Current Events
Y-MSCA Annual Events include:
APRIL/MAY: Annual Fiesta--our major fundraiser
NOVEMBER: Dia de los Muertos Community Altar Exhibit
Our current projects include:
- Donating wheelchairs to the El Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, DIF Morelia (a social services agency of the government in Morelia). We are currently working our way through the customs process.
- Installing a sculpture of Jose Maria Morelos in downtown Yakima. A letter to the community reads:
We are nearing installation of the José María Morelos sculpture that was donated to the Y-MSCA almost a year ago. We need your help to complete the project!
Installation costs for the Yakima City Council approved location on N. 3rd Street, in front of Ron’s Coin & Book in downtown Yakima, will be nearly $2,000 (including cement pouring, the basalt column and a plaque). Would you help us by making a donation of $250, $500 or $1,000 to our 501c3 non-profit organization? Though, gifts in any amount are welcome! Your gift will support the mission of the Y-MSCA in this project and beyond. Send your contribution to Y-MSCA at P.O. Box 1048, Yakima, WA 98907.
If you do not know the details of this project, here is how it came to be:
In August of 2010, the Mexican federal government, in partnership with City of Morelia in Michoacán, Mexico, and the Mexican Consulate in Seattle, made plans to donate a small bronze bust (24”x18”x16") of José María Morelos, namesake of Morelia, Yakima’s Sister City, to the City of Yakima. The bust was delivered in February by the Mexican Consulate in Seattle to the care of the Y-MSCA. The occasion for the donation is that 2010 was the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence, and Yakima was selected due to its official ties to Morelia as its Sister City. This is the first-ever gift of art from the Federal Government of Mexico to the State of Washington. This piece will become an important part of Yakima’s public art collection, and it symbolizes the diversity of our community. It is a historical occasion and you can be part of it!
The plaque will read as:
José María Morelos By Michel Leal Germán
Dedicated October 2011
This sculpture celebrates the partnership between Yakima, Washington, USA and Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico through the work of the Yakima-Morelia Sister City Association (est.1999). The Y-MSCA promotes mutual understanding among communities through cultural, economic, and educational initiatives.
Y-MSCA Project Partners: City of Yakima, Mexican Consulate of Seattle, City of Morelia, and the Yakima Arts Commission
ABOUT MORELOS
Morelos was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary leader who led the Mexican War of Independence (1810-1821) against Spain, assuming its leadership after the execution of Miguel Hildalgo in 1811. Morelos led the Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought independence from Spain. Morelos is a national hero of Mexico who himself was a mestizo of mixed Amerindian, African and Spanish ancestry. In his honor, the state of Morelos and city of Morelia is named after him.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The artist is Michel Leal Germán (1957) of Tonaya, Jalisco, Mexico. His work combines organic and figurative elements in bronze and metal. After earning a business degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), he studied art in Holland and Mexico. He also collaborated monument construction with four different sculptors. Since 1986 he has been the Director of “Campanas Sonoras S. A.” (a foundry) in the branch of sculpture and other melting processes.
ABOUT THE YAKIMA ARTS COMMISSION
Established in December 2009, the Commission works to enhance the cultural and aesthetic qualify of life in the City of Yakima by actively pursing the placement of public art in public spaces and by actively seeking to expand public access to visual and performing arts. It currently has 15 members appointed by the City Council.