Following a revitalization process of the Roma neighbourhood in Mexico City, art and design curator Ana Elena Mallet, who will speak at WDCD Live Amsterdam, initiated in 2009 the Roma Condesa Cultural Corridor (Corredor Cultural Roma Condesa, CCRC). The cultural event revived the two linked neighbourhoods of Roma and Condesa and has grown into a festival attracting 180,000 visitors.
CCRC has its origin in a joint initiative of newly established gallery owners in the Roma area in the centre of Mexico City at the end of the nineties. Together they offered a simultaneous opening on the last Thursday of each month with free transport between the galleries. In 2009, when Mexico was recovering from an economic crisis, Mexican curator Ana Elena Mallet proposed to link the neighbouring Condesa to a biannual cultural corridor. In the past decade, twice a year the Roma and Condesa areas formed the stage for many activities of contemporary art, design, fashion, cinema, environment and gastronomy.
‘The Corridor has become a reference. It has helped us to understand the city in a different way, to revalue patrimonial areas such as Roma and Condesa and to promote the creative community of the area,’ says Mallet. ‘It has generated a community that includes neighbours, artists, gallerists, designers, creatives and authorities. The CCRC has been a meeting point and starting point for other projects.’
1042 activities
This 5 and 6 May the event experienced its 20thedition. In the past ten years CCRC has grown into a major cultural event, receiving 180,000 attendees visiting 1042 art and design activities, 366 gastronomic, 38 environmental, 37 children’s and 11 theatrical activities. The event has 88,000 followers on Facebook and 140,000 on Twitter and generated over 1200 media impressions.
As of this 20thedition, the CCRC will be held once a year during the spring. ‘Mexico City is one of the most active and inclusive in cultural matters,’ Mallet explains. ‘In recent years, hundreds of festivals and events have emerged, which have led to a huge offer. We want to continue collaborating so that the creative scene is nurtured and developed, while we continue to generate awareness about the artistic, architectural and cultural heritage of our areas. That’s why we decided to concentrate on making only one Corridor per year, with strong presentations.’
Join WDCD Live Amsterdam to hear more about this amazing project from Ana Elena Mallet herself.