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.
