 ARTS & CULTURE |
Regular cultural events in the Dominican Republic include:
· The New Year Grand Fiesta, which takes place along the bay front of Santo Domingo
· The Day of Our Lady of Altagracia, held on January 21st in honor of the Virgin Mary
· Carnival takes place on February 27th, in celebration of the republic's Independence
· A Merengue Festival Week takes place each July in Santo Domingo, and a similar event is staged each October at Puerto Plata in the northern coast of the island
· Restoration Day, on August 16.
| ALTOS DE CHAVON |
The City of Artists, Chavon, replica of a XIV century Italian City is famous for its Design School, Amphitheater and the Pre-Hispanic Art Museum.
This placed is located in La Romana; also Chavon is the name to one of the most important rivers of the country.
Altos de Chavon
 Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation |
The Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation is a nonprofit educational and cultural Institution. Since its formation in 1983, the Foundation has fostered a multifaceted artistic community through art exhibitions, craft workshops, and artistic representations, as well as educational programs in art and design.
The Foundation's mission is to sponsor the School of Design, the Regional Museum of Archaeology, the Artist-in-Residence program, and the Gallery, all located in Altos de Chavon and Casa de Chavon in Santo Domingo. Each component is dedicated to the achievement of dynamic cultural and educational objectives.
Hundreds of school students visit the Regional Museum of Archaeology from the rural communities of eastern Hispaniola and scores of artists from around the world exhibit in the Gallery. The School of Design graduates fill virtually every niche in Santo Domingo's growing community of design professionals. The international Artists-in-Residence program has made an invaluable contribution to artistic interchange with a global reach.
For nearly two decades the Foundation has made a significant contribution to the artistic, intellectual, and cultural life of the Dominican Republic. Its diverse educational and artistic programs, surrounded by an exuberant natural landscape, have given Altos de Chavon an extraordinary quality to launch the creative designers of today and tomorrow.
| The Village |
The village began to unfold in 1976 on a plateau 100 miles east of Santo Domingo, the historic capital of the Dominican Republic.
Dominican stonecutters, woodworkers, and ironsmiths combined their crafts to create the rich architectural landscape that would emerge as Altos de Chavon.
Today this vibrant cultural village perched high above the Chavon River embodies half a millennium of the island's finest tradition of crafts and art. The distant mountains of eastern Hispaniola merge with the sea to create the perfect setting for this celebration of the region's past.
A walk down the cobblestone paths of Altos de Chavon reveals, at every turn, architecture reminiscent of another era. Coral block and terra cotta buildings enfold craft workshops, artists' studios, galleries, shops, and restaurants. Complementing this peaceful evocation of the past is the exuberant artistry of today.
The Altos de Chavon craft ateliers are small production centers where trained local artisans produce ceramic, silk-screen, and woven-fiber products. From the lively clay apothecary jars to the brightly colored tapestries found in traditional Dominican houses, the craft ateliers keep the richness of island myth, folklore, and handcrafted expression very much alive. The posters, note cards, and printed T-shirts produced by the silk-screen workshop are among the most authentic in the Caribbean.
The performing arts are showcased in the village's spectacular 5,000 seat open-air amphitheater. Since its inauguration in 1982 by Frank Sinatra and Carlos Santana, the amphitheater has hosted concerts, symphonies, theatrical events, and festivals with renowned artists such as Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Sergio Mendes, Dizzy Gillespie and the Dance Theater of Harlem.
The village is a vital source of inspiration, professional training, and artistic expression. Diverse educational and artistic programs, in a breathtaking natural and architectural setting, provide Altos de Chavon with its unique ability to stimulate creativity and cultural interchange.
| The Gallery |
The Gallery is dedicated to the promotion of national culture. A crucial exposition platform for art and design students, the Gallery also serves as host to high-level international exhibitors. Dominican artists who hold exhibitions at the Gallery gain vital access to the large number of worldwide visitors to Altos de Chavon. At the same time, international artists exhibiting at the Gallery are offered entrée to the Dominican art community, resulting in a rich dialogue and cross-cultural interchange.
| The Regional Museum of Archaeology |
The Regional Museum of Archaeology documents the island's rich pre-Columbian heritage and serves as a valuable information resource for students and visitors.
Ritual and utilitarian objects, arranged by chronology and style, trace the evolution of indigenous cultures from the pre-ceramic era to the time of the Taino Indians, the island's predominant civilization at the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
This extraordinary collection of more than 6,000 artifacts was discovered in the region where the Museum is now located, on the banks of the Chavon River. Several of the most important pieces have been featured in exhibits at the Museo del Barrio in New York, at the Petit Palais in Paris, and in Seville, Spain as part of the Quincentenary Discovery of America.
A dynamic educational center for scientific and cultural research, the Regional Museum of Archaeology draws thousands of visitors each year. Its wide-ranging programs of conferences, temporary exhibitions, field trips, audiovisual presentations, and seminars promote vigorous intellectual exchange among students and visitors alike.
Since 1994 the Organization of American States has sponsored two key archaeological research conferences with the Regional Museum. In addition, the Museum has sponsored training workshops throughout the Dominican Republic to provide teachers with educational material on the history of indigenous societies.
| TAINO HANDCRAFT |
| Hermanos Guillen Ceramica Taina |
Located at calle Duarte no.9, Yamasa, Republica Dominicana
Email: bahorucovivo@hotmail.com
Tel.: 809-525-0756 Cel: 809-1-697-9169
Fax: 809-525-0767
This traditional Taino artwork is handmade, uniting clay and fire as a sign of respect to the original inhabitants, the Taino Indians (Pre-Colombian inhabitants of Quisqueya/Hispaniola, now known as Haiti and the Dominican Republic)
| Trigonolito |
YOCAHU VAGUA MAOROCOTI: The God of Fertility of Land is also known as the 'Spirit of the Yuca and the Sea', or the 'Yuca God'. The figure was buried in the fields to fertilize the yuca. Yuca is a traditional starchy root eaten by the people of the Dominican Republic. | | Potiza |
Potiza: Potiza means jug or pot. The potiza was used by the Tainos to store water and to ferment a wine made from the juice of the guayiga, a native fruit. The women also gave the potiza as gifts to the men as declaration of love.
| Dios del Trabajo |
The God of work: It's creation is based on existing Taino art. The jug he carries represents the hard work that the Tainos were subjected to because of the Spanish Conquest.
| Itiba Tahuvava |
Itiba Tahuvava: Itiba Tahuvava, Mother Earth is the mother of the four twins, which represent the four cardinal points or the four winds.
| Behique |
Behique: The Behique or 'witch doctor' empowered the wisest person in the Taino Tribe. As the name implies, the Behique was responsible for healing the sick and knowing all of the medicinal plants and substances. Often, if the witch doctor allowed a patient to die, the people would stone him to death
The Behique.
| Cemi Boinayel |
Cemi Boinayel: The God of Rain is depicted with tears coming from his eyes. The Tears represented the watering of the fields to fertilize the yuca crop. Yuca is a traditional starchy root eaten by the people of the Dominican Republic.
| Majador |
Pestle: The pestle was used to ground a powder made of leaves, seeds and conch shells. The hallucinogenic powder was then inhaled in a ceremony called the 'Rite of Cohoba'. During the ceremony the Tainos communicated with their gods.
| Dimivan Caracaracol |
Dimivan Caracaracol: Is the only named son of Mother Earth. When he was young, his grandfather threw powder on his back as a punishment for misbehaving. His brothers later discovered a swelling where the powder was thrown. They operated and discovered a living turtle.
| Diosa Luna |
Goddess of the moon: The Goddess of the Moon comes out of a cave, which lies in the territory of ''cacique'' leader Mautiatibuel (child of dawn). Also known as the Goddess of Sunset, she returns to the cave when the sun comes out.
The Diosa Luna
| Maquetaurie Guayaba |
Maquetaurie Guayaba: This representation of wise Taino was used to inhale a hallucinogenic substance in a ceremony called the 'Rite of Cohoba'. During the ceremony, the Tainos communicated with their gods.
| Duho |
Duhos: A ceremonial chair used by caciques to preside over ceremonies and ritual games.
| Totem |
Totem: This was used as a funeral urn for ashes of important or respected members of the tribe. The ashes were guarded by Totem, the God of Tobacco, frequently depicted on the front of the urn.
| Dios del Sol |
God of the sun: The God of the Sun comes out of a cave, which lies in the territory of the 'cacique' leader Mautiatibuel (child of dawn). Also known as the Goddess of Sunrise in its feminine form, he/she returns to the cave when the moon comes out.
| Cemi |
Cemi: Cemi represents a god in the ceremonial position used by the Cacique witch doctor in a ceremony called the 'Rite of Cohoba'. During the ceremony, a hallucinogenic substance was inhaled and the Tainos Communicated with their gods.
| Dios de la Fuerza |
God of Strength: The God of strength is a creation based on existing Taino art. The tree trunk he carries represents the will of Taino to gain their liberty.
| Mascara |
Masks: Represents the faces of mystical or real people and animals of the Taino world. In early cultures, many believed that their souls could be incarnated in other beings by virtue of magic. Hiding ones face allowed the person to become an animal or supernatural being.
| Vaso Efigie |
God of Thought: This anthropomorphic god, because of his sedentary position, represents the God of the consumption of a special liquid during marriage ceremonies.
| Sello o Sonagera |
Stamp or Maraca: The stamp has art on the topside representing a frog or turtle and a geometric design on the bottom. The design was used to make patterns on clothing or the body with dyes extracted from bija and jagua plants.
| Opiyel Guobiran |
Opiyel Guobiran: Opiyelguobiran or the Dog God, he was chained up during the day, but at night he was released and roamed the forest. His position indicates that he is ready to be released and gain his freedom again.
| Olla |
Bowl: Taino Bowls used for cooking and ceremonial events. Figures normally appeared on the bowls such as bats, owls, frogs, Siamese twins, etc.
| Marocael |
Cacique Marocael: According to Taino mythology, Cacique Marocael was responsible for guarding a cave called Cacibajagua, where the first inhabitants lived. However, one day he arrived late at this post and was transformed into stone by the sun.
| Cohoba |
Cohoba: Was the principal God of the Tainos. The plate on this head was used to hold a hallucinogenic substance, which was inhaled, in a religious ceremony called the 'Rite of Cohoba'. During this ceremony the Tainos communicated with their gods.
| Abundancia |
God of Abundance: Is a creation based on Taino Art. The jug that carries in his arms is a symbol of the well been and peace that man achieves as a fruit of his labor.
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