In addition to the music programs at the Casa de los Tres Mundos, the visual art programs have always been of great importance to this cultural center. From the beginning, Dietmar Schönherr and Ernesto Cardenal have worked hard to make the advancement of art an integral part of the institution.
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Surrounding the third patio of the Casa de los Tres Mundos, there are the workshops and ateliers of the artists. These house on the one hand the Painting School, where painting and drawing courses for children and young people are held, and on the other hand the “Colectivo Vagoni”, a group of freelance artists founded in the 90ies. Strolling around, you can watch the professional and the younger artists at work and admire their creations. Additionally, the first patio of the Casa offers a beautiful gallery-space where exhibitions often take place.
The origins of the Painting School date back to 1988. Since then painting and drawing classes have been held at the Casa regularly, designed among other reasons to mend the lack of arts education in public schools. For the children of all social classes we offer the chance to broaden their horizon and express themselves in a variety of artistic media.
Working with the manifold materials and techniques encourages the development of creativity, while the collaborative activities promote social awareness and skills to gradually overcome social barriers. That way the children can express their fantasies, anxieties and hopes freely.
Ligia Sandino, a specially trained art teacher and one of the founding members of the "Colectivo Vagoni", has taught children and youth in the Casa de los Tres Mundos since 1993. A civic action group for cultural projects from Wuppertal, Germany, has sponsored her salary since 1996. The children in Ligia's art classes learn to discover and develop their creativity by painting, drawing and working with materials such as wood and clay. The students also get the chance to take part in national exhibitions and competitions, where they have gained respect and often come home with first prizes.
Most recently, she has focused on story writing, painting workshops and bookmaking. Her books incorporate the regional legends, which were printed in the printmaking workshop at the Casa de los Tres Mundos. Ligia Sandino has also organized and produced murals such as "The World We Want to Live in" (1999) and "Granada through the Eyes of Children" (2000).
Apart from the regular classes, the Casa de los Tres Mundos also offers courses especially designed for children who are forced to work on the streets to earn their living. These classes started in 1996 in cooperation with the Swedish Organization "ASDI". They offer the city's poorest children a creative alternative to the strenuous and drab everyday life of selling goods on the streets. Some of their works, such as "Piñatas", can also be sold. In 1996 more than eighty children participated in the classes thanks to efforts by FONIF, the national organization for street children, and local organizations such as the "Casa de la Ninez", to bring children to the Casa.
Nicaraguan artist Tony Peralta has taught these children since 1996. Tony's specialty since 2001 has been the creation of art works from recycled materials.
His projects at the Casa include working with students to create three huge birds out of wire frames and plastic bottles, a collage out of tin, wood and cardboard and a mural made in cooperation with the Swedish organization "RäderBarnet".
In 1989, a printmaking workshop was set up in the Casa de los Tres Mundos with the help of the German artist Wolfgang Hunecke who since then is regularly giving classes in printing techniques. Fernando Lopez, a graphic artist from Granada, was invited to Germany to study various printmaking techniques, which he later brought back to his students at the Casa. For a long time, the printing press of the Casa de los Tres Mundos was the only one of its kind in Nicaragua. The fully equipped printmaking facilities are open to anyone interested in learning printmaking techniques or utilizing the equipment.
Atelier
Shortly after the printmaking workshops started at the Casa, the group "Colectivo Vagoni" was formed. Funding from the Finnish development organization KEPA made it possible to invite the Finnish art teacher Alison Wiklund to work at the Casa for two years in 1993-94. Assisted by Paúl Morales, her collaborator in "Colectivo Vagoni", she reorganized the entire art section of the Casa de los Tres Mundos. Later, Paúl became head of the graphic arts workshop. During her stay in Granada, Alison gave courses such as a silk-screen printing class for women, an art class for elementary school teachers, a bronze workshop and classes on paper and glass-making.
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Its members were trained at the Casa by national and international artists and art teachers in different techniques each year. The students where taught by renowned artists such as Francisco Alvarez, Jacinto Lara, Juan Bernard Ponce, Wolfgang Hunecke, Gottfried Helnwein and Leopoldo Morales Praxedis. More and more artists came and joined this collective started by Ligia Sandino, Paúl Morales und Johnny García. Leopoldo Morales Praxedis, a member of the well known group "Taller Popular de Arte", proposed that the artists of the Casa team and form a collective, in order to have a better start in their artistic career and to jointly manage public relations. Prior to that the artists had attended "Taller experimental del Arte Tea", where they discovered that printmaking was the most suitable medium to express their ideas. In 1994 the "Colectivo Vagoni" exhibited their works in the Casa de los Tres Mundos and in Mexico. In 1996 they held exhibitions at the "Casa de América" in Madrid, as well as in Helsinki and the "Kurfürstliches Gärtnerhaus" in Bonn, Germany.
A wholly different experience for the artists of the “Colectivo Vagoni” was a workshop for illustration of children’s books held by the Austrian expert Sibylle Vogel in june of 2002. The result of this workshop is the children’s book “Tim-Buquin-Malacatoyin” in which ten artists of the collective participated. The book which was made for the children of Los Angeles (Malacatoya) deals in a humorous manner with social themes like health, environmental protection or the conservation of cultural heritage.
During the months of July, August and September of 2002 the Italian artist and art theoretician Humberto Postal directed the workshop “Laboratorio Experimental 3000”. He instructed the participants in the basis of contemporary and avant-garde art. The event concluded with an exposition in the “Casa de los Tres Mundos”.
One of the last activities of the collective was a workshop in october 2003 where the elaboration of handmade paper was taught. It was held by the paperexpert Lil Mena from Costa Rica. On the selfmade paper the artists experimented with different printing techniques. They regulary transmit their experiences in the field of graphics. For example in 2003 a printing class with artists from Managua took place which was held by two mexican teachers and the „Colectivo Vagoni“. Between July and December of 2003 the travelling exhibition “Arte Nica“ was shown in different places in Germany. It was organized by the “Hessenkoordination“. Beside artists of the “Colectivo Vagoni“ also participated other nicaraguan artists from Jinotepe, Esteli, Managua y Diriamba.
Pure colours prevail in the paintings of the "Colectivo Vagoni", representing the vivid and often magical tropical atmosphere. Since the „Colectivo Vagoni“ is an open platform for everybody interested in it, the number of artists varies constantly. That is the reason why further on only some of the permanent members are presented.
Paúl Morales (Granada, Nicaragua, 1969) is one of the founders of the collective and has worked since 1989 at the Casa de los Tres Mundos. He is now in charge of the printmaking workshop. In 1994, the Casa arranged for Paúl Morales to visit Germany, where he could attend various workshops and broaden his skills and knowledge.
Ligia Sandino (Granada, Nicaragua, 1958) studied graphics and drawing in the printmaking workshops at the Casa de los Tres Mundos. She helped establish workshops for children in the various districts of Granada. Since 1990 Ligia Sandino has taught painting, drawing and handicrafts at the Casa. She has produced masks and puppets with her students, among other things. In her own work as an artist, she uses mixed techniques to depict landscape motifs and themes of Nicaraguan folklore.
Carolina Florez Martinez (Masaya, Nicaragua, 1961) studied communication and social sciences at the Universidad Centroamericana de Nicaragua (UCA). With UNESCO funds, she was able to complete her studies at the National Art School Nicaragua. She attended a number of courses and workshops on printmaking and bookmaking at the Casa de los Tres Mundos and in Spain. Carolina Florez teaches art at the Granada Art school and at the Casa de los Tres Mundos. Here she recently worked on a book illustrating project with children, called "Stories and Legends from Granada".
Adán González (Granada, Nicaragua, 1971) has been studying art at the Granada Art School. After 1992, he attended various workshops and seminars at the Casa de los Tres Mundos, such as painting, printmaking, glassmaking and ceramics. His teachers at the Casa have included Alison Wiklund from Finland, Jacinto Lara from Spain, Leopoldo Morales from Mexico, Hisae Janase from Japan, Jesús Núñez from Spain, Anu Tuomasari from Finland, Helmut Kolar from Austria, Wolfgang Hunecke from Germany, A. Sarro from Brazil, Luis Garay from Nicaragua and Sibylle Vogel from Austria. He has also assisted with educational and cultural projects at the Casa.
Jairo Orozco (Granada, Nicaragua, 1970) began his career as an artist at the Art School of Granada, and at the "Escuela Muralista Internacional". He continued his studies at many workshops given at the Casa de los Tres Mundos. Jairo Orozco is now an assistant art teacher at the Casa de los Tres Mundos, coordinating the printmaking workshop and other classes.
Johnny García (Granada, Nicaragua, 1971) started his studies in 1982 at the "Escuela de Bellas Artes" in Granada, Nicaragua. Later he studied photography at the "Centro Popular de Cultura" in Granada, Nicaragua. In 1990 he started his activities in the graphic studios in the Casa de los Tres Mundos and shaped in xylography, elaboration of glass art and linoleum. He also participated in workshops of illustration of books for children.
Jamir Mejía Raudez (Granada, Nicaragua, 1975) came to the „Vagonis“ after his art studies in 1999. Since then he participated in various workshops of illustration of children's books, experimental art and contemporary art.
Since 1996, artists and teachers are developing the structure for a university-level art school, the "Escuela Superior de Artes Armando Morales" (ESAAM) whose graduates shall have the possibility to graduate officially in Fine Arts. The latest plan for an art university at the Casa de los Tres Mundos includes in the teachings besides Fine Arts also the fields of Music, Theatre and Architecture. The Casa de los Tres Mundos has an experience of many years in these areas and to transmit it on an academic level would be a consequent next step and besides an innovation for Nicaragua. A concrete plan and contacts to other universities exist already and key figures for the teaching could be gained. In addition the education program will be completed with renowned artists with international reputation. Within the program of ESAAM there are offered already in collaboration with the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) postgraduate courses for specialization of limited duration.
The gallery of the Casa de los Tres Mundos offers international and local artists the possibility to continuously display their works in the courtyard of the Casa. The many daily visitors of our cultural center can appreciate what the artists and children produce in their studios and workshops.
