Day 2 - Nicaraguan press conference and exhibition planning - February 15th 2007

Morning had come with voices in the court yard balcony of the second floor. I peaked through the window curtains to find out what was going on. Dave was introducing himself to two other people. I quickly dressed and stepped out to also introduce myself, presumably to Mitch and Cathie Bentley who must have arrived late last night. It was indeed them, but minus their luggage which did not arrive with them to Managua with their flight. Hence, they would have to return to the airport and Customs later that morning to get their luggage containing clothes and another suitcase full of art—paintings, six 16 by 20 inches original digital words. After breakfast they will get Lydia, our hotel matron, to call Customs to clear the luggage over to the airline they had flown with. Customs doesn't remain open all day; therefore, being in the hands of the airline would make them assessable more easily upon their arrival anytime during the day.

At breakfast we sat down to discuss the day's itinerary. Dieter Stadler, the Director of the Casa de los Tres Mundos, happened to leave to Europe on some business without notifying Erik that he couldn't complete his obligations regarding the creation of tags for the paintings, banner production, and the framing of artworks brought by Erik from Costa Rica where he had them printed onto one square meter vinyl canvases including three for Dave and one for Kara. So the obligation to organize the exhibition for its due opening on Friday fell to us for all certainty. This implied that we would first and foremost walk to the gallery this morning after breakfast, so that we could be certain that the framing would begin.

Several artists, namely Bettina, Betsy and Bill, had their artwork to carry over to the gallery; and, rather than go off to our first over night trek to a distant volcano, it was decided to let them begin to select where they would hang their artworks. Of course the show needed to be set up in such a way that it would be aesthetically pleasing within a unity of differing painting styles. While Bettina, Betsy and Bill caroused the inner court yard and inner available rooms of the galley space, Erik and I would attend to other details.

Erik introduced us to Ivan, Christoff, Florin, Anya, Nora, Sandra and a few other gallery workers who were from Austria and Germany fulfilling their military service obligations as civil-servants in various countries throughout the world. They were stationed here in Nicaragua for their 18 month stints. It turns out that Germany in particular has sister city relationships between the two countries. At any rate, Ivan et al would be manning the computers and the technology during our stay, this included creating a radio announcement in both Spanish and English to be played initially every two hours during our week's exhibition stay. Fernando Lopez, the Cultural Director, was also introduced to each of us once he arrived to the center. He was left in charge during Dieter's surprise absence to oversee the success of our exhibition.

The Casa was now abuzz with activity. Betsy and Bettina discovered the Internet café next door to the gallery and utilized both the internet telephone and e-mail facilities as they needed. Once the radio text was drafted, Ivan, Florin and Christoff asked me to verify the message and/or include or omit what I deemed unclear. Bettina in the meantime was selected by the gallery workers as the English voice for the commercial. Yes indeed, she was in her element, not just with her artist comrades, but also with her fluency of German. The Spanish version would be recorded by another staff gallery employee. The plan was to release and air the commercial every half hour initially for a 24 hour period until the exhibition 7 PM opening on Friday night. Meanwhile Fernando informed us that there would be a press conference planned with the local media for 3 PM later this afternoon with Erik (Workshop Coordinator), Kara (President/Chair), Dave (Euro-VP, artist & writer, Rudaux recipient) and Bill (Senior scientist, artist & writer, Rudaux recipient) to round out the composition of this IAAA panel.

The work proceeded all morning. At some point I learned from Eirk about the hardship that the gallery was experiencing regarding funding. Dieter had gone unexpectedly to a board meeting in Europe where he would request more educational funding for the 80 year old institute for various programs, the staff and the services that the Casa de los Mundos provided for the impoverished culturally deprived community in and about region of Granada. The staff including the resident artists didn't know whether they would be pain for their work in the coming weeks, nor whether the programs would continue on track as they had been working feverishly in support to provide. The Casa provided art lessons, music training both singing and instruments, and performance art programs to street kids. They also helped rebuilding projects after last year's hurricanes that led to mud slides in nearby villages. Erik suggested to me whether we could consider the idea of making a donation for the help being provided for us during our stay? The workshop fees were already being matched for the organizing, frame making, banners, transportation for our ten day stay to and fro the airport and the field throughout western Nicaragua.

I broached the subject with our IAAA artists and collectively we discussed the pro and cons of the idea. The consensus we felt was that it would be for a very good cause and we agreed to pitch in to donate $500 to the educational programs to Fernando Lopez, the Cultural Director of the Casa de los Tres Mundos, who was currently funding his staff out of his own pocket. I suggested that we would announce the presentation of this donation from the IAAA at the opening on Friday night. Bettina accepted to volunteer to type up the document while I would raise the funds including spouses and friends accompanying the workshop. I also approached Gayle Hartmann's Peruvian friends, Maria and Samuel, to help with Spanish translations for the formal text expressing our appreciation and gratitude for the hosting of our group exhibition and the symbolic cheque on the back of my painting, Surprize ­ In the realm of Infinity.

Our first lunch took 15 of us, as an entire group including friends and staff of the Casa, through the streets of Granada to their favorite eatery. It was quite the third world village street scene that we experienced. Some carts with wooden wheels, others with bald tires, pulled wagons with various sorts of items including branches from trees, sacks of grains, bricks, and various other things to the street market place. The water flowing down the street curbs often had algae and moss mixed in with discarded trash of various sorts. Skeletal dogs lay sleeping on the roads next to the curbs and moved only last minute when a honking horn of a car raced down upon them.

While walking in the streets I asked Cathie if she could document our stay from a communications journalist perspective of our cultural experience and Mitch to photograph any art that would be produced on our field trip. Mitch had told me earlier that he hadn't brought any of his own drawing and painting materials but would be willing to help with his camera and recording media.

After lunch at the staff's local favorite restaurant, we arrived back at the gallery for further planning. Name tags would be needed. The night before, while Erik, Bettina and I designed the banner selecting text, font, style and color, Dave agreed to let us use one of his paintings. Meanwhile, I sent an urgent e-mail to BJ whether he could provide us with a large high-res IAAA logo. What was available at the iaaa.org website was way too small. This arrived in quick order which delighted me immensely. Ivan e-mailed the pdf file to a Managua printing shop and would be ready for tomorrow.

At 3 PM the press conference began with Erik, Dave, Bill and I sitting at the front central table. The media sat in the front row facing the head table, while interested listeners including guests, artists, gallery staff and the general public sat in behind in extra rows. Fernando Lopez called everyone to order and introduced Erik as the workshop organizer and coordinator. After I brief overview as to our mission and exhibition, he introduced me as the president/chair of the IAAA. I spoke about our early beginnings from 1983, in that we had grown to approximately 160 members from 23 countries, and what we as artists in the genre did as to our raison d'etre, then introduced Dave as our Euro-VP to speak about our philosophy and the space art historical roots. Speaking about how the genre initially formed and how our organization held workshops throughout the world at various geological locations that were analogues of extra terrestrial worlds, Dave introduced Bill as a senior scientist, writer and artist. Bill then talked about how we did our art through stories he had successfully used at previous venues of how to visualize what we don't see as scientists, despite making scientific measurements. Its one thing to measure some geological features and gather data via satellite and space crafts, BUT, what does it mean and WHAT does look like?

This introduction for the press and media then followed a question and answer session. I duly noted how Bettina, Betsy and Mitch did not get an opportunity to address specific comments they wanted to accent and express, hence I would see to it that they too would get their opportunity and avenue with the press later during the opening of the exhibition.

In the closing moments of the press conference, I invited the media, guests and the public to come to our opening and later to an evening power point presentation I would give on Sunday about our ‘Cosmic Vision'. In the plaza, the images of my talk would be projected onto a while wall while I would speak and an interpreter would relate my story as well as another presentation that would follow by Mitch. Sunday evening could include other opportunities of going to various website locations Bill had spoken about where data and extra terrestrial landscapes we use and interpret come from, for local and national artists. With so many questions and hopeful expectations from the media, I would have the opportunity to introduce Bettina to speak about her art form; Mitch to speak about art history, the genre of space art as initially rendered by Vatican Jesuits in the 17th century and graphic art in general as introduced by Dave as a new medium instrument; and finally Betsy the grand prize recipient of the EuroMIR's First International Space Art Exhibition inn Orbit. Her prize, her artwork would remain for a year long sojourn in the MIR Space Station. In this fashion, all seven IAAA artists would be recognized, acknowledged and have the opportunity to explain and interpret the intentions of their artwork.

In the very late afternoon, we all went back to the hotel to regroup and go out for supper at a pizzeria a couple of blocks away from our residency. Gayle had suggested the Mona Lisa but then we found it closed for the next two days. Instead, we headed back up the street to another, Du Luca Pizzeria, whose staff had brought out several tables and chair into the street directly out front to accommodate our group including several Casa staff employees.

After supper, those of us who were still feeling jet lag, still missing their luggage as was the case for Mitch and Cathie and/or other priorities, went back to the hotel. Meanwhile, Erik, Bettina, Bill, Gayle, Maria, Samuel and I headed off to a latino club of salsa music. No sooner did we get there, sit and order a round of drinks, Bettina was swooped up to dance a sultry tune by a local caballero. What a trooper. The music was loud and the evening humidly hot. An hour or so of this, everyone else decided to call it a night and headed off. Meanwhile, Erik and I stayed on as Ivan, Christof, Florin, Sandra and Anya arrived. By mid night Erik and I decided to pack it in, so we left them there and made our way back for the night. Before retiring we had another Victoria pilsner to discuss the itinerary for the next day.

Next: Day 3

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