Con Cariño
Statement by Maria Carmen
Maria Andrea Berain
When invited
to participate in this suite on Remarkable Boise Women, I immediately thought I
would like to celebrate Maria Andrea Berain's lifelong dedication to the
cultural arts and practices of her Mexican-American heritage. In 1996, shortly
after moving to Boise, I met Maria Andrea Berain. I recall attending a festival
where she demonstrated how to make piñatas, paper flowers, and cascarones. The
simplicity of the materials she uses in her work - tissue paper, balloons, pipe
cleaners, and home-made flour paste - expresses a way of life, a community
esthetic and her cultural identity. Her practice sustains her culture
everywhere she lives, teaches, and celebrates family and community life and
holidays. Maria Andrea's joyful approach to life is obvious in the flowers,
stars, dolls, or balls she creates out of colorful tissue paper. Her creations,
although ephemeral, bring an enduring joy, which inspired me to use one of her
star-shaped piñatas, con cariño, to include her in the long list of Remarkable
Boise Women.
No comments:
Post a Comment