Jul 29
The
Costa Rican Art Museum’s director, Eduardo Faith, mentioned that Central American contemporary art has many elements in common. This is why the organization has launched their project of exhibiting Costa Rican art to other Central American countries as a way to reach out and communicate with their neighbors.
The exhibition named “Costa Rican Art Museum: 60 Pieces from the 20th Century”, will include 50 paintings and 10 sculptures from Costa Rican artists. These samples will be traveling through Central America where they will be on display for a limited period of time. The Costa Rican Art Museum’s organization will not only seek to promote local art but also start an artistic exchange between these countries.
The exhibition will kick off on July 30th in El Salvador and will conclude on January 22nd in Honduras. The itinerant Costa Rican art exhibition will also visit Guatemala and Nicaragua. Faith mentioned that due to a limited schedule, Panama will not be included in the program.
Faith explained that the exhibition has been divided into 6 chronological eras. The first part contains pieces from the 19th century in which local artists such as Tomás Povedano and Emilio Span stand out. The second part contains samples from 1928 through 1950 in which nationalist art was the main focus.
The third part is dedicated to abstract art from 1950 through 1971 while socialist art from 1971 through 1979 will make up the fourth stage of the exhibition. The fifth stage will include art from the 80’s era while all pieces created from 1993 to today will close the exhibition.
The Minister of Culture, Maria Elena Carballo, stated that the panned exhibition is a communication process in which cultural similarities should be exalted instead of political differences.
Jul 22
The New 7 Wonders of Nature finalists were announced on July 21st and sadly Costa Rica’s Cocos Island didn’t make it to the 28 finalists. The finalists for the island category are now the Galapagos and Jeju Island in South Korea.
The contest to choose the New 7 Wonders of Nature started off with a total of 450 submissions that had to be officially backed by the proper authorities in order to be considered as a participant. The event has been organized by the New Seven Wonders of the World Foundation and is now in its final stage to vote for the 7 new wonders of nature.
Costa Rica proposed the Cocos Island located 340 miles off the Central Pacific Coast. The Cocos Island was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997 and has been visited by numerous scientists, researchers and professional divers. The late famous oceanographer, Jacques Cousteau, even called Costa Rica’s Cocos Island “the most beautiful island in the world”.
The MarViva Foundation was behind the voting campaign in Costa Rica which encouraged the public to cast their votes in order to place the Cocos Island in the final list.
The regional director for the MarViva Foundation, Jorge Jimenez, mentioned that although the Cocos Island did not make it to the final 28, the campaign was a success. Not only did Costa Rica’s Cocos Island advance from the first 450 to the final 77, it also allowed for the island to receive international attention.
Jul 16
La Cusinga Rainforest Lodge located in Bahia Ballena in Costa Rica’s South Pacific Coast has added yet another feature that will certainly contribute to the serenity and overall wellbeing guests achieve while staying at the property.
Aside from benefiting from the exquisite flora and fauna and the relaxing sound of the ocean waves, La Cusinga has added a beautiful Wild Spirit Platform designed by the local architect Ronald Esquivel. Esquivel followed the concept of the Sacred Geometrical figure and Sacred Architecture for designing the Center for Conscious Development.
Following the circle concept which represents unity, the new Yoga retreat at La Cusinga offers a spectacular view of Bahia Ballena and Punta Uvita waterfront while the surrounding La Cusinga and Quebrada Grande forest bring a sense of serenity and tranquility only nature can offer.
Aside from nurturing your mind, body and soul with the infinite benefits the practice of yoga has to offer, compliment your overall wellbeing with the incredible natural surrounding La Cusinga has to offer.
Energy filled creeks, flowers and plants make up the surroundings at La Cusinga. Whale watching is also an overwhelming experience that can be done at the region. The proximity of La Cusinga Lodge to the Bahia Ballena and the Marino Ballena National Park allows for guests to engage in this ever growing popular activity.
The months of July through November are the best season during the year to observe humpback whales in the Costa Rica South Pacific Ocean. The first sighting for this year has already been reported by the staff at La Cusinga, a mother whale with her calf was spotted at the nearby Marino Ballena National Park.
If you are already in Costa Rica or planning a trip, make sure to set aside some time to visit the South Pacific Coast and stay at La Cusinga Lodge.
Jul 15
Grab a bite to eat at Bagelmen’s restaurant in San Pedro or Escazu and enjoy the photography exhibition named Foreign Eye in which three photographers expose their most precious images of Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity.
The fast food restaurant that specializes in bagels, has decided to exhibit a total of 48 photographs from three foreign residents in Costa Rica. The three men chosen to display their photographs are amateur photographers from abroad who have made Costa Rica their home.
Two from Colombia and one from Italy, the three men have in common their love and admiration for Costa Rica’s rich flora and fauna. Guiseppe Tarnero was once a high executive for an internationally known food company and traveled around the world in several occasions. However, Tarnero chose to retire in Costa Rica where he currently is the vice president of the board of directors for the Organization for Tropical Studies.
Alvaro Gomez and Esteban Mejia have also dedicated their free time in traveling throughout Costa Rica’s territory in search of that perfect photograph. With patience and dedication, these three amateur photographers have sat for hours in the Costa Rican rainforest, cloud forest, tropical dry forest and many other terrains and captured that special moment on camera.
Each photographer has a total of 16 photographs on exhibition at the Bagelmen’s restaurant in San Pedro and Escazu. The photographs may be enjoyed by the public until September 30th, 2009.
Jul 10
The New 7 Wonders of Nature is currently in the process of selecting the 28 finalists from the 77 remaining locations from around the world. The online contest that has been going on since 2007 has come closer to its final stage.
This means that all voting is currently on hold as a panel of experts from the New 7 Wonders of Nature is revising the list with the 77 finalists of which voting ended on July 7th. From these 77 finalists, the panel will announce the final 28 on on July 21st, 2009.
Costa Rica’s Cocos Island was able to comfortably make it to the final 77 candidates for a spot among the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Latin American alone has a total of 17 candidates among the list while Central America has 5.
Within the Central American locations are the Cocos Island in Costa Rica, Coatepeque Lake fin el Salvador, Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, Ometepe Island in Nicaragua and the Platano Forest in Honduras.
The panel of experts has announced that they will be basing their decision on the location’s beauty, its diversity, its ecological importance, its historic legacy and its geographical location.
The Cocos Island, located some 532 kilometers off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, is a oceanic island and the only emerged volcanic peak of the Cocos underwater ridge. The UNESCO named the Cocos Island a World Heritage Site in 1997 and Ramsar included this location within their list of most important wetlands in the world.
According to researchers from Scientific Research Center of the Ocean and Limnology of the University of Costa Rica, experts have been able to identify 3 different species of turtles, 57 crustaceans, 510 mollusks and 250 fish species.
