Mexican consulate organizes art exhibition of Lady of Guadalupe

Juan Carlos Mendoza Sánchez, Consul General of Mexico in Laredo, said that this is an exhibition that will only be promoted at the Laredo Consulate.

“This is not a national activity of the consular network,” Sanchez said.

He said that the idea of this exhibition arises from the Mexican feeling towards Guadalupano.

“At the beginning of the Mexican Independence movement, priest Miguel Hidalgo used the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe as the first flag of the movement,” he said. “Lady of Guadalupe is a symbol of the greatest importance in Mexican culture; it is a tradition that we Mexicans must preserve.

“December 12 being the anniversary of her appearance to Juan Diego, we consider that through an artistic exhibition, we contribute to preserving that historical heritage of Mexicans.”

He added that the first exhibition of this type was held in December 2011.

“It was the year I arrived in Laredo,” he said.

He said that the fact that Laredo is a binational community means that not only origin but also history is shared, which is why it is important that artists from Dos Laredos participate in this exhibition.

“The Dos Laredos is a unique binational community,” he said. “The Virgin of Guadalupe is venerated on both sides of the border. So it is natural that we invite artists from both cities to participate with their works in this exhibition with which we will close our 2023 cultural program.”

Mendoza Sánchez said that among the requirements to participate are that the artwork be one’s own and that it has the artist’s signature; the technique is free but must not exceed 1.2 meters on either side; fill out the registration form and send it with a digital photo of the work to the indicated address; more than one work by the same author can be submitted; The selected works must be delivered to the Consulate General of Mexico in Laredo.

The call is available on the Consulate’s website https://bit.ly/convocatoria_guadalupe Also on its social media, as well as on the ICML Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/icmdelaredo.

Registrations will be received until 2 p.m. on Monday, December 4, 2023.

The artists selected for the exhibition will receive a certificate of recognition issued jointly by the Mexican Cultural Institute of Laredo and the Consulate General of Mexico.

“The exhibition will be inaugurated on the afternoon of December 9 at the Casa-Studio of the Mexican Cultural Institute of Laredo located on the second floor of The Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, right in front of the exit of the central elevator. It will be open until December 31,” Mendoza Sanchez said.

Finally, Mendoza Sanchez invited the Dos Laredos community to participate as artists or to attend the pictorial exhibition to contribute to preserving cultural traditions.

“We invite you to share the results of your talent with the communities of Los Dos Laredos to strengthen the binational culture that distinguishes us from other borders,” he said. “This activity, in addition to paying tribute to the Virgin of Guadalupe, seeks to strengthen the development of binational culture and stimulate coexistence and exchanges of experiences between artists from Dos Laredos.”