• CANCELLATION: Budget cuts stemming from the coronavirus emergency have forced the Cabañas Museum in the city of Guadalajara to cancel an exhibit by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei later this month dedicated to the 43 disappeared students from Ayotzinapa’s teachers college.
• FUNDS: Presented with a budget cut of US $185,000 by the Jalisco state government, the Cabañas Museum was forced to cancel Mr. Ai’s exhibit. Total cost for the show is equivalent to US $412,000 and the museum’s situation grew even more dire after the forced shut down.
• HISTORIC: “We had no idea of the magnitude of the emergency. It’s completely unprecedented that this cultural space has been closed for almost two months”, said Susana Chávez Brando, head of the Cabañas Museum. The exhibit previously opened in Mexico City and Monterrey.
• SITE: Located inside the former hospital complex known as Hospicio Cabañas -a World Heritage Site in Guadalajara- the Cabañas Museum is one of Mexico’s preeminent arts spaces. The site’s famed is mostly linked to the frescoes of Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco.
