Festival Bella Via winners to street paint at YIA's Italian Street Painting Festival

Monterrey Mexico's Festival Bella Via 2008 winners will be street painting at the Italian Street Painting Festival by Youth in Arts in San Rafael, CA on June 13 &14, 2009.

Alba Rosa Amezcua Contreras & Adriana del Rocio Garcia Hernández each won a first place award at Festival Bella Via in Monterrey, Mexico this past October.  Festival Bella Via Monterrey is the largest street painting festival/competition in Mexico.  Part of their first place prizes included a trip to California and the opportunity to participate in Youth in Arts Italian Street Painting Festival in San Rafael this coming weekend.  YIA's Italian Street Painting Festival is one of the best in the country, with hundreds of artists ranging from small children to high school level to professional artists all painting side by side for this two day exhibition event. 

Alba Rosa Amezcua Contreras won first place at Festival Bella Via 2008 in the Renaissance category with the above street painting, competing with 60 other street painters in the Renaissance category for this title. Originally from Navojoa, Somora Mexico, Alba has been living and working in Monterrey since 1996. Her street painting accomplishments include:

1st Place in Renaissance Category at Bella Viá Monterrey, 2008 

Guest artist at Bella Vía Durango. 2008

2nd Place Bella Vía Monterrey, 2007Guest artist at Bella Vía in Garcia, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. 2007

1st Place and People choice award at Bella Vía Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 2007

 

Adriana del Rocio Garcia Hernández took first place for the Free Style category with the above street painting, again competing with 60 other street painters in her category. She is from Guadalajara, Mexico and is currently living in Monterrey while she obtains her Masters Degree in art.  Adriana's street painting accomplishments include: 

1st Place in Free Style Category at Bella Viá Monterrey, 2008

Guest Artist at Bella Vía Durango, 2008

   

The two artists will be creating a street painting that is a reproduction of the original art 'Grandeza Azteca' by Mexican cultural icon Jesus Helguera.  Anyone who has spent time in the Mercados and Tianguis of Mexico will instantly recognize Helguera's work.

 

 

About Jesus Helguera: Helguera's calendars gave Mexicans and Mexican Americans something to be proud of, a rich Mexican culture and history. Jesus Helguera's art has for decades been adopted as Chicano art. It is prevalent and yet not intrusive. It is powerful yet blends into the background. These cultural calendars can still be found in countless tienditas, bakeries, liquor stores, mercados and Mexican homes. Helguera commonly used his wife, Spanish born Julia Gonzales Llano as a model and inspiration for his works.

 

Jesus Helguera was born in  Mexico on May 28, 1910, but spent most of his youth in Spain. In 1917, his family moved from Chihuahua, Mexico to Spain when he was seven years old. This was during the tumultuous times following the 1910 Mexican Revolution. The Spanish Civil War and related economic problems made him return to Mexico, where mural making was en vogue, and populism and socialism were in ascendance. Upon his arrival, he was hired by Cigarrera la Moderna, a tobacco company, to produce their calendars, printed by Imprenta Galas de Mexico.  Although he passed in 1971, his legacy lives throughout Mexico and the Latino community.

 

We are excited to see Alba's & Adriana's street painting of this beautiful Helguera artwork!