Not entirely a spectator sport, the Colectiva de Arte 2004
is an art exhibit with a twist — “it is to teach,” says Leonor
de Neuweiler, auxiliary board member of Junkabal in Guatemala City. “Seven
famous artists will paint wooden trays in a workshop,” she explains. The
trays will then be sold in a silent auction. Colectiva de Arte is the annual
fundraiser organized by the board to benefit Junkabal, a professional training
center for women. The exhibit opens on September 7th and runs until September
10th at Anacafé, 5a calle 0-50, zona 14. The workshop (Q75) will be held
on Thursday, September 9, beginning at 4 p.m.
“This has been going on for 10 years,” says de
Neuweiler, referring to the Colectiva de Arte. Each year we feature one outstanding
artist of Guatemala. This year it’s painter Efraín Recinos, who
also designed the National Theater of Guatemala City, which was built in the
late 1970s.” But the exhibit includes more than 200 works of many artists,
all Guatemalan. “We want to give young artists a chance to exhibit together
with well-known artists. It’s not just about excellence. We are trying
to teach,” explains Olga de Lee, also on the auxiliary board. Every year
the quality of the paintings is getting better. Art in Guatemala is really improving.”
The rhetoric is consistent with the work of Junkabal: Teaching,
learning; opportunity, participation, improvement; and quality. It all began
41 years ago in 1963 with a group of enterprising women who wanted to help the
country. In their quest to identify a real need, they went straight to the women
in the market. Before long, in a little house in zone 3, they began offering
training courses for women aimed at gainful employment without leaving the family.
Courses included cooking, sewing and hair cutting. Then they
incorporated leadership training so the women could replicate the training in
their communities.
In 1971 Junkabal moved to its present location on 6a avenida
where, on donated land, they opened a small middle school for girls. Today’s
enrollment of 225 draws from several zones of the city, with classes from primary
through high school in an expanded, well-equipped building. Curriculum at all
levels includes computer training and practical job skills. Vocational programs
with small business training now total more than 20 in areas of culinary, sewing,
floral and salon. More than 500 women a year enroll from various strata of society,
and tuitions help make possible scholarships for students of lower incomes.
From the beginning, there has been emphasis on integrating
values with traditional learning. This is reinforced in monthly themes and conferences
on personal, family and community topics. Since 1983 Junkabal has offered basic
medical and dental services to the community, teaching preventive health through
hygiene and nutrition. “If they don’t have health, they cannot study,”
says director Blanca Margarita Solórzano. Solórzano, previously
a teacher at Junkabal, earned an education degree at the University Rafael Landívar
and did administrative studies in Pamplona, Spain.
The word Junkabal comes from the Kaqchikel word for “warmth
of home.” Solórzano believes the intention of those who assigned
the name years ago is being carried out. “Women play an important role.
What they learn here radiates to the training of their children, to their communities
and to the country in general.” •
