A Lot of Pretentious B-S

The San Miguel art scene is becoming increasingly and incredibly pretentious. People tell me to ignore it. I try, but it's getting harder and harder for me to do that. As the competition grows, so does the newspaper and online advertising and general promotion of events. Posters and handouts are popping up everywhere, and the B-S is flying thick and fast.

This week (February 26-March 4, 2016) we have a gallery opening with a full-page ad in the local newspaper announcing that a guy who is “direct from Miami, Florida” (oooh – so what?) is going to do a live painting of Frida Kahlo (is he going to bring her back from the dead? – that would be worth watching). His style is super glitzy, and we don’t need that kind of art in SMA, so send him back to Miami on the next flight, please.

Then there’s a new play, also announced with a full-page ad that tells us it’s “hilarious and a must-see” (a must-see, what a tiresome cliché). Oh, really? And does anyone else think it’s a bit self serving for the producers or director or whoever wrote the copy for the ad to call it hilarious? Not very objective, is it? Perchance it was the playwright’s mother who called it that?

And to top it off we have a realtor who promotes himself as the guy who will be happy to sell you your “dream home” running an ad using Stephen Spielberg’s photo and his logo with the line “Dream Works”. What does his real estate agency have to do with Hollywood, I wonder? Answer: Nada damn thing. He’s trying to steal some Hollywood glamour, and isn’t it illegal to use a celebrity’s image to sell something without their permission? Watch out there, Mr. Real Estate Agent, you may find yourself in court, or, worse yet, you may not be invited to the Oscars! Heaven forbid! 

San Miguel's Annual Carnival and Tourist Invasion

Every February San Miguel becomes a super hive of activity, and this year seems to have even more events than usual. I am tempted to call it San Miguel’s Carnival of Creativity. All the accelerated activity among the artists in our community is driven by the Tourist Invasion that happens every February, spearheaded by the annual Writers Conference. With all the openings, exhibits, studio walks, in addition to the theater and music performances, writing workshops, talks, tours and lectures that are crammed into five days, we are currently on arts events overload. It makes me wonder – just how many arts events is the average tourist willing and able to take in during a single week?

With all the artists vying for attention in San Miguel, the city has turned into a rat race. But in February it becomes a Super Marathon Rat Race, or, if you like, a Rat Race on Steroids.