Si Yo Fuera... (Guadalajara)

Guadalajara, Mexico. At the Instituto Cultural Cabanas museum you can see some of the incredible murals of Orozco. Wayfinding is on the floor, probably to keep the building visually pristine and minimize distraction. But it forces the eyes to the floor, again and again. In this elegant building the floor graphics are a sloppy element. Simple color would be useful here, without the busy visuals that are forced into each arrow. The right/left columns suggest a right/left organization, but the arrows are pointing in mixed directions.

Orozco's astounding murals in the central chapel are the main reason to visit Cabanas. Multi lingual guides lead groups of students and tourists, all craning their necks in the echoey space.

After seeing the murals, there are other offerings. I chose to look for the exhibit "If I were Orozco"

My time was limited, as was my Spanish comprehension, so I wasn't able to understand all the content and components. The narrow space included a timeline along one wall.

The exhibition seemed to engage all ages equally,

but the interactives seemed to be tailored to children only. Like the responses here to "Si yo fuera Orozco..." 

The long narrow space was tight and busy.

An interactive exploration of composition

Movable magnetic symbolic elements are one way to consider Orozco's iconography.

Drawing prompts.

Rhyming title for these rotating panels.

Painter's materials

Mis campaneros, Orozco's colleagues.

Most interesting to me was a step up plank that allows visitors (children only?) to stand on a “scaffold” plank, as Orozco would have, in the dome of the central chapel looking down. It makes a strong visceral connection, especially considering the Orozco painted with only one hand.