Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart.
Psalm 97
Hello friends, lovers of the architecture and design community. Today I share my visit to the athenaeum of the city of Cumana, which is located on Bolivar Street, near the state government.
The headquarters corresponds to one of the so-called colonial mansions of the city that is characterized by its large windows and wide corridors.
According to the information provided by the institution's directory, it has been operating there since 1983. It is worth mentioning that in its spaces are developed a series of activities such as music, singing, among others, even currently operates in these spaces a university known as UNEARTE. Its spaces are divided into different areas for the learning and teaching of children and adults.
It also has a library and different paintings and sculptures made by prominent artists of the region.
A relevant aspect that I observed and that I liked a lot during my visit was a book or compilation that the guide showed me about a compilation that was made of the different artistic works that have been made in this institution which have achieved international fame. Many of these artists still live in the town, others are out of the country carrying out their activities and taking the name of Venezuela around the world.
The floor of the athenaeum is very eye-catching, its tiles are very colorful and with a great design. It is characterized by the typical colonial houses, wide corridors and a courtyard corridor where the family used to meet regularly.
The athenaeum has a space where they study music where they are currently giving cuatro and guitar classes. At the main entrance there is a series of books and the coat of arms that belonged to the Spanish family that owned this house.
According to the guide of the place, the house is approximately two hundred years old and it preserves its original design but some repairs have been made to keep it standing. Most of the houses located in this area or that correspond to the colonial design are made of bajaretes, that is, a mixture of mud and straw, but to conserve and preserve it for a longer time in the repairs a layer of cement is added, some even place beams inside so that they can support the weight.
The roof of the house is made of wood, you can see that it has several wooden beams on which also rests a planchon also made of wood. A very striking design is the one that is on the door as a small wooden cornice with beautiful designs and stained glass that make it very striking. When entering the place you must sign in and explain the reason why you are visiting the athenaeum.
Just behind where you sign in there is a mural showing part of what the athenaeum used to be. Its color was yellow and nowadays it is blue and it is located right on a corner of Bolivar Street.
Visiting this place was a great experience, I was able to see several works by prominent artists of the city, paintings and sculptures. There is a very curious sculpture that I couldn't find out its name. The workers say that it is a kind of riddle where the visitor, through observation, decides what name to give it. On this occasion we agreed that it was a female contortionist. The service is excellent, the people are very friendly and attentive to the questions that visitors ask. One aspect I also noticed is that the columns are made of fairly thick wood. According to the guide, the only thing that has been done to the wood is maintenance so that it can be preserved.
One of the main doors is characterized by being very tall and inside it has several squares in high relief. Really, knowing the history of this athenaeum was very interesting, even now some areas are being remodeled in order to provide a more pleasant environment for children and visitors.
Until the next tour of the first-born of the American continent to continue learning the culture and knowing the history of the city.
Translated with https://www.deepl.com/translator
All images are my own, dividers courtesy of @kattycrochet.
Todas las imágenes son de mi autoría, divisores cortesía de @kattycrochet.