SHARED INHERITANCE
THIS IS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERNAL LINK VIEWABLE BY SPECIAL INVITATION ONLY
Angel Poyon Photo @joseph_ajsivinac
Welcome,
If you are seeing this page, it means you are one of our very special VIP Premier arts patrons who have gotten an exclusive invitation to join us in creating the first edition of Festival de Arte Social exhibition Shared Inheritance.
This page will serve as your VIP Salon, where we will bring you up close views, sharing the inside story, videos, interviews and moment to moment updates as they take place. You will have access to see the work in progress and be the first to get the insider news via this internal private link that you can check on and visit whenever you choose.
Only some of what is published here will be selectively released - after the exhibition has taken place. We are incredibly excited to have you here and hope you thoroughly enjoy watching the sculptures and installations come to life.
As someone who has made the commission of these public art works possible, please allow us to welcome you, as this space serves as an expression of our greatest appreciation and gratitude to you as one of our most valued supporters.
Yours truly,
Emily and Team
VIP SPONSORSHIP
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TESTIMONIALS
While our concept and idea has been in the works for some time now, this recent article articulates how on point we are within the global art world.
Mega-Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist Shares His Predictions for Art in 2026
Hans Ulrich Obrist is famous less for a single exhibition than for a way of working, with the curator perpetually reinventing the boundaries of his remit. The long-time artistic director of London’s Serpentine Galleries is often credited with changing the very role of what a curator does, creating a blueprint for curators as cultural connectors.
Earlier this month, Artsy tapped the prolific art expert to hear his thoughts about the art world as 2025 came to a close and what he looks forward to in 2026. What stood out for him above all in 2025 was shared experiences. Rather than speeding through white-cube displays and art fairs, audiences gravitated to exhibitions that encouraged people to linger and engage with one another.
Obrist identified a strong current toward slowness, particularly highlighting projects that resist the compressed timelines of the exhibition calendar. “I’m…struck by how many artists are moving toward long-duration projects, work that extends beyond the short life cycle of an exhibition,” he said.
This long-term thinking often takes artists outside institutional walls. “There’s a growing interest in public art and in practices that unfold outside the museum, on farms, in gardens, and within broader ecological systems. In many cases, the artwork becomes a living organism,” he said.
Link
ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & FUNDING
This list will be continually updated as we move forward.is being made possible through complimentary international grants and partnerships as well as local and national associations, businesses, foundations, the UK embassy in Guatemala, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Environment, and UNESCO.Already having the endorsement of UNESCO Guatemala we will complement funding by applying to the Unesco Diversity of Cultural Expressions grant, Via Art Fund, amongst others, as well as register to be a Compassionate Art project with the Charter for Compassion for global peace.
Padre - Hijo, San Juan Chamelco, 1993
Courtesy of the author Daniel Chauche
Promoting over 3400 years of rich history
Once hailed as one of the greatest most advanced civilisations on the earth, the Mayan were renown for their profound knowledge and understanding of sciences, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, architecture, technologies, as well as having a precise non Gregorian calendar year. While Mayan culture originated in the south of Mexico and here where we are in the north of the country, makes it an incredibly important and significant place to launch this leading project as a historical birth place.
Set in one of the most ideal global locations, with the spender of the Pyramids of Tikal rising in the background, with introduction right in the very heart and epicentre of the Ancient Mayan Civilisation makes it an exceptional location to launch this leading project.
This year, for the first time ever in the country, we are bringing artists from North, Central and South America together to collaborate with over 40 local indigenous artistans in Peten, creating onsite cross cultural exchanges, and a unification of diversified voices fortifying native narratives to resound on a global scale beyond borders, ethnicities, and nations.
Bringing this large scale, socially engaged, highly inviting interactive, museum exhibition front and center into the heart of the most remote, least developed areas of the country makes it an exemplary equitable model proposal that takes a big step beyond the usual standard.
Four years in the making, first conceived in Antigua, the original concept of the exhibition has evolved and metamorphosed over time. Transferring the idea from the urban city to rural context of one of the most important at- risk ecological zones in the world, its reintegrated and altered form has taken on incomparable relevance. As the largest socially engaged environmental art exhibition to ever be produced in the country this opportunity additionally offers a major contribution bridging Guatemala's Contemporary art scene to the world.
Being the first Guatemalan organization in our field to bring sustainably produced large scale contemporary museum-quality works to a greater public, we are making a bold and unconventional move to democratize and decentralize access to art. As forerunners creating a dialogue between ancient civilization, contemporary art, and environmental conservation, our ultimate goal is to raise awareness and draw global attention to Guatemala's rich heritage.
Madre & Hija, Barillas, 1993
Courtsey of the author Daniel Chauche
Histories of Peten
While there are only 40 UNESCO Heritage sites in the world that have both Natural and Cultural Heritage, Tikal and the Mayan Biosphere is one of those rare few. These sites hold exceptional universal value for both their natural and cultural significance, while the clues that have been left from the ancient past serve as powerful reminders of how irreplaceable and important it is for us to preserve them for future generations.
After 30 years of civil war, the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996 brought an influx of new arrivals to Petén, under government incentives that gave land to displaced victims of the massacres. Guatemala's struggle for recovery is not solely a result of the war itself, but also of persistent structural issues and a lack of effective reconciliation efforts. Addressing these underlying challenges is crucial for achieving a lasting peace and sustainable development in the country. Rebuilding trust and fostering social cohesion is a critical step in healing and promoting reconciliation.
Additionally, for several decades, the government authorities responsible for controlling development and protecting the environment did not carefully do so. This has led to vast animal and plant species loss, land degradation due to the decimation of deep, dense, vibrant tropical forests. Palm oil industries and US beef consumer demand have led to further deforestation and environmental degradation. The introduction of unmonitored chemical agricultural fertilizers, without education or proper monitoring control, has also had environmental impacts on local families and farmers. Families also lack proper infrastructure systems for waste water and domestic plastic trash. The results are all apparent in the dirtied water shed, which all ends up in Lake Petén Itzá. With a growing population of land-dependent people living between the Mayan Biosphere and the lake, comes a greater demand and strain on our nature.
In January 2024, deeply regretting the ecological devastation and in an attempt to begin to reverse the damages, the Guatemalan government signed a multimillion dollar pact with the European Union (EU), The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (UNFAO), and German and Swedish government organizations for the “Ecological Transition of Petén.” Soon after, the tri-national agreement between Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize announced the protection of the Great Mayan Forest that all three share a part of. A lot of action is picking up as we speak, and the sustainability of the Petén is at the center.
Additional Logistics Continued
Certified Ushers: We will be offering the opportunity for a group of exhibition guides to become Unesco Certified ushers who will oversee, welcome, provide information, and serve as hosts to guests during their visit to the exhibition.
Publicity: We will have one large printed banner onsite outside and three hung on transited routes in each village/town. There will be one free standing mounted exhibition description inside the main hall door entry. All site locations/directions will be pinned and posted digitally online
Documentation: Creating public dialogue between the community, artists, supporters,, creatives, activists and the general public around the themes of heritage, nature, conservation, creativity, and innovation that will be documented in conversation and interviews.
Installation: All of the village Halls are very similarly sized, which makes the installation and change of location standard and streamlined with no additional costs or adjustments needed. Scaffolding will be used to black out the windows of the halls, and to rig lighting. This will be carried out by a skilled team of technicians and transportation assistants.
Transportation: The bus we are using for our Camera Obscura doubles as the main transportation vehicle to move the exhibition from site to site. It is a cost efficient strategic move. An additional passenger vehicle and a pick up truck will be used on a needs basis for pick up and drop off of materials during pre-production, production execution, and essential mobility of staff.
Insurance: To cover liability for any damages and unforeseen repairs.
Security: We will be working with the local police and Municipal leaders to assure the exhibition is kept safe during the night when the space is closed to the public.
What happens to the artworks afterwards?
We are currently engaged in two sculpture park development projects, Lineal Park Pensativo (non exclusively ecological) and a sister sculpture park in Peten with sole focus on land art, and ecologically produced works. The pieces in this exhibition are to be a part of Mapa's permanent collection. We may also consider the loan of art works to other institutions, and museums.
Betterment of the Town Hall buildings as a contribution to community: While the buildings generally stand empty and derelict with little use, we are giving these neglected places a new use, bringing new life, contributing to the rejuvenation and revitalization of rural public community spaces. We will be leaving the buildings better than we found them by contributing with additional improvements. This year we will be repainting both the inside and outside of the building, which will be made possible through an in kind donation from a national paint brand. Each year we will look at an improvement we can make to the town halls grounds and buildings in exchange for use of the spaces.