Since its inception thirteen years ago, Celebrate México Now! has been highlighting the Mexican cultural landscape in its rich and different iterations. At the same time it has strengthened and expanded the artistic and cultural bridge between the United States and México. For one week this year, October 24-30, the festival returns with a wide range of events, many free, in several venues throughout the city.
Eclectic and avant-garde, inclusive and evolutionary like the country it honors, Celebrate México Now! presents award-winning films from the Morelia International Film Festival; panels with leading intellectuals and journalists who will go over current burning issues, political and social, in both countries; a photo exhibit that will shed light on the thriving Mexican community of Staten Island and delicious gastronomic explorations of some of the best Mexican restaurants in the city.
And, as in previous editions, the music program is a treasure chest, varied and rich, with an assortment of styles and sounds that include a tribute to "anti-Pop idol" Morrisey by the Mexican band Mexrrissey via their new album No Manchester; the innovative blending of Asia and México in Cuatro Minimal and the lively rhythms of the son huasteco with Trío Tlayoltiyane.
"From the beginning, México Now centered on fostering a dynamic conversation of exchange between México and the US, the communities and artists in both countries, and thus reinforcing the idea that art and culture have no borders," says Claudia Norman, founder and director of Celebrate México Now!
Monday, October 24, 6:30pm: the festival opens at King Juan Carlos I Center of NYU (53 Washington Square South) with Journalism in México, a conversation featuring John Ackerman, one of the leading intellectuals in México City, and
David Brooks, La Jornada's U.S. correspondent since 1992. Moderated by journalist Roque Planas of The Huffington Post, followed by a cocktail reception.
Tuesday, October 25, 6:00pm: at CUNY's Graduate Center
(365 Fifth Avenue, room 9207) the panel A Conversation About México, featuring journalist John Ackerman, best-selling cookbook author Diana Kennedy, and humanities professor Michael Schuessler, delves into the identity of México from their experiences as foreign professional immigrants in México.
Wednesday, October 26, 7:00pm: the School of Visual Arts (209 E 23rd St, Studio 502) hosts our movie night with a selection of winning shorts from the Morelia International Film Festival, the Mexican version of Sundance.
Thursday, October 27, 7:30pm: at
David Rubenstein Atrium of Lincoln Center (Broadway between 61 & 62 St) music comes courtesy of Cuatro Minimal, an ensemble of four musicians hailing from Korea, Japan and México. They share the musical traditions of their respective countries and transform them into contemporary music.
At 8:30pm, Le Poison Rouge (158 Bleecker St) welcomes Mexrrissey, the successful band comprised of seven musicians from different groups and led by Camilo Lara of the Mexican Institute of Sound. Mexrrissey will rock the house with the launch of their Mexican-tinged album No Manchester, a nod to the legendary British singer-songwriter Morrissey.
Friday, October 28, 6:00pm: the gallery of the General Consulate of México (27 E 39th St) opens for the photo exhibit México/Staten Island: Irma Bohórquez-Geisler, which focuses on the growing Mexican community in that borough.
Saturday, October 29, 1:00pm & 3:00pm: the National Museum of the American Indian welcomes Trío Tlayoltiyane, which in the Nahuatl language means "The Creators." Originally from the coastal state of Veracruz, they will perform two sets of traditional Son Huasteco.
October 28 & 29, beginning at 4:00pm: dance comes in two formats with the multidisciplinary proyect What you see is what you get, a "Pop Up Gallery" (100 Grand St, Soho) led by visual artist
Karla Carballar, musician Zeb Gould and dancer/choreographer Erick Montes; and, at 7:30pm, same venue, the choreographic proyect Agora Lítico, featuring Carballar, Gould and Montes. They will present movement in three acts: movement as metaphor, as instigator and as physical entity in constant action.
Sunday, October 30, 6:00pm-9:00pm: Celebrate México Now! wraps up with Homenaje a Terraza 7 in Jackson Heights, the heart of the Mexican community in Queens. A hotbed of talented indie musicians, Terraza 7 will shut down at the end of 2016. The tribute includes a "Día de los Muertos " fete with six bands featuring renown Mexican, NY-based, musicians: Giovanni Escalera, Ulalume, Carlo Nicolau, Rana Santacruz, Trío los Tres de Oros, Jarana Beat, Radio Jarocho + Zenen Zeferino.
And as in previous years, the wide variety of flavors and textures of contemporary Mexican cuisine will be showcased throughout the week, October 24-30, at participating restaurants: Bar Bruno, Café Frida, Hecho en Dumbo, La Palapa, El Mitote, Papatzul, X y Z Pintox y Botanas, La Palapa Taco Bar @Urban Space Vanderbilt. Established chefs will parade their delicious oeuvres.
Celebrate México Now! is an arts festival produced by CN Management, with the generous support of non-for-profit government organizations and individual contributions.
Special thanks to Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes of México for the support.
For more information visit
http://mexiconowfestival.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MexicoNowFestival
Twitter: @MexicoNowFest
