un día lleno de arte // a day full of art

Today was a day full of art! We spent the first half of the day at orientation sessions on health, safety, and cultural sensitivity. The best part was a panel with five Bolivian students, who gave us many helpful insights about local customs, staying safe, dating culture, and other good things to know.

After a delicious lunch of potato soup, rice, and vegetables, we took a bus to the southern part of the city to go on a street art tour. Our guide was a young woman, Cecilia, who works with a local artist collaborative. The neighborhood is the site of a biannual art event where artists from all around Bolivia and Latin America come to create murals.

In our tour, Cecilia brought us to about 20 different murals. Many of them had motifs of indigenous cosmology, coca leaves, water, Pachamama, women leaders, the environment, and the struggles against colonialism, neoliberalism, and discrimination. Each mural had a distinct style and technique. Some had wild patterns and contrasting elements. Others were so expertly blended colors that they appeared to be watercolors. It was interesting to reflect on their possible interpretations and political/social messages.

All of the murals were incredible! One of my favorites was a twist on the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter, portraying a strong Latin American woman. Another mural that stood out was one of a giant hand holding a scale, with one Bolivian coin weighing more than a campesino family. A couple others that I particularly liked were one of a colorful armadillo, another of a tree made of newspapers, and a third of a wide panorama portraying the people's history of Bolivia.

One of the students on the morning's panel, Adrian, had invited us all to come to a photography exhibition later in the evening. After dinner, we all walked together to a nearby gallery space. The exhibition had the theme of ancianos, or elderly people, and the photos beautifully captured the joy and dignity that they have in their daily lives. The photographers included Adrian and several others who are part of Martarero, an art collective that is housed in an old meat processing factory.

Since it was the opening night of the expedition, there was wine and--surprise!--potato chips (I'll post something about the food here in the future. Spoiler alert: there are a LOT of potatoes.) We talked with a few Bolivian students who were photographer and graphic designers. One of them told me about a photography group that meets several times a week to take photo walks together. Hopefully I can get involved during my time here!

With love and gratitude,

Theresa

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