With an unprecedented exhibition, they settle an "old debt" with the painter Arturo Moyers Villena.

▲ Arturo Moyers Villena is considered one of Sinaloa's first painters. Photo courtesy of the Instituto Sinaloense de Cultura

Irene Sánchez

Correspondent

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 16, 2025, p. 4

Mazatlán, Sinaloa, painter Arturo Moyers Villena, considered a precursor of the visual arts in Sinaloa and one of the last Mexican muralists, was remembered in the exhibition Reunion among Comrades, held at the Sinaloa Art Museum (Masin) and as part of the commemoration of International Museum Day (ICOM), celebrated every May 25.

The exhibition, attended by the artist's widow, María Antonieta López, is a collection of paintings that recover the painter's early work, thereby settling a long-standing debt to the man who lived in the state capital from 1959 to 1970.

The exhibition was also organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Directorate of Regional Research and Development, now the Sinaloa Institute of Culture (ISIC), affiliated with the state government.

Arturo Moyers Villena (1938-2013) was originally from the municipality of Los Mochis. At 16, he enrolled at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City, where he consolidated his style. His work is characterized by its use of contrasting colors and light, closely reminiscent of the technique of David Alfaro Siqueiros.

Upon his return to Sinaloa, he participated in the visual arts workshop at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa with Erasto Cortés, in addition to collaborating with the university's theater group.

Rodolfo Arriaga Robles, Director of Artistic Programming, representing Juan Salvador Avilés, head of the ISIC, commented that Moyers "is a legendary figure and one of the pioneers of the visual arts in our institution. This reunion among comrades is also a way of getting closer to the people of his generation who lent their work."

He stated that Moyers was one of the first painters in Sinaloa, and that ultimately the generations who lived with him and the new ones will be able to enjoy his art, thanking the artist's family for the legacy he left behind .

The artist's daughter, Citlali Moyers Millán, recalled the generosity of those who lent the works and those who refused to do so, because we know that they do so out of the attachment and love they have for them, since they are family portraits or landscapes of Culiacán from 1959 to 1970, when the painter lived in that city .

He stated that in the exhibition one can admire his technical evolution in the paintings he made of the Tamazula River and the city of Culiacán, as well as in the portraits of people of different ages, and he pointed out: now we can say that my father was a prophet in his land .

I considered that gathering all this work was almost a detective work and a rediscovery of mine, because I found experiences and anecdotes of the people, since each painting is a wonderful story .

Moyers Millán stated that some paintings were left unfinished because, due to political circumstances during the university movements of 1970, his father had to leave quickly for Mexico City.

He noted that there, his father had the opportunity to join Alfaro Siqueiros' workshop for about four years until the latter's death.

Inna Teresa Álvarez, director of the MASIN, said that by making this exhibition a reality, they were able to settle a pending debt with the portraitist from Culiacán and its people.

Reyes Martínez Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 16, 2025, p. 5

Writer and journalist Cristina Pacheco first published her column "Mar de Historias" in La Jornada in 1986. The series concluded shortly before her death in December 2023, when she bid farewell to her readers. An anthology (published by Tusquets) of the stories that appeared in the newspaper over a period of 38 years was presented yesterday at the Museo del Estanquillo.

The narrator recounted, in a 2022 Canal Once program, that when this newspaper was created, she thought: "I would like to write here." She interviewed director Carlos Payán to ask him if she could publish a story every week.

The dialogue continued: "Do you think you'll be able to hold out? I don't know. If I can't, I'll let you know ." Payán decided: "Bring me the first one. We'll publish one for you every week ."

The author mentioned this to her husband, the poet José Emilio Pacheco, who encouraged her in this endeavor; the writer and editor even suggested the title: Sea of ​​Stories, because nothing ends, nothing has a finality. Each story is independent of the other .

Cristina Pacheco (1941-2023) said that, despite her doubts, once she started she couldn't stop. It's tiring, yes, but it's very exciting. It's like going on a date .

The book "Mar de historias" (Sea of ​​Stories) brings together nearly 160 texts from the extensive narrative work published in La Jornada; it explores dramatic and emotional narratives, with a style that also incorporates humor.

The first story in "Mar de Historias" was published on Sunday, January 5, 1986; it is titled "El batalla de los reyes" (The Battle of the Kings ). The volume begins with "El eterno viajero " (The Eternal Traveler) (La Jornada, 2/2/14), which addresses the author's relationship with José Emilio Pacheco, who had died a few days earlier.

There it reads: "I've almost filled Almudena's little notebook. I'll date it today: January 26th. Tomorrow I'll write in the first of the many notebooks I'll have to fill, telling you about my life until the day you return. I know this time it won't be soon. In a way, it's better: you'll give me time to fulfill all your requests, including finding the black pen that gave you the best handwriting. This reminds me of another of my pending tasks: deciphering what you wrote on loose sheets of paper the nights before your trip.

▲ Back cover of the Sunday, December 3, 2023 edition of La Jornada in which the journalist announced her latest Sea of ​​Stories

I paused. I got up from my desk because the hummingbird you loved so much had reappeared in front of your window. If he's back, it's impossible for you not to.

The gallery of characters he sketched in these texts offers a glimpse into thousands of stories, with a tenderness that makes these individuals endearing. The narrative is nostalgic or emotional. There is a chronicle and psychological exploration, and a constant defense of human dignity.

The writer claimed that her contributions to La Jornada were a way of taking a stand and making people aware that their political activity does not have to begin with party affiliation, but rather with words , according to the book Confrontaciones (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, 1987).

He then added: "I'm on these people's side, and they certainly have the need, they have the right, and in the end, they'll be right." That's the political position of those texts .

The aforementioned book emerged from a meeting with the university community, to whom she told me that the stories in Sea of ​​Stories were also "a way of not being alone and not feeling lonely. When I tell you that I know marginalization, because that's how I grew up and lived, I also know that terrible aspect of poverty: abandonment, loneliness.

I remember that loneliness, and that's why, and to hopefully share it with someone who's feeling it right now, I write these stories. I don't intend them to be educational; that would be very difficult, but if they can teach someone something, something about other people's lives, and I can share them, I'm satisfied.

Cristina Pacheco titled her latest collaboration, dated December 3, 2023, "It Has Been Wonderful ." She thanked her readers and friends for their support and perseverance over the decades they have read her.

He concluded: "To the Director of La Jornada, to my colleagues, my deepest gratitude for your support and generosity. I wish you all the best of luck."

Dpa

La Jornada Newspaper, Monday, June 16, 2025, p. 5

Hamburg/Cologne, More than 100 German museums are participating in an initiative to bring their exhibitions closer to people who cannot see or be physically present at the venues, with guided telephone tours that allow viewers to sit on their sofas at home.

The program is aimed at people who would like to experience a live cultural experience but cannot, for example, because they are blind or have limited mobility, or don't feel comfortable in large groups. At the Museum of Applied Arts in Cologne, the guided tour is about to begin. Fifteen people are waiting for their guide, Corinna Fehrenbach, but the art expert is alone at the entrance. She puts on her headphones, calls a number, and begins to talk.

I'm here, ready in the museum's grand foyer, and Cologne Cathedral is just two minutes away. "To give you an idea of ​​where we are ," she says, talking about the design exhibition. Fehrenbach offers a one-hour guided tour by phone.

On Sunday, June 15, the Hamburger Kunsthalle joined the initiative with an exhibition of works by Manet, Schmidt-Rottluff, and Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere.

The idea was launched by the Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, Hamburg museums, and an inclusion office in February 2021, during the COVID pandemic.

There are 111 cultural organizations that have already offered a telephone visit or will do so , says director Melanie Wölwer.

Gertrud Feld, 61, a resident of Saarbrücken, has already been guided through the Helmut Schmidt House in Hamburg, Museum Island in Berlin, and the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar.

I'm so happy to hear and experience so many things from home. I always discover something beautiful, new, and exciting , she shares.