Costa Rican Carving

Officer Rosales

Nancy has been in Costa Rica for several weeks, and last week she went to Puntarenas to photograph the installed pieces and to deliver some photos to Officer Nils Rosales.  During the two weeks of the symposium, Nils was on site much of the time, keeping a watchful eye on things and making friends with the sculptors.  He took a personal interest in everything and everybody there.

According to Nancy, his interest in the project continues to this day.  He told her that he recently apprehended some local kids who were planning to graffiti the sculptures and throw muck on them.  He trotted them off to jail to send a message that vandalism of the art work will NOT be tolerated, at least not on his watch.

He was so taken with the whole symposium that he's learning to carve stone himself.  One of the missions of the symposium was to bring the process of stone carving to people who wouldn't otherwise experience it in the hopes that they too, would be inspired.  It would seem like we succeeded on that front.

Muchas gracias to Officer Nils, and best of luck with your carving!

Muchas Gracias!

It's been a month since the symposium ended and we all returned home, but we haven't forgotten the incredible hospitality and generosity of the people of Puntarenas.  Sponsors donated money and services, performers entertained us and made the event more than just a stone symposium, and the incredible people cooked meals for us and made sure all of our needs were met.  I want to thank them all publicly now -- this event wouldn't have happened without the backing of the whole community.  Muchas, muchas gracias to you all!

The sponsors who purchased the sculptures, which will remain on the waterfront permanently, included Sr. Pedro Quiros Vargas; Lic. Luis Chen Mok, Sr. Hannia Vargas Zamora and Sra. Susan Chen Sui; Seramar, S.A.; Colonia China de Puntarenas; Pasoca; Club Rotario de Puntarenas; Municipalidad de Puntarenas; Hotel Alamar; Universidad de Costa Rica; Universidad Estatal a Distancia; Coope Ande No.1; Coope Impesa; Banco Nacional; Hotel Yadran; INCOP; Puerto Libre; Grupo Mapache; and Banco de Costa Rica.

The following people and businesses volunteered to cook, feed us, house us, and do so many other nice things:  Sr. Pedro García, Liliana Cuore, Roberto Escobar, Soda Macarena, Hotel Alamar (who fed us three fabulous dinners), Hotel Fiesta, Hotel Tioga, Hotel Las Brisas, Restaurante Arenas, Restaurante Chung San, Restaurante Joron, Restaurante Casa del Marisco, Restaurante El Cevichito, Restaurante La Yunta, Sra. Mayela Mora, Sr. Daniel McTaggart, Sr. Sergio Astorga, Gerardo Medina, Asaan Li, Sr. Gerardo Rudin, Sra. Nidia Rodríguez, Sr. Francisco Rojas, Sr. Rodolfo Rodríguez, Sr. Arturo Solórzano, Jacqueline Salas JJ Mares Inagotables S.A., Foto Salazar, Víctor Herrera, Rosaura Baltodano, Maybeth Chan, Silvia Rodríguez, Eduardo Martínez, Lic. Carlos Ricardo Benavides, Sra. Daisy Quesada, Jorge Rodríguez Gutiérrez, Kathia Hernández, and Hernán Chan.

Also, Solangy Noguera, Asociación de Desarrollo Específico Barrio El Carmen; Fernando Varela - Decano del Colegio Universitario de Puntarenas; Sr. Omar Agüero - Director Regional de Educación; MSc. Soledad Valverde - Directora IPEC-Puntarenas; María Eugenia Murillo del Instituto Costarricense de Turismo; Prof. María Ester Jiménez, Kinder Colorín, Rainbow School; Elodia Win-Chin, Club de Jardines de Puntarenas; Mesa Redonda Panamericana de Puntarenas; Comandancia de Puntarenas; Antonio Sevilla - Dirección General de Tránsito; Cuerpo de Bomberos de Puntarenas; Arquitecto Jorge Rodríguez, Dra. Yorleny Morales, Sra. Agnes Gomez, Familia Torres Paniagua, SARDIMAR, Marny Chan, Grupo de Pintores Añoranza, Hotel Yadran, Dr. Miguel Huezo, Cámara Nacional de la Industria Palangrera, Cámara de Pescadores, Taller Meza, Freddy Mesa Sosa, Dr. Mario Bonilla, Cervecería Costa Rica, Carnicería La Amistad, Sr. Raúl Miranda, Centro Diurno de Atención al Anciano “Luz de Amor”, Kiosko Acapulco, Arrocera Miramar, Instituto Costarricense de Puertos del Pacífico INCOP, Municipalidad de Puntarenas, Familia Zamora Pérez, Víctor López.

Thanks to the following for their generous donations of materials:

CEMEX DE COSTA RICA
ABONOS AGRO

And thanks to all of the groups who enhanced the cultural experience for all of us by performing each night for two weeks on a tiny stage in the street where we worked:

- Grupo de Danza Folklórica Flor de Reseda de la Escuela de Riojalandia
- Banda Instrumental y Grupo de Baile del Centro de Formación y Recreación Antonio Obando Chan Toñito;
- Teatro Universitario de Puntarenas
- Grupo Comediartes
- Frank Arrieta y su Grupo Cantamar
- Sr. Alexander Flores
- Prof. Fernando Guevara Meza
- Bryan Huertas y su grupo El Muelle
- Grupo Musical Fuerza Dreat
- Grupo de Baile Son de mi Barrio Esparza
- Grupo de Danza del Colegio Santa Sofía
- Sr. Solón Boy
- Teatro Vías
- Grupo de Danza Folklórica Flor de Caña
- Grupo de Baile Popular de la Universidad de Costa Rica - Sede del Pacífico
- Felipe Aguilar de la Universidad Estatal a Distancia
- Grupo de Baile Popular de la Universidad de Costa Rica - Sede Central
- Teatro de Títeres de la Universidad de Costa Rica - Sede Central
- Grupo de Adultos Mayores de la Asociación de Desarrollo Específico Barrio El Carmen
- Raúl Arias
- Ricardo Kulusic
- Compañía Folklórica Universidad de Costa Rica - Sede Central
- José Roberto Claros Sequeira
- Juan Carlos Wong
- Reina del Carnaval Puntarenas 2006 - Raquel Zamora Pérez

Finito!

The last day was crazy.  Crazy. Crazy.  Everyone worked frantically to get pieces finished, and the crowd of onlookers filled the beach.  Artists who were done grabbed tools and helped those who weren't in a frenzy of flying stone chips and dust.  Naturally, when individuals are working in a hurry and helping on pieces they don't know, mistakes happen and work needs to be redone, creating more stress and drama.  The closing ceremony was scheduled for 7, but by the time Francisco and Ocho left the beach, it was nearly 7.  We started late, and the ceremony, which included several speeches and dancing from a local folklorico toupe, was lovely, but a little long, especially because everyone was so tired.  The group going to Alajuela was especially stressed, since some had early flights and were looking at a late night of driving.

Finally the ceremony ended and everyone enjoyed the wine and appetizers, finally able to relax after two weeks of hard work.  The van for Alajuela showed up, a couple of hours later than expected, but everyone loaded up and headed out.  Those who were staying one more night in Puntarenas headed to the disco to celebrate.

Francisco wants me to tell you the story of his Avenue of Agonies, and I'll do that later.  Today we're waiting for the bus to take us all back to Alajuela, so I'm going to head to the beach one more time to really look at the work that will grace the sea front, now that I don't have to dodge dust and flying chunks of stone.

I'll add more pictures and stories in the coming days, and I'll keep this blog live as long as people keep visiting.  Just because the symposium has ended doesn't mean the stories, or the impact of what's happened here, will stop.

One more day

People have made amazing progress today.  Everyone is working hard, and you can tell by the pleased smiles -- and sometimes clenched teeth -- that it's coming to an end.  Two weeks is an incredibly short time to create a large piece of sculpture, especially in conditions that test the tools and the physical endurance of the people doing the work.  Several people have mentioned that the works they´re completing are not the visions they originally had in mind.  The things you can do in your own studio with your own equipment and the luxury of time are not the same as when you´re working under the constraints of a symposium.

This afternoon we had lunch as usual at another local seafood restaurant , and Ylda showed up with her daily afternoon snack and coffee.  A reporter and photographer from Costa Rica's upscale design and architecture magazine came by, so work stopped for a few minutes for some group photos, which I´ll post later.  Tonight we´re having our last group dinner at the restaurant across the street from the beach where the work has been going on.  It's really nice of them to feed us, after putting up with the dust and noise for the past two weeks.  We´ll come back here after dinner for a slide show retrospective of the past two weeks.  And probably a beer or two.

Tomorrow will be a finishing day, with our closing ceremony tomorrow night.  Some people will head back to Alajuela to catch early flights out on Sunday, and the rest of us may get a day to relax.

In some respects this time has flown by, especially when I look at where everybody started less than two weeks ago.  In others it seems like we´ve been here forever and have become a part of the town, succumbing to the easy rhythms of life here.  One thing is certain, all of us will come away from the experience changed, as artists and as people.

Coming down to the wire

Yesterday was a hot steamy day, but several sculptors made remarkable progress until a welcome thunderstorm rolled through at about five thirty, cooling the air and making the evening the most pleasant since we've been here.  It washed down the beach front so that today most of the old marble dust was gone.  That didn´t last long, however, once everybody got back to work today.

Edgar, Adolfo, and Anna pronounced their work complete before lunch today, and several others are close.  For those that still have a ways to go, the assistants are working at a fever pitch to help. We have a closing ceremony at six Saturday evening, so the hours are winding down.  Anna and Adolfo are helping Francisco this afternoon, since he's the one most likely to be pulled away from his work by the demands of producing the event, and Marcia and Sandy continue to work in partnership with Nancy.  Minor is ever-present to help move stone or do whatever else is required of him.  The atmosphere yesterday was energetic, but today it's a little more frantic.  The weather is threatening again, but we´ll hope it gives us a reprieve and the rain holds off until dark.

Tsunami, tsunami!

Francisco told me I´m painting too rosy a picture of what's happening here, because it's not all as smooth and happy as I would have you think.  To a certain degree he's right.  I prefer to focus on the bigger picture, which is largely positive.  I also believe that you get more of what draws your attention, so I would rather focus on the positive than the negative.  I also have a different perspective than his --  I don´t have the pressure of making sure everything is going smoothly, playing the political game, organizing, answering the phone a dozen times every hour, and visiting with friends who stop by, all while trying to create my own piece of sculpture.

So, in deference to my good friend Francisco, who we shall now call Tommy Tsunami for reasons that will become clear shortly, here´s a list of some of the annoyances big and small.

The air conditioning quit, along with the front seat power windows, in the van that transports everybody around town.  So every day for lunch, a crowd of sweaty, dirty people would crowd into the hot van for the five minute ride to the restaurant where we get a beautiful meal served and prepared by volunteers.  A new fuse fixed the problem, but then the battery died, so people had to walk places until it was fixed, which it now is.

The first morning of the symposium, tempers flared and a physical confrontation sent one sculptor to the hospital for stitches and a helper back to the city where he came from.  So a major troublemaker left early on, and the injured sculptor was back to work about the time his stone showed up. It wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't the end of the world.

A small culture clash between the tico men and the international women has been ongoing.  The men enjoy telling the women how beautiful they are, repeatedly and publicly.  The women were at first a little flattered, then annoyed at the continuing attention, and finally fed up with what we perceived to be harassment.  A conversation about boundaries resulted in a lessening of the misunderstanding, and now we´re back to good-natured teasing and friendship.

When the remaining stone finally arrived, it was dropped off on the beach, and there was no tractor available to place it.  Eager Costa Rican sculptors, who had been watching everybody else carve for three days, began working on the stone where it was dropped, creating a safety hazard.  At that point Francisco said he stood and watched, murmuring ''tsunami, tsunami, we need a tsunami to take all of this away...''

A tsunami is no laughing matter, and neither is the stress and tension that come with organizing and pulling off a major event of any kind.  While he was kidding about the tsunami, Francisco has been doing an amazing balancing act, as have Nancy and Ocho, keeping everything together while dealing with the needs and personalities of a diverse group of artists with different experience levels, cultural perspectives, and even languages.

So, my apologies, Tommy Tsunami, but I'm once again ending my post on a positive note.  You're doing a great job!

The pulse of Puntarenas

Puntarenas is a fascinating place.  Since we spend most of the time on the beach or in the hotel, we don´t get to experience real life here.  Today I spent some time downtown in the heart of the city.  It´s a place of tremendous energy, full of sights, smells and sounds so different from the center of the city where I live.   

Pedestrians compete with bicycles, ubiquitous red taxis, buses and trucks for space on the streets, which are lined with fruit stands and shops selling everything from ladies underwear to car parts.  People move quickly despite the heat, and the air is fragrant with the smells of fruit, diesel, salt-laden air from the sea, and fish.  Trucks and cars drive around with blaring speakers, promoting the local chicken stand and myriad other businesses.  The center of town, even though it´s only a few blocks from the beach, is remarkably tourist free.  Most visitors don´t seem to leave the cruise ship dock, the ferry terminal, or the beach.

Tonight I got back to the beach in time for another glorious sunset.  The dusty tired sculptors are filtering back to the hotel now, and soon we´ll be heading out to another dinner served at one of the many local restaurants that have been so generous to us.  But first, showers and a couple of beers.

Another day done.

 

The work continues

Everyone is working relentlessly to get their pieces finished.  Ocho put up some lights in the tents so that people can work after dark if they want to.  Each day there are fewer faces at breakfast and lunch, and dinner doesn´t happen until 8 so that everyone can get in a full day.

Yesterday Donald got out the diamond chain saw to refine his shape.  Silvia and Luis, who had the largest blocks, are continuing to remove stone, but their forms are emerging.  Many of the pieces are now standing, and the sculptors are actually sculpting, rather than breaking rock.

It´s a cumbersome process to post photos, but I´ll have more up later today.  Thanks to all of you who have posted comments.  Everyone enjoys checking them out at the end of the day.

More later.

Feliz Cumpleaño

Happy Birthday to Leonardo and Elsie, whose birthdays were yesterday and today, respectively.  Last night Ocho´s wife Ylda baked a huge birthday cake and we celebrated after dinner. Pictures to follow.

A touching moment

Yesterday evening Nancy´s father passed after a brief illness, and she made the decision to stay and keep carving.  This morning, Francisco and Ocho made everyone small black ribbons, and we all gathered together for a few minutes to pay our respects to George, her dad, and to Brenda´s uncle, who also passed away last week.  It was an impromptu ceremony, but it was incredibly touching.  We linked together in a circle, several people made brief, yet heartfelt comments, and then Minor said a prayer.  In that moment, we lost our nationalities and became a group of friends gathered together to comfort our own.  Nancy said she could feel her father´s spirit looking down on us, laughing and getting ready to tell more stories.  The fruit ladies showed up just as we began, so when we finished, everyone took a few minutes away from their work to enjoy the fruit and each other´s company.  It´s a remarkable group of people.