August 10, 2010
A New Mata Ortiz Book
It’s been some time since The Many Faces of Mata Ortiz and The Miracle of Mata Ortiz, so I’m happy to report that a new book about Mata Ortiz is now available. Written by John V. Bezy and Stuart D. Scott, it’s called The Artistry and History of Mata Ortiz and it even features a photo I took of Spencer MacCallum and Juan Quezada. I just ordered mine and can’t wait to get it. For more information about the book, go to: http://www.mataortizartists.com.
August 8, 2010
The Latest...
I’m almost done! The awesome Patrick Kirst finished the score and now it’s in the hands of my audio guy, Bobby Garza, Jr. for sound editing, etc. I still have to do some assorted technical stuff to do after that, but it’s very close to being submitted to festivals. I was engaged in a nasty battle with the proper way to do the subtitles when Bouke over at the VideoToolShed came to the rescue with his SubBits subtitling software. Thanks, Bouke!
If you know of any cool places (museums, independent screening facilities, universities) in your town or anywhere on the planet, please let me know and I’ll drop them a line. And a big thank you to the people who have donated to the project. Your generosity is very much appreciated. Give yourself a big hug!
May 20, 2010
A quick story from Spencer MacCallum.
The Little Church of Divine Mercy
This is the story of a little church in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, a small town in northern Mexico cradled in a rare valley in the Sierra Madres. Natural springs and the Casas Grandes River irrigate its fields and orchards. In the 17th century, Spaniards admired the fertile valley and built the town of Casas Grandes and a Franciscan mission, San Antonio de Padua de Casas Grandes.
But in modern times, beginning in 1992, a prolonged drought struck the region. Unable to make a go of it in the absence of rainfall, people from the surrounding Sierras migrated into the valley in search of work, nearly doubling the population of Casas Grandes. As housing spread west, Padre Antonio Quezada Valdez saw that the old church in the middle of town was no longer adequate. Another was needed, and with it a new church plaza.
Wondering what sort of church to build, Padre Antonio had a dream. Instead of putting up just another modern structure, why not replicate the 350-year-old church of the now ruined Franciscan mission? He would call it El Templo del Señor de la Divina Misericordia (Temple of the Lord of Divine Mercy). Little remained of the original church, built in 1663 and destroyed in the Pueblo Indian revolt of 1680. But its plan was known because a team of archaeologists had once excavated the mission site.
With a limited budget, Padre Antonio realized that he could not replicate the original size of the mission church. But he thought he could accomplish the effect on a slightly smaller scale. Sadly, the budget did not allow even that. Construction began in 1999 and continued to where services could be held, and there the funding ran out. The towers were left truncated, and no work had been done on the plaza. And so the church stood for several years, known only to its parishioners.
Then a miracle began to unfold. In 2004 a local artist, Gricel Ortiz, who had trained in Italy and painted chapels there, came home to care for her aged mother. Finding the little church, she volunteered to cover the entire wall behind the altar with a mural of the Divine Mercy. At the focal end of the long nave, with perfect lighting from a clerestory, the wall offered an ideal space for a major work of art. Gricel was inspired. She filled the chapel with classical music as she painted, high on her scaffolding. Without help, she completed the mural in six days. Her dream, when the padre could afford to buy materials, was to paint the whole interior of the church with a surround mural of clouds, angels, and saints so that visitors on entering the church would feel they had entered heaven.
The MacCallums had renovated La Casa del Nopal near the plaza, and a guide for Grand Circle Travel, Teresa Zinser, had begun bringing her tour groups to this historic adobe. During one of these visits, Spencer boarded the bus and guided the group to the little church, explaining its story on the way.
He told the tour group they would see a rare example of Chihuahua’s original style of church architecture, like that of the adobe churches of New Mexico to the north with their long, narrow nave, and he explained that the reason for the narrow nave was that the builders were limited by the trees they had to span it. He told about the mural and explained why the church was unfinished. He said this would not be for all, but if some felt inspired by the beauty they were about to see and wanted to feel a part of the project, he knew the padre would welcome it. As they left the church, he said, he would stand near the entrance with his inverted sombrero for those who freely cared to contribute.
Such was the response that within months, as Teresa continued bringing groups and others joined in, construction on the church resumed, bringing employment to the neighborhood. Within the year, not only were the towers complete, Gricel had paints and materials to carry out her over-all vision for the church.
After installing professional lighting that will effectively illuminate the art work, future plans include offering concerts of string quartet and other kinds of chamber music in this unique setting.
While Gricel prefers anonymity, her art set in motion a miracle for realizing Padre Antonio’s dream. The little church of Divine Mercy in Casas Grandes is without a doubt one of the most interesting and beautiful
religious structures in northern Mexico. Its
simplicity and spirituality will inspire many
for years to come.
Spencer MacCallum
Casas Grandes, Chihuahua
20 May 2010
