March 27th , 2008

The Woodlands, TX – The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival highlights the cultural arts of Mexico with Showcase Mexico April 12 and 13 in Town Green Park. At Showcase Mexico, five Mexican artists present an array of spectacular art including watercolors, oils, acrylics and fine silverwork.  The festival also celebrates Mexican heritage with musical performances and authentic cuisine.

Berta Diaz Mercado participates in numerous art exhibitions throughout Mexico. Her work incorporates various aspects of the human form, as well as architectural landscapes in wonderful watercolor works.

Maria Barbara Attolini is a jeweler, painter and metal worker who specializes in working with gold, silver and other precious metals. Her contemporary designs translate into bold, abstract paintings with vivid colors that reflect the Mexican sensibility.

Individuals all over the world collect contemporary work from artist Vicente Vertiz. His work, seen in museums throughout Mexico, Rumania and Egypt, encompasses large-scale murals as well as smaller pieces.

Knut Pani’s work utilizes abstract and neutral-colored elements reminiscent of the earth and ancestral times. In 1993, he founded “El Pez Soluble,” a printing press in Mexico that offers workshops for artists from all over the world. Pani has numerous exhibitions and represented Mexico in the third Biennale of Contemporary Art in Florence, Italy, where he received the “Lorenzo il Magnifico” bronze award.

Performance artist Martha Maria Baldit is known in Mexico as the “Queen of the Shawl.” The shawls she uses in each song represent that region’s heritage. As the styles of her shawls vary from state to state, so does the style of music. Norteño, banda, corridos and ballads are some of the genres reflected in her music.

Other musical guests at the festival include Ballet Folklorico Azteca of Houston known for its lavish performances and costumes as well as Mariachis Imperial, voted Houston’s Best Mariachis for the third consecutive year. Festival guests also can enjoy a taste of Mexican cuisine with food from La Mesa Mexican Bistro in The Woodlands.

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival still needs volunteers over the weekend to assist in areas such as artist relations, gate monitors and greeters, children’s art activities, student art exhibit, surveys and more.  Volunteers must work a four-hour shift and, in exchange, receive free admission to the festival and a festival t-shirt.  Individuals as well as charity groups and service organizations can volunteer.  Volunteers must be 17 or older.  Individuals interested in volunteering for the festival should complete the online volunteer registration form at www.woodlandsartsfestival.com. 

Festival hours are 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Sunday.  Admission is $10 for adults.  Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge.  Proceeds from the festival benefit local arts-related organizations that are charity partners with the festival.  Charity partners for 2008-09 are The Pavilion Partners, Town Center Theatre and The Woodlands Art League.

Guests attending the festival can park in any of the five free parking lots on the southwest side of the festival site. The free, color-coded lots are connected to the festival by corresponding pathways with signs leading across the Waterway.  Guests also can choose to pay $5 for closer parking in The Pavilion's Town Center Garage located on Six Pines Drive.   

For more information about The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, visit www.woodlandsartsfestival.com.

The Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival is presented by
The Woodlands Development Company and The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau.