Mexican Events Draw Crowd

The music and culture of Mexico filled the Fogg and Sackler Art Museums during yesterday's "!Festival Mexicano!," an event sponsored by the Friends of Harvard Art Museums.

An estimated 750 people came to the festival over the course of the day to view performances of Mexican regional music and dance by Cambridge and Boston-based artists.

The Fogg Art Museum also hosted instructional workshops on mask-painting, crafts, dancing, games and children's songs.

Organizers yesterday said they were pleased with the turnout at the festival.

It was a "great way to [bring together] both Latino students on campus and other students and members of the community," said Marian Myszkowski, coordinator of member and public programs for the Friends of Harvard Art Museums.

Funding from American Express Co. allowed the event's organizers to offer free admission to the public, a draw for students and residents from Cambridge and the surrounding area, said Rebecca H. Wright, director of the Friends of Harvard Art Museums.

About 30 volunteers, including students from Harvard and other area colleges and Harvard museum members, organized the festival. Latinas Unidas, an undergraduate group for Latina students, and Raza, the Mexican-American students association, helped to plan and advertise the event.

The Mexican consulate also provided help, putting the organizers in touch with artists and craftspeople in the Boston area, Myszkowski said.

The events were run by students as well asprofessional artists.

Veronica Rosales '94 and Estela Torres '94, thetreasurer and co-chair respectively of LatinasUnidas, taught a workshop on painting masks forDia de Los Muertos ("Day of the Dead"). TheMexican holiday, which falls on November 1,encompasses "a mixture of pagan and Catholictraditions," said Rosales.

The dance portion of the festival was performedby Xuchipilli, a Boston-based regional Mexicandance group. In the year that the 12-memberXuchipilli has been together, it has performed atMIT and the Boston Children's Museum as well asother universities and cultural festivals.

"We want to show the good things about Mexicoand share the culture with you with our dances,"said dancer Genoveva Tavera.

Four of Xuchipilli's members danced previouslywith Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan, a Harvard- basedMexican folk dance group that helped bringXuchipilli to the festival.

The Festival was featured in conjunction with"Revelaciones: The Art of Manuel Alvarez Bravo,"an exhibit that opened at the Arthur M. SacklerMuseum on September 12

The events were run by students as well asprofessional artists.

Veronica Rosales '94 and Estela Torres '94, thetreasurer and co-chair respectively of LatinasUnidas, taught a workshop on painting masks forDia de Los Muertos ("Day of the Dead"). TheMexican holiday, which falls on November 1,encompasses "a mixture of pagan and Catholictraditions," said Rosales.

The dance portion of the festival was performedby Xuchipilli, a Boston-based regional Mexicandance group. In the year that the 12-memberXuchipilli has been together, it has performed atMIT and the Boston Children's Museum as well asother universities and cultural festivals.

"We want to show the good things about Mexicoand share the culture with you with our dances,"said dancer Genoveva Tavera.

Four of Xuchipilli's members danced previouslywith Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan, a Harvard- basedMexican folk dance group that helped bringXuchipilli to the festival.

The Festival was featured in conjunction with"Revelaciones: The Art of Manuel Alvarez Bravo,"an exhibit that opened at the Arthur M. SacklerMuseum on September 12