stone for the Art Center to be built, very little money was available, but Jess and Guadalupe knew that it would come. He did place the 1st. stone.

Following that, Alejandro Sierra started working on the people in Hermosillo, doors began to open, one of those doors opening was getting in to see Guatimoc Yberri, we made the presentation to him and he embraced the idea, granting us other interviews with other people under his direction. It was at these interviews where we made the presentation of our project to several State and Federal Dignitaries. Soon after wards we were told that our project had been accepted for the program “tres por uno para migrantes” (Three for one for migrants) what this ment was that for every dollar we sent the Municipal, State and Federal Government would give us three for the construction of our project. The construction continues, the first phase is now finished, that being the Museum-Gallery building this being the largest and tallest. Work started April 2005 and finished February 2006. This building created a minimum of 60 jobs at the beginning as 65,500 adobes were needed to complete phase one. Phase two due to begin soon.

Cattle ranching and farming have always been the mainstay for the people of the Sierra Madre Region of the State of Sonora, which is located directly south of the Arizona, New Mexico border and sits on the eastern side of the State bordering Chihuahua.

Classes only go to the 9th. Grade in most of the regions towns, so if the parents are able, they send their children to continue their education in other towns and cities and on to the Universities, after which these students almost never return to stay as there’s no employment in their field, even those who don’t continue to Universities or High School are destined to leave as there’s only so much work in the ranches or fields.

With the creation of this Art Center there are more jobs and will be educating the people in Art and Culture. The government has seen the great opportunities and is working with us in the development of the Center and bringing in tourism, the possibilities are endless as more and more people are seeing such positive things happen. Huachinera is becoming an artist community as artists are coming in and building homes and artists studios.
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