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.
What a great symposium! I look forward to seeing many more in the future! I hope to see all of the finished pieces in the future. Thanks for the blog and the entertaining stories!
Posted by: Reno | May 11, 2006 at 09:13 AM