The Architectural Legacy of Francisco Toledo
It is admirable the wake that, when he left, Francisco Toledo leaves in the firmament of the arts of Mexico. However, in this blog post, and as a humble tribute, we will remember another type of legacy, one related to architecture and protection of historical heritage. We are talking about the Centro de las Artes de San Agustin (CASA) and the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca (IAGO). Let us remember her story and with her the teacher who made it possible.
Francisco Toledo (1940–2019) was a total artist. Man of few, but well-chosen words, reflected in his work a magical universe that could only be conceived in an equally enigmatic and surprising space: Oaxaca. The art in his hands sought form and movement—as the image of the child-artist flying a papalote—and as he transcended, he jumped, like a chapulín, to the plane of the permanent, that place where good architecture also resides, the one that, over time, adopts values and stories, spirits from times past and present. Toledo was aware of the beauty associated with history and tradition. He had in his mind and heart the importance of preserving the roots of a people, so he always defended the integrity of the historic city and promoted the reuse of architectural heritage.
Two buildings witness this relationship of the artist with architecture: the Center of the Arts of San Agustin (CASA) in Agustín Etla, Oaxaca, and the Institute of Graphic Arts of Oaxaca (IAGO) in the heart of the Oaxacan capital, spaces that were scenarios both of his passion for art as well as his interest in strengthening, through different artistic territories, the idea of community, of freedom. Again the image of the papalote that flies in your hands…
Oaxaca Institute of Graphic Arts (IAGO)
Located in the Historic Center of the city of Oaxaca, Mexico, this space of colonial beauty, was founded by the artist Francisco Toledo in conjunction with INBA, the Government of the State of Oaxaca and the Civil Association "José F. Gómez".
This beautiful house of the eighteenth century located in front of the former Convent of Santo Domingo and next to the Plazuela del Carmen, on Calle Macedonio Alcalá, was donated to the National Institute of Fine Arts (INBA) by the Toledo family, with the purpose of spreading art and exhibits go the graphic collection that the master, at the time, was beginning to form.
It currently houses one of the most important collections of graphic arts in Latin America.
It has five exhibition rooms, three library rooms, a central courtyard, a café and a restaurant specializing in typical dishes of Oaxaqueña gastronomy.
The St. Augustine Arts Center (CASA)
17 km from the city of Oaxaca is the Center of the Arts of San Agustín Etla, a former yarn and textile factory where, currently, artists of various latitudes and trends converge. This center, a piece of art in itself, also represents Francisco Toledo's interest in rescuing an industrial building from oblivion and putting it at the service of a specific community.
The architect who carried out the restoration and adequacy project, Claudina López, met the factory operating and keeps among her childhood memories, the image of small specks of cotton floating through the air. Francisco Toledo saw the almost ruined set, with the patina of time and wear caused by lack of use, and with the eyes of a restaurateur, decided to buy his purchase without even knowing what his destination would be. It is worth mentioning that it was he who donated 40% of the cost of the property, the rest was financed by the now Secretariat of Culture through the National Center for the Arts (CENART), the Government of the State of Oaxaca, the Harp Helú Foundation and Friends of the IAGO.
At first, the oaxaqueño archive was considered, then the textile museum and finally an arts school. Restoration began in 2001 and opened in 2006. Work began with the rescue of the structure of the main building and the reconstruction of the chalet that today occupy the administrative offices. The project was also raised from its origins with a clear ecological vocation and with the intention of leaving explicit elements that would recall the industrial past of the building. To say, for example, that the old factory worked with water and that is why there is water everywhere: in the water mirrors of the entrance ,in front of the neo-Gothic church of St. Augustine- and surrounding the symbolic great caldera that is located at the back of the main building; in the mechanism that is responsible for cooling the ceiling, with a piping system that recalls rain. Water flows throughout the whole, passes through the fountains and re-integrates into its natural route.
Another important element was labor. The architect received advice from the old Oaxaqueño master masters, who, in addition to possessing a problem-solving ability, did their job with taste and quality: "The masons and pawns here really are very well done. I'm amazed, because elsewhere they're very specialized. Here you see them very humble, but with a few nails, an old piece of wood, their meter, level and thread solve everything." Comment the architect.
All these aspects make the spirit of the porphyrian period building, which transcends the imaginary of the industrial landscape with its magnificent facade, today tinged with a yellow obtained from the iron oxide they found on the site. At the same time, it is a place with current affairs. Its modern facilities include an engraving center, a photographic printing laboratory, digital printing, textile making, two extensive galleries, a library, as well as rooms to welcome artists. One of the objectives of the HOUSE is the search for multiculturalism, that is, social interaction, dialogue, learning and harmony of different looks around art.
There is no doubt that casa and IAGO are buildings that preserve, together with their original spirit, that of master Toledo and transmit it in the same way that the master shared his work, his worldview and his life, by open hands.
By laureate Martínez Figueroa