palas por pistolas

Crónicas: Seven Mexican Artists Confront the Drug War

pedroreyes — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:45:24 +0000

In February 2013, FotoFest, the Houston, Texas-based international non-profit arts organization (www.fotofest.org) organized a new original exhibition, Crónicas: Seven Mexican Artists Confront the Drug War (http://www.fotofest.org/exhibitions/cronicas/index.htm), curated by Jennifer Ward. The exhibition focused on a group of young Mexican artists’ creative and critical responses to their nation’s violent and protracted drug war. They each present unusual and provocative interpretations of the complex, multi-party conflict and the mass media’s response. The featured artists came of age amid a period of transition when relative peace was replaced by widespread violence as seven major cartels were vying for control over border crossings and supply lines, while fighting Mexican Federal police and military.

The Palas por Pistolas project was one of the featured works in the exhibition, presented as an installation with five shovels, a tree and video documentation of the shovel production, in the gallery. A public tree planting performance was also organized at Guadalupe Plaza Park in Houston’s historic Second Ward. The Second Ward neighborhood is the historic heart of the Mexican community in Houston, and the park where the tree was planted continues to serve as a site for community and family celebrations every weekend. It is also across the street from the century-old Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the first Hispanic Catholic Church is the city. It is a very urban park, in dire need of trees, and the City Parks Department and the community welcomed the tree , and its important message, to the park.

Community and civic leaders, along with supporters of the project, were invited to help with the planting. The dignitaries included María Esther Paredes Solís, Cultural Program Coordinator for the Mexican Consulate in Houston; Sonny Flores, Secretary for the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Bolivar Fraga, Community Developer of the Ripley House Neighborhood Center; Jay Daniel, Senior Superintendent for Houston Parks and Recreation Department; and Barry Ward, Director of Trees for Houston, who donated the tree and have committed to its upkeep for the next several years.

The Tree Planting event happened on a cool, clear morning, Saturday, March 23 at 10am. Barry Ward, from Trees for Houston, was waiting at the park with a 6 1/2 foot tall Mexican Sycamore tree, a species native to Northern Mexico and Texas. Barry dug the hole himself, assisted by Pedro Reyes’ 5-year old son Cristobal, and talked to the assembling crowd about tree, the park and Trees for Houston’s mission. Sonny Flores talked about his family’s history in Houston, and the Second Ward, which actually predated the founding of the city. Bolivar Fraga chatted with visitors and radio and TV reporters about Ripley House and the neighborhood, while Pedro Reyes talked about the origins of the project and the cities that have hosted plantings. By the time the tree was put into the ground and the roots covered in mulch, a crowd of 50 had gathered to witness the planting, while passersby looked at the clapping crowd.

After the planting, many of the participants, including Buffalo Bayou Partnership Director Anne Olsen, project sponsors and FotoFest staff, gathered for lunch and lively conversation with Pedro Reyes at a restaurant in Houston’s Museum District.

Special support for this project came from Trees for Houston (http://www.treesforhouston.org/) ; the Houston Parks and Recreation Department (http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/) ; Buffalo Bayou Partnership (http://www.buffalobayou.org/) ; Kath Blanco; Katherine Ward; Marta Sánchez Philippe and others.

Bi-National Planting @ the AMA/OAS, Wash DC

pedroreyes — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:22:25 +0000

On Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 12pm, OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza planted a tree, just moments away from the White House in Washington DC, raising awareness of ongoing violence in Mexico and acting as a symbol of perseverance amidst a destabilizing reality.The tree planting ceremony take place as part of “The Ripple Effect: Currents of Socially Engaged Art”, an exhibition of social practice, collaborative, and participatory work curated by Raquel de Anda and co-sponsored by Washington Project for the Arts and Art Museum of the Americas. Featuring artists from Latin America and the United States, the exhibition positions artists as architects of change building creative entry points into conversations on broad themes such as environmentalism, social justice, and immigration, while providing poetic and often concrete solutions.

This new phase of Palas por Pistolas has been initiated in Ciudad Juarez where the Mexican government provided 6,700 destroyed weapons. The immediate task is to transform this metal into 6,700 shovels and initiate the planting of 6,700 trees in a binational planting campaign throughout 2012 and 2013. The longterm goal of Palas por Pistolas is to become a permanent campaign to curb the circulation of small weapons in the entire Mexican territory while planting trees in acts of civic participation.

This program is aligned with the efforts of the OAS Secretariat for Multidimensional Security and its Department of Public Security, whose efforts to prevent the illicit trafficking of firearms include promoting the full implementation of the Inter-American Convention against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking of Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Related Materials. The OAS aspires to strengthen institutional capacity to prevent and combat firearms trafficking, currently focusing on three key areas:

- Stockpile Management and Destruction: the OAS offers assistance and training to national authorities in proper stockpile management techniques; modernizing stockpile facilities and destroying obsolete and/or surplus firearms and ammunition. For example, more than 4,500 weapons and 6.5 million munitions in Central America have been destroyed to date as a result of this program.

- Marking and Tracing: the OAS provides Member States with marking equipment, as well as the training necessary for its effective use, together with computer equipment to facilitate accurate record keeping of marked firearms. To date, more than 250,000 firearms in OAS member states have been marked and registered.

- Legislative Assistance: OAS offers legislative assistance to the Member States in order to promote the development and implementation of legal frameworks that facilitate the effective application of the CIFTA.

Photos courtesy of the Art Museum of the Americas, Organization of American States.

PPP returns home

pedroreyes — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:43:56 +0000

After 4 years of plantings around the world PPP returned to Culiacán. At El Jardín Botánico Culiacán, where the project originated, a new tree was planted to mark the site where a pavilion will be built. The future structure will hold a display case of objects, photographs, memorabilia, publications and testimonials from plantings around the world. The pavilion is a design between Pedro Reyes and Tatiana Bilbao. For more information please visit the website of Jardín Botánical Culiacán.

Read more about PPP Bi-National Plantings.

10 plantings. 10 cities: US-MX Bi-national Planting

pedroreyes — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 22:39:14 +0000

Palas Por Pistolas’ is in it’s second phase and has launched a bi-national campaign to make communities safer. Our mission is achieved through only one very specific procedure, which is to turn weapons into shovels to plant trees. For every weapon that is destroyed one tree is planted. In our first campaign in Culiacán, a city in western Mexico, 1527 guns were melted and made into 1527 shovels to plant 1527 trees. This successful experience lead the way to replicate the project in Ciudad Juarez where the Mexican government gave us access to 6700 destroyed weapons. Our immediate task is be to transform this metal into 6700 shovels and initiate the planting of 6700 trees in a bi-national plantings throughout 2012 and 2013.

Violence in cities affects everyone, not only the direct victims of crime, but local businesses, tourism, investment, families, children, etc. We believe that by taking weapons out of circulation we are not only saving lives, but also increasing the general well being of the community. In addition the planting of trees is one of the most urgent actions needed today. We have lost 40% of our forests in Mexico in the last 30 years and drought is putting in great danger the food security of the poorest communities. Planting trees has a measurable benefit not only for local populations, but also for the entire planet as the most effective way to curb climate change.

We are looking at the border as a critical zone to bring awareness on the need to work together towards a solution. Neighbor cities such as Tijuana-San Diego and El Paso-Cd Juarez are crucial. But also cities which are important for being capitals such as Mexico City and Washington, or they have big Mexican populations such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Denver as well as Monterrey and Guadalajara.

The goal of Palas por Pistolas is to become a permanent campaign to curb the circulation of small weapons in the entire Mexican territory while planting trees in civic participation acts.

Tijuana memorial planting

pedroreyes — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 20:41:50 +0000

Palas por Pistolas was invited alongside Pedro to do a planting to commemorate the Art in Embassies 50th Anniversary in 2012-2013. Art in Embassies at the Department of State will present a yearlong series of innovative programs and special events to highlight the role that Art in Embassies has played in advancing U.S. diplomacy through the visual arts.

The Planting took place in Tijuana in concurrence with the installation of “Ear”, a scuplture by Pedro, and was done to commemorate colleagues of the US consulate who have died. A Documentary of both the installation and the tree planting will be part of celebrations taking place in Washington on Nov 30th, alongside advocate Secretary Clinton.

Zone of Contention: The US/Mexico Border,

pedroreyes — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 22:50:19 +0000

On June 15, 2012, the Weatherspoon Art Museum opened the exhibition, Zone of Contention: The U.S./Mexico Border, which focuses on artists’ investigations of issues related to this geographic area and the subsequent impact upon Greensboro and the state of North Carolina. As part of the exhibition, Palas por Pistolas was presented in an installation that features five shovels and five videos on flat-panel monitors. At the opening reception for the exhibition, with over 700 people in attendance, a tree planting ceremony was held on the east side of the Weatherspoon’s Sculpture Garden. There, a flowering crabapple tree was planted with the assistance of the exhibition curator, Xandra Eden, the Weatherspoon’s director Nancy Doll, and four individuals who are helping new immigrants and contributing to awareness on the importance of the Latino culture and business in Greensboro, including: Elerino Aquino, Deacon, Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Greensboro; Victor Dau, Business Counselor, North Carolina Small Business & Technology Development Center, High Point; Veronica Grossi, Professor, Dept. of Romance Languages, University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and Martha Sosa, a recent immigrant to Greensboro who has benefited from community support.

Photos courtesy of the Weatherspoon Art Museum, North Carolina

Serpentine Gallery Planting – update

pedroreyes — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:46:53 +0000

Chris King from Mable Meadow recently got in touch with us with the following update and a new picture.

“The tree we all planted together is looking AMAZING. It was carefully watered over the spring and summer, and it’s thriving now. When we planted it, it was leafless and getting ready for winter, so I’ve attached a picture of it in summer mode.

It’s a walnut tree and I was hoping we might get the first nuts off it this year, but it might not be old enough yet. I’ll keep you posted though…

I also wanted to let you know that the shovel is getting lots of use. So far, it’s helped plant flower bulbs, prepare ground for wildflower seeds and been used to dig habitats for rare beetles. We’ve not been able to plant any more trees with it yet, but there should be some on the horizon soon. It’s an amazing object, so I feel really privileged to be its custodian.”

Nov 2010

As part of Map Marathon, the Serpentine Gallery in London invited Reyes to London to plant a tree and picked Mabley Green Meadow as the planting spot.

Keeping things local, The Hackney Community Tree Nursery kindly agreed to donate one of their young saplings, a walnut tree, grown in Hackney. The tree was planted in collaboration with eco-conscious community members in Mabley Green and as well as linking the park to a global network, in a few years the new tree will give have a delicious harvest. The shovel was also donated to the Mabley Green Community Meadow.

Como parte de Map Marathon, Serpentine Gallery, invitó a Reyes a Londres para llevar a cabo la plantación de un árbol como parte de su novedoso proyecto Palas por Pistolas. Una vez en Londres, Reyes quedó fascinado por los padros y decidió que el Mabley Green fuera el punto para dicha plantación.

Hackney Community Tree Nursery accedió amablemente a donar uno de sus árboles jóvenes, un nogal cultivado allí mismo. Este parque no sólo participó en una obra de arte fantástica, sino que en unos años, el nuevo árbol dará una deliciosa cosecha de nuez.

Living as Form

pedroreyes — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:59:45 +0000

Coming in September 2011, Creative Time, NY, presents the ‘Living as Form‘ Exhibition, curated by Nato Thompson. ’Living as Form’, is a collaboration of of 25 curators and over 100 artists from around the globe. Palas por Pistolas will be shown as part of the exhibition, whose thematic base is socially engaging practices. A tree planting will also take place during the exhibition.

En septiembre de este año, la organización Creative Time NY, presenta la exposición “Living as form” a cargo de Nato Thompson. Esta es una colaboración de 25 conservadores de museos y más de 100 artistas alrededor del mundo. Palas Por pistolas se mostrará como parte de esta exposición, cuya temática se basa en la participación social que se puede alcanzar mediante estas interesantes prácticas. Dentro de estas novedosas actividades se llevará a cabo una plantación de árboles a lo largo de la exposición.

Survive. Resist.

pedroreyes — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:16:45 +0000

In September 2011 The Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area, in collaboration with Musagetes, hosted Reyes as a speaker for the ‘Big Ideas in Art and Culture’ seminar, at the River Run Center in Guelph. CAFKA’s Survive. Resist. Exhibition ran through September 16th – October 2nd and focused on art in public spaces.

In addition to the talk, Reyes partook in a tree planting on September 22^nd. Contemporary Art enthusiasts, alongside organizers for the event Aiden Abram, Alissa Firth-Eagland, Lise Bircher, Shawn Van Sluys assisted Reyes until after sundown to add the newest green addition to the site. He then traveled to Kitchener to take part in a panel discussion as a guest of The Society for Literature, Science and Art as part of their Annual Conference.

El Foro de Arte Contemporáneo Kitchener + Area (CAFKA) será la sede de Reyes como representante del proyecto-seminario “Big Ideas in Art and Culture”, en el Centro de River Run en Ghelp. Podremos disfrutar de la exposición “Survive. Resist” del 16 de septiembre al 02 de octubre, cuyo enfoque principal es el arte en espacios públicos.

Además de la conferencia, Reyes participará, en colaboración con Musageta, en una plantación de árboles el 22 de septiembre. Después, viajará a la ciudad de Kitchener para ser parte del panel de discusión como invitado de la Sociedad de Literatura, Ciencias y Artes como parte de su Conferencia Anual.

Hope! Une exposition d’art contemporain sur L’Espoir

pedroreyes — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:58:38 +0000

The town of Dinard, Brittany France, hosted the Hope! Exhibition at Palais des Arts in the Summer of 2010. Curated by Ashok Adiceam, the exhibition was to reveal the thread of hope and the great march of artists from 1960 to present. Palas por Pistolas was among works divided into four phases; the Genesis, the Exodus, the Apocalypse and Grace

Ashok Adicéam writes, “This unravels the thread of hope in a spiritual eschatology in which the artist gives himself entirely in its difference and its vision of salvation. This is effective art discussed in this journey: the art can help the grieving, and learning that give joy and zest for life? ”

Further to the exhibition one of the shovels was donated to the Nature in the Park Festival, Port Breton, where enthusiastic attendees planted an oak tree. As well as making tribute to the memory of those passed on September 11^th with the tree planting, visitors were able to learn about biodiversity, parks and gardens, sustainable living, art of nature, local products and ecologies.

La exposición Hope! se presentó con gran éxito en el Palacio de Artes de la ciudad de Dinard durante el verano de 2010. A cargo de Ashok Adicéam, Hope! se enfocó a dar a conocer el hilo de esperanza y de la gran marcha de los artistas desde 1960 hasta la actualidad. Palas Por Pistolas estuvo entre trabajos divididos en cuatro fases: el Génesis, el Éxodo, el Apocalípsis y la Gracia.

Ashok Adicéam escribe: “Esto revela el hilo de esperanza en una escatología espiritual en la que el artista se entrega por completo en su diferencia y su visión de la salvación. Este es un arte eficaz discutido en el viaje: ¿el arte puede ayudar a la aflicción y a aprender que da alegría y entusiasmo a la vida?”

Después de la exposición, una de las palas fue donada al Park Festival Port Breton, donde entusiastas asistentes plantaron un roble. Mientras se hacía homenaje en memoria de los acontecimientos del 11 de septiembre con esta plantación, visitantes al evento tuvieron la oportunidad de conocer un poco más sobre biodiversidad, parques, jardínes, vida sustentable, arte de la naturaleza, productos locales y ecología.