Art & Yelapa - A Haven for Creativity

In an enchanting cove off the southern coast of Banderas Bay accessible only by boat, the small community of Yelapa draws artists like a magnet. "It was a haven for artists and the disenfranchised," says artist Angeline Kyba, who moved to Yelapa in 1981, delighted by the inaccessibility of the place. "Somehow the indigenous people of the area seem to have a real acceptance of others. There didn't seem to be any judgment." A native resident showed her his isolated place up on the hill and "offered it to me for $500 dollars a year. That was how I established my studio there. Coming to Yelapa was an epiphany for me. I began to see light in a different way. Without electricity, we had to live in the light, become more a part of nature."

Artist Philippo LoGrande, who has lived in Yelapa since 1986, says, "It's been like a renaissance for me. I've been very involved with the community. We just had our annual Cultural Fest, with local crafts, literature and folk lore. The elders were all seated in front of the church, where my exhibition of 100 Guadalupes was hung. It was an amazing scene. We even had a performance by the Xiutla dance troupe from Puerto Vallarta."

In just a couple of short hours after arriving, you feel like you know Yelapa. Tourists regularly come on daytrips and hike up into the hills to the waterfalls. On the way up, there is a stop at the woodcarving shop where Abelardo Lorenzo, a quiet man who married the daughter of founder Javier Rodríguez, turns the native rosewood, a dark mahogany-colored hardwood. His new electric lathes are faster, and his work lines the long table.

Farther up the hill, on one of the winding roads that crosses the river, stands the Yelapa Gallery, operated by Jeffrey Elies. Having grown up in Yelapa, Jeffrey made his name creating handmade drums, some of which still are on display. The small gallery currently houses an extensive collection of masks from earlier in the century. This season, Jeffrey is adding a coffee shop and lunch stop for tourists.

The newest addition has been the Art Asylum. Established by Lorenzo Lewis and Muffy Hardy, the school was built in what was previously their living space. "We just decided, with our backgrounds, that it was an obvious answer." In his past life, Lewis held administrative positions at the Art Institute of California. He exhibits his watercolors, "ranging from representational to abstract expressionism," throughout California and Mexico. Hardy, from Australia, has experience as a teacher. In their mission statement, she says, "To experience a different culture is to experience a different knowledge." They plan to reach out to art students, offering weekly classes.

As night falls, the sea gently creates the backdrop for life as it adjusts to the moving sands and the lights that now blink as darkness envelops the hills. "At night, the people used to all go down to the beach and sing," says Kyba.

"In front of me there's water, I look back of me and there's water. I look ahead and see fire and behind I see fire. I can hang from a jungle vine and see smoke rising around me," LoGrande adds. "There's such a balance of energy. What more can I ask for?