In the Spring of 2009, representatives from the Turchin Center staff and Appalachian’s Department of Art visited The Universidad de las Américas en Puebla (UDLAP) and artists living and working in Puebla and Cholula Mexico. The goals of the trip were to research the local art and artists and to lay the groundwork for future artist residencies, faculty, student and cultural exchanges between the two universities’ art departments and graphic design programs. During the trip, Turchin Center representatives toured many artists’ studios, and began curating "In the Shadow of the Volcanoes: Contemporary Art from the Mountains of Central Mexico Exhibition".

The Main Gallery features paintings, drawings, printmaking, fibers, ceramics and mixed media sculpture by contemporary, Mexican artists. Our six main contemporary artists include: Carlos Arias, Antonio Álvarez Morán, Rosa Borrás, Sergio Gonzalez Angulo, Joaquín Conde, and Luz Elvira Torres, many of whom teach in the School of Arts and Humanities at UDLAP. In addition, we are featuring 20 young and emerging artists that are alumni of UDLAP’s School of Arts and Humanities. These artists include: Mely Avila, Colectivo Oso (Luis Calvo y Elizabeth Flores), Andrea Coyotzi Borja, Nelly César Marín, Marcelino Barsi, Paola Montoya, Carmen Puente, Baruch Vergara, Alejandro Osorio, Miguel Pérez Ramos, Armando Miguélez, Araceli Juárez, Omar Árcega Morales, Alejandro Teutli, Roberto Rodriguez, Jorge Serrano Vazquez Lima, Gillermo Vazquez, Fernando Diyarza, and Gustavo Mora.

ABOUT PUEBLA, MEXICO
Puebla is the fourth largest city in Mexico. It is located in the Puebla Valley, surrounded by volcanoes and snow-capped mountains, and about 70miles south-east of Mexico City at an altitude of 7091 feet. The city proper in 2005 had a population of 1.5 million people, while the metropolitan area had a population of 2.1 million. When one speaks about Puebla, we inevitably think about the imposing volcanoes that guard her, the Popocateptl and Iztaccíhuatl, the culinary delicacies that were created in this state, such as Mole Poblano, its baroque architecture, and of course, the ceramic of Talavera, that adorns practically every building.

UDLAP SCHOOL OF ARTS AND HUMANITIES
(ESCUELA DE ARTES Y HUMANIDADES)
The Department of Fine Arts offers four undergraduate programs: Dance, Music, Theater Arts and Visual Arts. Each program fosters the advancement of imaginative and creative thinking through courses that carefully balance the development of practical skills in performance and production with current analytical, theoretical and historical approaches. Our full-time faculty is comprised of a diverse set of fully accredited professionals with national and internationally recognized reputations.

Visit UDLAP's Website