'Point of Departure: Pangas Vallarta' at Tianguis Turistico Travel Video News
go to original March 29, 2012

PUERTO VALLARTA – The panga boat, an iconic symbol in Mexican culture, is getting a makeover with a new cultural public art project, Point of Departure: Pangas Vallarta, currently on display at Tianguis Turistico, Mexico’s Annual Tourism Trade Convention, held for the first time ever this year in Puerto Vallarta.

The art project by Centro Vallarta consists of 22 panga-styled wooden fishing boats interpreted by 22 local artists who’ve used mixed media such as painting and photography to create unique designs. The boats will be exhibited throughout the city for locals and tourists to view.

Created by Fernando Sanchez in collaboration with Pilar Perez the project is designed to link Puerto Vallarta with its past, present and future. The concept behind the Point of Embarkation theme is the link to the past and refers to the idea of beginning a new journey toward new horizons. The project is intended to generate a dialogue between the artist and the viewer through the iconic image of the panga boats.

Each artist chose to interpret in his or her own way what it means to live and belong to this seaside city. The artists themselves were chosen from among a group of native-born vallartenses and foreigners who have remade their lives and their careers in Vallarta. They were all given free reign to share their vision of this tourism destination, which not only offers the definitive sand and sun vacation, but also provides travelers with fantastic culinary and cultural dimensions.

Following Tianguis Turístico, the exhibit will stay in place to welcome the attendees of the World Economic Forum on Latin America, slated to take place April 16-18, 2012 in Puerto Vallarta. Afterwards, the exhibit is expected to take to the road and ultimately be shown in Guadalajara and Mexico City.

The pangas themselves have been donated to Puerto Vallarta by the artists themselves as a way of giving back to the city and confirming its status as a center for the arts. This collective artistic expression takes place at a unique moment in time, and combines in an extraordinary way both the artists’ creativity with the local people’s desire to showcase Vallarta’s wonderful, colorful and complex personality.

About Puerto Vallarta: Puerto Vallarta is a mystic city that harbors tradition in its plazas, in its streets, in its people – a city that expresses the color of its culture and natural beauty at every turn. Located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, where Jalisco and Nayarit meet, Puerto Vallarta lies in the heart of Banderas Bay and offers the best of two worlds: tradition and vanguard, making Vallarta a window to the world.

Puerto Vallarta has received many global accolades that are a testament to the uniqueness and warmth of the city. The destination has been voted the friendliest city in the world by Condé Nast Magazine (2003), the best place to retire globally by The American Association of Retired Persons (2010) and the best Mexican Vacation Destination by USNews.com (2010), beating out Cancún and Los Cabos for the top prize.

For more information visit: www.visitpuertovallarta.com