INTRODUCING THE JUDGES:
FOFA Prepares to Return to Oaxaca Next Month
for our 6th Young Folk Artists’ Competition
“FINDING HOPE THROUGH ART”
We are thrilled to welcome an outstanding panel of five judges who will review the submissions for our upcoming folk art competition in Oaxaca, “Encontrando Esperanza a Través del Arte” (Finding Hope Through Art). Due to pandemic delays, this will be FOFA’s first concurso in four years, and we expect an unusually robust turnout. Our judges, who volunteer their time and travel expenses, will be responsible for selecting the winners and honorable mentions.

We introduce them to you:
MARÍA ESTHER ECHEVERRÍA ZUNO (Mexico City) is the president of Espacio Cultural San Jerónimo in Mexico City. She was previously a founding member and Director of the National Museum of Popular Cultures, and General Director of the National Fund for the Promotion of Crafts (known by its Spanish acronym FONART, part of the Ministry of Social Development), located in Mexico City. She is an enthusiastic promoter of plans for a National Museum of Mexican Clothing. María Esther has participated in numerous roundtables, colloquia, forums, juries, and seminars, both nationally and internationally, often presenting papers and giving lectures on the folk art and traditional crafts of Mexico. Since 1989, she has been a juror in the Concurso Gran Premio de Arte Popular, an event that is held annually at FONART in Mexico City. She first served as a juror in the 2018 FOFA-MEAPO contest for young folk artists.
THELMA MORALES GARCÍA (Toluca, State of Mexico) is the Director of the Museum of Modern Art and of the Hacienda La Pila of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the State of Mexico, as well as Vice President of Casas del Poeta A.C. For 18 years she was Director of the Museum of Popular Cultures of the State of Mexico. She is an active member of the Commission for the Support of Popular Creation (CACREP) in the State of Mexico. Thelma has been a juror in various handicraft and folk-art contests in the State of Mexico and nationally: the 2008 National Youth Award for the distinction of Artistic Expressions and Folk Arts, and the 2022 National Pottery Contest "Tree of Life" in Metepec, State of Mexico. In 2020 she was decorated by the National Sorority Collective "Leona Vicario Madre de la Patria" for her contributions to culture and crafts. Thelma is also a member of the Organizing Committee of the First Artisan Meeting Innova EDOMEX “Conoce y Conecta 2021.” She authored the book “Hojas de Papel Volando,” a compilation of articles on handicrafts and popular culture. We welcome Thelma as a first-time juror in a FOFA-MEAPO young folk artists’ competition.
OCTAVIO MURILLO ÁLVAREZ DE LA CADENA (Mexico City) has a degree in the Restoration of Movable Property from the National School of Conservation, Restoration and Museography of the National Institute of Anthropology and History. He is Director of Collections at the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples, where he previously worked as Deputy Director of Conservation and Head of the Collection of Indigenous Art. He has worked as a curator, manager and museographer of folk art. We welcome Octavio as a first-time juror in a FOFA-MEAPO young folk artists’ competition.
CECILIO SÁNCHEZ (Yahuiche, Oaxaca) is a painter who has had exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Oaxaca and the Carrillo Gil Museum in Mexico City. He studied Fine Arts at the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca and the Rufino Tamayo Plastic Arts Workshop, and received a diploma in Visual Arts from the University of Guadalajara. He has already generously served as a juror in three FOFA-MEAPO contests for young folk artists: 2013, 2016, and 2018.
CHLOE SAYER (London, England) has been a specialist in Mexican art and culture since 1970. She is the author of many books on Mexican art and culture, including “El Arte y Artesanía de México y Textiles Mexicanos,” and essays for the periodical Artes de Mexico. She is a Lecturer and curator of many exhibitions of Mexican art and popular culture. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and a member of FOFA’s Advisory Board. Chloe has expertly served as juror in four of FOFA-MEAPO’s five contests for young folk artists: 2008, 2011, 2013, and 2016.
Please consider supporting FOFA's ongoing efforts to enable talented young Oaxacan folk artists to achieve their dreams and maintain sustainable livelihoods.

For a comprehensive look at FOFA's programs, visit our website at: www.fofa.us
Thank you!

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