Faces of San Miguel: Mónica Contreras, Giving Back To The Community With Art, Education, And Culture

By Natalie Taylor

In a rural setting, only twenty minutes from San Miguel de Allende’s Centro, is a small compound surrounded by trees and the chirping of birds. Camino al Arte, in Atotonilco, provides a serene space for artists to spend time dedicated to their craft. It is open to artists of all ages and mediums, from anywhere in the world, the first such artist residency in the San Miguel de Allende area. The director is Mónica Contreras, who conceived the idea and made it come true. Camino al Arte is a non-profit organization with an AC designation in México and 503 in the United States, making any contributions tax-deductible.

Mónica was born in Chihuahua, México, and studied at the University of Texas in El Paso, where she received a degree in journalism and creative writing. She spent many years in marketing and product development, concentrating on education and the arts, in various states in the US.

In 2015, she moved to México City, where she remained through the COVID-19 epidemic, then moved to San Miguel de Allende because she found that it is a place with a great abundance of resources, but also great need in the outlying communities. She decided to find a way to bring education, art and culture to locals and those in surrounding rural areas.

Since 2023, Camino al Arte has brought artists and local communities, especially children, together with a unique program of open residency. Artists are given room and board during their stay, and in return, are asked to give back to the community by providing workshops and presenting their work in public. Whatever the medium, the artists in residence are asked to consider the four most important current issues impacting San Miguel de Allende and environs: water, violence, forced migration, and gentrification. At the end of their residency, they are asked to present their work in public focusing one of those issues.

An example of this reciprocal work was a young artist, Gael Martinez Morison, from Louisville, Kentucky. He spent several weeks doing a residency in cinematography, and his final product was a film titled “Paradise,” focusing on San Miguel de Allende. The film was shown at Teatro Santa Ana and received great reviews from the audience. Another artist, a pianist from New York, chose water scarcity as his subject and presented a program in conjunction with Caminos de Agua at the end of his residency.

Two artists are currently at Camino al Arte. Xochitl Loco, a choreographer, has been conducting workshops for adults and children three times a week, as a way to give back to the community. Her final program will be a theater production, and she is looking for five actors and two dancers to participate. Xochil will direct the production and is also working with the participants in creating masks that meld ancient Chinese and Mexican mask-making techniques.

Rodrigo Echevarria from México City is doing oil paintings of capillas de indios—the ancient indigenous chapels located throughout the area. He calls this collection Invertir el virreynato—turning viceroyalty inside out. It is an assembly of images showing the mingling of cultures: Ancient indigenous and Hispanic, but it is also a wonderful documentation of those structures. Rodrigo, respecting these old religious sites, does not take any photographs; all his depictions are paintings and drawings done at the sites.

Aside from the residency program, Camino al Arte has another project, called Somos el arte—We are Art. This program concentrates on bringing education and culture to the various communities through workshops on writing, painting, printmaking, and DJ-ing. It also includes community readings, which is part of Sala de Lectura, a federally funded reading program under the auspices of Fondo de Cultura. They are preparing a first—a community ceramics workshop and are looking for instructors.

Just like other nonprofit organizations, Camino al Arte needs support through volunteers and donations. On September 12, they held a wonderful fundraising event, focused on Oaxacan music, food, and art. It featured the fabulous prints of Victor Lopez, a former Oaxacan resident artist. The food was provided by Vanessa Dominguez, a chef specializing in ancient Mexican cuisine, and a local band featuring Yuyu Ferso, a wonderful singer from Veracruz.

Camino al Arte is worth a visit if only to enjoy the setting.

You may find more information at www.caminoalarte.com or contact Mónica Contreras on her WhatsApp 415 167 1255

www.natalietaylor.org