Cultural Events

“Mexico’s Contemporary Bi-national Cinema: from Migrations to Co-productions” Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado

Thursday, October 11, Burchfield Penney Art Center

In this talk Ignacio Sánchez Prado will focus on contemporary Mexican cinema as a bi-
national endeavor that includes telling migration stories, the migration of Mexican
filmmakers to the United States, and the way in which Mexican cinema builds
transnational audiences.

Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado is Professor of Spanish, Latin American Studies and Film
and Media Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. His areas of research include
Mexican literary, film and cultural studies, Latin American intellectual history, neoliberal
culture, food cultural studies and “world literature” theory. He is the author of El canon y
sus formas: La reinvención de Harold Bloom y sus lecturas hispanoamericanas (2002),
Poesía para nada (2005), Naciones intelectuales. Las fundaciones de la modernidad
literaria mexicana (1917-1959) (2009. His new book, Strategic Occidentalism. On
Mexican Fiction, The Neoliberal Book Market and the Question of World Literature will
be published in 2018 by Northwestern University Press. His work in progress includes a
forthcoming with his essays on Alfonso Reyes, entitled Intermitencias alfonsinas, and a
book-length study on cosmopolitanism and genre in Mexican cinema. Prof. Sánchez
Prado’s teaching is focused on 20th- and 21st-century Mexican literature, film and
culture, as well as Latin American critical thought and literary theory. In addition, for the
Latin American Studies Program, he teaches Survey of Latin American Cultures, and
diverse classes on cultural studies. At the University College, he teaches undergraduate
classes on Latin American Cultural Studies and classes on neoliberalism and culture for
the Masters Programs in International Affairs and Liberal Arts.

Día de Muertos Arts and Crafts Workshop run by Mara Odette Guerrero, Casa De Arte

Friday, October 12, 5:30pm-7:30pm, Burchfield Penny Art Center (Studio Room)

Mara Odette Guerrero will discuss the meaning of the Day of the Dead
celebration in Mexico, linking it to the characters from Disney’s Coco (2017). Guerrero
will construct an altar representing the religious and cultural diversity of Mexico. The
participants will be encouraged to make arts and crafts for the altar (which they can also
take home), such as Masks, Cempazuchil Flowers, and Papel Picado banners.

 

Mara Odette Guerrero-Williams is a Mexican-born artist and gallerist. After living
in Washington D.C. for many years, she returned to Buffalo, and came up with the idea to
promote a multi-pronged organization that would encompass both Buffalo, and the town
of Cuernavaca, in the Mexican state of Morelos. A partnership with the Universidad
Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Guerrero’s alma mater, was formed; soon thereafter,
the gallery known as Casa de Arte Buffalo-Cuernavaca was born. The Asociación
Cultural Buffalo Cuernavaca, as the umbrella group was calling itself, also initiated a
dialogue with several institutions in Buffalo, including the University at Buffalo and the Latin American Institute. The mission of the group and the gallery was to begin a cultural exchange program, to share intellectual information and the creative spirit. There were multiple Day of the Dead exhibitions held in the gallery. In 2017 the gallery was closed and Mara Odette Guerrero returned to Washington DC. On her return to Buffalo for the Global Film Festival program this October she will lead a Coco workshop for kids, recite Mexican poetry during the Border and Immigration panel, and present her Day of the Dead Katrina sculpture of a skeletal figure in a traditional dress from Chiapas.

Book Reading for Children (Collection Study). Book Readers: Rebekah White and
Daniel Perlino, UB English

Friday, October 12, 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 6:30pm, Burchfield Penny Art Center (Colletion Study)

During this book reading, children will learn more about Mexico and its cultural
traditions. The following books will be included: Coco Book (2017), Disney/Pixar.
Living in Mexico (2016), Chloe Perkins. Off We Go to Mexico (2008), Laurie Krebs.
The readings will be held at 3 designated times: 5:30 pm, 6 pm, and 6:30 pm.

Happy Hour: La Marimba

Friday, October 12, 5:30pm-7pm, Burchfield Penney Art Center

La Marimba, led by Tiffany Nicely, brings their original flair to traditional marimba
music of Mexico and Central America. Dancing grooves, catchy tunes, and witty
improvisation keep audiences enraptured. Cash Bar. Mexican dishes will be available at the Burchfield Penney Cafe.

Borders/Immigration Panel and Mexican Poetry

Friday, October 12, 9pm, Burchfield Penny Art Center

The panel will follow the presentation of short films on borders and immigration. The
panel will begin with the recitation of Mexican poetry by Mara Odette Guerrero. Local
immigration experts from various institutions in Buffalo will then led the conversation
with the audience.