COMPOSTELA ILUSTRADA

– a winter festival in Santiago de Compostela, Spain

URBAN SKETCHER MARÙ GODAS OF BARCELONA HAS BEEN THE ORGANIZER OF THE COMPOSTELA ILUSTRADA FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. JANE WINGFIELD SPOKE WITH HER AHEAD OF LAST YEAR’S EVENT.

“It’s a festival with workshops in the morning. Artists are available for questions, and for signing their books,” says Mar Ù. “The city is beautiful, and they open their doors to the festival participants.” It takes place rain or shine. They find locations that will work indoors or outdoors. The idea is to create an ambiance around tourism, travel journals, drawing and culture. The art workshops are complemented by music and wonderful food. There are concerts and great restaurants. The city wants to share Galician culture and be involved with the arts.

The artists and instructors always have a book to present, with workshops in the morning. Artists are available for questions and for signing their books. The summer of 2022 was a Camino Holy Year – Ano Xacobeo – so designated in those years when Saint James Day (25 July) falls on a Sunday. In honor of this special occasion, Rita Sabler and Migualntxo Prado were invited to a summer residency to walk the Camino and draw their experiences for 10 days (see Rita’s article in this issue). The results of that residency were at least 80 postcard-sized drawings, a book called Caminamos Para Para – We Walk to Stop, an exhibition, presentation and workshops at Compostela Ilustrada. Other artists were also invited to give workshops and lectures.