New Puerto Vallarta sculpture tour
This item appears on page 45 of the March 2019 issue.
My companion, George, and I visited Puerto Vallarta again, Nov. 28-Dec. 16, 2018, and I wanted to offer an update on the Malecón (boardwalk) sculpture tour that I mentioned in my 2015 article, "Enjoying the Food, Art and Celebrations of Mexico's Puerto Vallarta" (Dec. '15, pg. 40).
Art is a big part of Puerto Vallarta's culture vibe, and the Tuesday 9:30 a.m. tour is still very much alive, but the owner of Galería Pacífico del Arte (Aldama 174, Centro; phone +52 322 222 1982, www.galeriapacifico.com), Gary Thompson, has now added an evening tour on Thursdays at 6:00 called the "Sunset Sculpture Tour."
Anyone visiting between November and April (the tourist season) who is interested in art, history and being entertained with storytelling will find this delightful. The Malecón gallery has wonderful sculptures, and so many have been added that one tour can't do it all.
American sculptor Jim Demetro now lives in Puerto Vallarta, and the sunset tour ends at his new gallery, Demetro Galeria (Lázaro Cárdenas 169, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, Puerto Vallarta; www.demetro.net), in Old Town. Three of Demetro's bronzes are on the evening tour.
Though tips are accepted for a local library, the tour is free. It begins at Galería Pacífico at 6 and proceeds to the Malecón 1½ blocks away. Then it's roughly 1½ hours to the Demetro Galeria. And another 30 minutes if you want to have refreshments and listen to Jim Demetro, himself.
Another free and very fun event in town is a performance by the Xiutla Folkloric Dancers. This is held every Friday at 7:30 p.m., November through April, in Lázaro Cárdenas Park.
Wearing traditional costumes from different regions of Mexico, the dancers we saw ranged in age from 6 or 7 to young adults, and the performance was truly first-rate. One would think they were professionals. I was spellbound as they did a 15-minute-long rendition of Ravel's "Bolero," but the entire program lasted about 90 minutes. The dancers and costumes were outstanding!
EVENYL ROEMMICH
Vista, CA