Artists and art lovers at the first edition of “SaloArt,” the art exhibition in the Moorish Castel which crowns the town of Salobreña on the Mediterrean coast of Granada. (See more photos in the album at the bottom of this post.)
The first edition of the SaloArte exhibition opened on the evening of July 26 in the Moorish castle at the top of this picturesque Andalusian village situated at the edge of the Mediterranean. Like all first editions of events which dream of future glory, it was fraught with anticipation, hope and ilusión (the Spanish word for a combination of both). There were a few teething problems–like a light failure–but that’s what first editions–dress rehearsals after all–are for. Nothing went wrong that can’t be easily solved for next year and everyone agrees that the event, with it’s Mediterranean ambience and dramatic towntop castle setting, can look forward to a brilliant future.
An enormous amount of credit must go to Helen Mc Cormack, president of the International Club of Salobreña, organizers along with the Salobreña town hall, of the SaloArt initiative. Besides being one of the gentlest people in the Western Hemisphere, Helen is a multi-talented multiprocessor, capable not only of organizing and supervising crews of carpenters and electricians, and charming all the artists, but also of delivering a cordial and professional welcoming speech in Spanish and English. Everybody agrees that the show could not have gone on without Helen.
A highlight of the inauguration was the presence and brief remarks of Federico Mayor Zaragoza, remarks full of humanity
D. Federico Mayor Zaragoza (right) inaugurated the first edtion of SaloArte. Here he is with the mayor of Salobreña and Helen Mc Cormack, curator of the exhibit.
and common sense. Mayor Zaragoza has been one of Spain’s authentic eminences of the past 50 years. Don Federico was born in Barcelona and studied in Madrid, but since 1963 has been identified with Granada at whose university he was professor of biochemistry in the School of Pharmacy and later rector. He was for 12 years the head of UNESCO (1987–1999) where he gave new life to the organization’s mission to “build a bastion of peace in the minds of all people”, putting the institution at the service of peace, tolerance, human rights and peaceful coexistence, working within the scope of its powers and remaining faithful to its original goals. Under Mayor’s guidance, UNESCO created the Culture of Peace Programme, whose objectives revolve around four main themes: education for peace; human rights and democracy; the fight against isolation and poverty; the defense of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue; and conflict prevention and the consolidation of peace. Always the humanist, he is currently president of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, which he founded in the year 2000.
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- Artists and art lovers at the first edition of “SaloArt,” the art exhibition in the Moorish Castel which crowns the town of Salobreña on the Mediterrean coast of Granada. (See more photos in the album at the bottom of this post.)
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- D. Federico Mayor Zaragoza inaugurated the first edtion of SaloArte.
Printmaking Courses in Spain 