Mexican contemporary art and ideas coming to S.F.
San Francisco is, by all accounts, one of the most remarkable and influential cities in North America. It is a forward-looking society that fosters creativity and innovation on an unprecedented scale, it has built an open and tolerant community that welcomes newcomers and provides opportunities for all, and it is sustained by an expanding economy firmly anchored in educational achievement and responsible entrepreneurship whose positive impact is felt well beyond the United States.
Mexico wants to forge stronger partnerships with San Francisco. Along with Oakland, San Jose and the rest of the thriving regions that make up the Bay Area, this is rightly regarded as one of the world’s most successful and dynamic global cities.
For the past few decades, Mexico has been undergoing a gradual but steady process of change. It is now a strong democracy, a more equitable society and an increasingly prosperous country.
Major structural reforms are in progress as a result of fundamental agreements backed by the country’s major political parties. Living standards continue to improve for all groups in a drive to eradicate poverty and inequality. And, according to reports from established global consultancy firms, Mexico’s economy, already the 14th largest in the world, is poised to move up in the ranks over the coming years and decades.
Mexico’s recent progress has been, to a large extent, the result of closer links with the rest of the world. And we are keenly aware that, in future, it will be essential to continue expanding and deepening our partnerships beyond our borders.
Hence our interest in San Francisco. Whether in science and technology, education and the arts, or economic growth and sustainability, the public and private institutions responsible for the success of this outstanding global city are, for us in Mexico, coveted partners. We are already working to develop joint projects that are beneficial both to Mexicans and to Californians. The visit of Gov. Jerry Brown to Mexico City later this month will allow us to identify new areas of opportunity to enhance this crucial relationship.
As we work to forge new partnerships, we want San Franciscans to get to know Mexico better. That is why, over the coming weeks, we will bring to San Francisco a taste of Mexico’s most appealing contemporary art and ideas. We hope audiences in the Bay Area will appreciate the unique mixture of tradition and innovation, of indigenous legacies and European influences, of individual assertiveness yet strong sense of community that lie at the heart of Mexico’s cultural life and, indeed, of its very identity as a nation.
Mexico’s cultural heritage and its artistic achievements have, over many years, allowed us to engage more closely with friends and partners beyond our borders. It remains one of our most valuable diplomatic tools. I trust that this brief glimpse San Franciscans will have into Mexico’s cultural life will help to bring about greater understanding and a closer partnership between Mexicans and Californians.