.png)
Creative Take es un espacio en inglés del CCAB donde el arte y la cultura se convierten en puntos de encuentro para pensar, conversar y descubrir otras formas de ver el mundo.
Changing
the Narrative: Why the "Founding Mothers" Matter Today
When we
look back at the birth of the United States, traditional history textbooks
often direct our attention to a specific group of men in Philadelphia drafting
documents. While their contributions are undeniable, a closer look at the late
18th century reveals a much larger, more diverse tapestry of revolutionaries.
The victory of the American Revolution did not just happen in political halls;
it happened in communities, households, and camps heavily sustained by women.
Beyond
the battlefield actions of soldiers, thousands of women formed the backbone of
the resistance through economic warfare. Long before the first shots were
fired, women organized widespread boycotts of British goods. As the primary
consumers in colonial households, their refusal to buy British tea, cloth, and
luxury items dealt a massive financial blow to the Crown. They spun their own
fabrics and found local alternatives to imported goods, proving that patriotism
could be practiced at the dinner table and in daily choices.
Furthermore,
the war forced women into complex roles of management and intelligence. With
men away at war, women took over the management of farms, businesses, and local
economies—sectors they were traditionally excluded from. Others operated as
highly effective spies, using the societal expectation that women were
"apolitical" to their advantage. They smuggled coded messages in
buttonholes, tracked British troop movements, and gathered vital intelligence
that saved continental regiments from ambush.
Recognizing these women is not just about adding names to a historic list; it is about understanding that independence was a collective, societal effort. Their legacy reminds us that true leadership and courage manifest in many forms—whether through economic resistance, strategic writing, or community resilience. By studying the Founding Mothers, we gain a richer, more accurate understanding of history that continues to inspire modern movements for equality and representation worldwide.
In 2026,
the United States marked the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence, a milestone known as Freedom 250. Beyond the
commemorations, the anniversary also offered an opportunity to revisit the
historical events that led to the founding of a new nation.
The
story of American independence did not begin with a single document. It
unfolded through a series of political decisions, military conflicts, and
social changes that gradually reshaped the relationship between the thirteen
British colonies and the Crown. From the Battles of Lexington and Concord in
1775 to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, each
event marked a turning point in a much longer process.
Although
the Revolution continued for several years after the Declaration was signed,
these early moments remain central to understanding how ideas about
self-government, representation, and political identity developed during the
eighteenth century.
Anniversaries
like Freedom 250 are not only occasions to celebrate history—they also invite
us to revisit primary events, explore the people behind them, and consider how
historical narratives continue to influence the way nations understand their
past.
Whether viewed through documents, artwork, or historical accounts, the American Revolution remains a significant chapter in world history and an enduring subject of study, discussion, and reflection.
What does freedom look like? Not as a slogan. Not as a political position. Not as a single moment frozen in history.
Freedom is one of the most enduring ideas humanity has ever explored, yet it remains one of the hardest to define. Every generation inherits it, questions it, reshapes it, and gives it new meaning. Artists have wrestled with this challenge for centuries. How do you represent something that cannot be touched, measured, or fully explained?
In 1830, Eugène Delacroix offered one of history's most
iconic answers with Liberty Leading the People. Rather than portraying freedom
as a law, a speech, or a government, he transformed it into a symbol—a figure
moving forward through uncertainty, inspiring others to follow.
The painting wasn't simply about a historical event. It was about an idea. An idea powerful enough to inspire movements, shape societies, and spark conversations that continue long after the moment itself has passed.
Today, the question remains just as relevant. What does freedom mean in a world connected by technology, shaped by culture, and influenced by countless perspectives? For some, freedom is the ability to express themselves authentically. For others, it's access to opportunity, education, creativity, participation, or the power to choose their own path. There is no single answer. And perhaps that's the point.
As conversations surrounding North America's 250th
anniversary continue to emerge, we believe the most interesting discussions
aren't about defining freedom for everyone—they're about exploring how
different people experience it.
Throughout the coming months, Creative Take will explore that question through art, culture, history, and ideas. Because freedom is more than a milestone. It's a living concept, and a question worth asking specially today.
What does freedom mean to you?
Why The Horse Fair Still Feels So Modern?
When we think about groundbreaking art, we often imagine
artists breaking rules or reinventing entire styles.
Rosa Bonheur did something different. She made people
look more closely at reality. Painted in the 1850s, The Horse Fair captures a
busy horse market in Paris, where powerful animals move through the crowd with
an energy that still feels striking today.
What makes the painting so compelling isn't just its impressive size. It's the sense of movement. The horses pull, turn, resist, and surge forward. Nothing feels posed. Nothing feels still.
Bonheur achieved this through years of careful
observation. She studied animal anatomy and behavior with remarkable
dedication, creating work that feels less like a staged scene and more like a
living moment.
More than 170 years later, that authenticity continues to
resonate.
The painting doesn't simply show horses. It captures
motion, tension, and the unpredictable nature of life itself.
There's also something inspiring about Bonheur's
approach. She pursued her artistic vision with unusual determination, choosing
observation over convention and curiosity over expectation.
Perhaps that's why The Horse Fair remains so captivating. Not because it belongs to another era. But because it still feels alive.
Balance
Balance (1989) presents a simple situation that
quickly becomes complex: five figures share a single platform suspended in the
void, where every individual movement inevitably affects the whole. In this
confined space, coexistence becomes a constant tension between cooperation and
desire.
Through stop-motion animation, the film builds its world with striking simplicity. The restrained design and precise movements of the figures amplify the sense of fragility, making every gesture feel deliberate and loaded with meaning. This simplicity is key to its impact: there is nothing to distract from the dynamics of balance and disruption.
An Interactive Art Experience.
Can an exhibition exist without the people who inhabit it? In Habitar la Sala, the artwork is not waiting to be observed. It memerges through the participation of those who enter, choose to engage, contribute, build, and move through a collectively created landscape. Here, every action matters, and every visitor helps shape the experience.
Discover an artistic proposal where participation, encounter, and shared creation transform the way we relate to art.
Watch the video and discover how a room becomes a living artwork shaped by everyone who enters, participates, and contributes.
Discover Habitar la Sala, an interactive art exhibition at the Centro Colombo Americano Bucaramanga as part of Salas Abiertas- VisitArte 2026!
Explore how the audience becomes part of the artwork through engagement, collaboration, and collective creation!
A Creative Take on Bogotá’s International Book Fair!
The Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBo) is understood here not only as a literary event, but as a space where the book becomes a meeting point between publishers, readers, artists, students, and academics. In this edition, the guest country further expands this dialogue, opening new perspectives on reading and cultural exchange.
Through these intersections, a connection is activated between different voices and territories, where reading becomes a bridge to explore multiple relevant topics from diverse perspectives.
In this context, the book is no longer just an object of reading, but a mediator of dialogue, memory, and shared thought.
Our Creative Take on FILBo 2026 explores how the Bogotá International Book Fair became more than a literary event — a space for dialogue, memory, and cultural exchange.
The exhibition Extra Extra. The Origins of Colombian
Comics, presented at the National Library of Colombia, offers a perspective on
comics not only as entertainment, but as a visual archive of the country’s
history. Through research that traces their origins from the late 19th century
to the 1960s, the exhibition reveals how this medium was primarily circulated
through newspapers.
Along this journey, comics emerge as a tool to approach
everyday life, political perspectives, and the popular culture of their time.
Rather than simply telling fictional stories, these images construct a way of
reading reality and activating collective memory.
From this perspective, comics are recognized as cultural
heritage, allowing us to understand how a country has also narrated itself
through images.
Salpicón is a minimalist comics anthology
published by Palm Press that brings together the work of fourteen Colombian
artists exploring the possibilities of storytelling without words. Recognized
by Casa Macondo as one of the best books of 2025, this project belongs to a
branch of comics defined by its apparent visual simplicity and the absence of
written text.
Far from being a limitation, this absence opens up space
to construct narratives, ideas, or even poems solely through images. In this
exercise, minimalist comics become an exploration of visual language in its
most essential form.
A fresh look at Colombian minimalist comics Salpicón, published by Palm Press, brings together 14 artists exploring storytelling without words!
What happens when we understand artistic creation as an act of
observation? Beyond the need to express an idea or communicate a message, art
can emerge from the attention we give to the world and our willingness to
remain present with whatever unfolds.
In this process, doubt does not necessarily represent an obstacle, but
rather a natural part of the search. Both The Creative Act: A Way of Being,
by Rick Rubin, and The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron, propose different ways
of inhabiting that uncertainty: continuing to observe, returning to creative
work, and remaining receptive even when the answers are not yet clear.
Creating also involves making choices. Among everything we observe, we decide what to follow, what to develop, and what to leave behind. Rather than pursuing a perfect idea, artistic practice becomes an exercise in presence, curiosity, and constant decision-making, where paying attention can be just as important as the work that ultimately takes shape.
Art isn’t about forcing ideas. It’s about paying attention.
Stay open, keep showing up, and let things take shape!
Have you read the books we mentioned? What do you think?
What do
we mean when we talk about art? Rather than a fixed or universal category, art
can be understood as a way in which people have sought to understand and
represent the world throughout time. Every artwork emerges from a particular
context and carries with it the questions, values, and imaginaries of the era
in which it was created.
As Ernst Gombrich noted, “There really is no such thing as Art. There are only artists.” This idea invites us to look at artworks not as isolated objects, but as expressions of people who observe, interpret, and respond to the world they inhabit. Within them, we find traces of ways of thinking, feeling, and imagining that are also part of history.
What you see… is never just what you see…
It’s shaped by how you’ve learned to look, and by the moment
you’re looking in. As Gombrich suggested, we don’t see innocently. We see
through habits, expectations, and context.
Art isn’t separate from the world it comes from. It’s part
of it —shaped by the same forces that shape how we see. So every image carries
a point of view. Not just what it shows— but how it asks to be seen…
All visual references in this video are public domain works,
free to use and distribute. Sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
What happens when a portrait refuses to stay the same?
In this episode of Creative Take, we explore Retratos, the exhibition by Esteban Mantilla at the Art Gallery of the Centro Colombo Americano Bucaramanga. Through layered images, fragmented faces, and symbolic elements, Mantilla expands the idea of portraiture beyond the traditional frame.
During the opening night, the artist painted live, allowing the audience to witness the transformation of the image in real time. Animals, symbols, and shifting identities collide on the canvas, creating portraits that resist fixed definitions and invite viewers into a visual journey.
Watch the full video and discover this exhibition at the CCAB Art Gallery.
Retratos is on view through March 20, 2026.
Free admission.
Subscribe to our channel for more episodes of Creative Take, where art meets conversation.
Every cultural project is also a conversation built
over time. This first episode recognizes the people who have helped make the
Colombo Americano of Bucaramanga a meeting place for art, literature, music,
and other cultural expressions. At the same time, it marks the beginning of a
new chapter that will continue to strengthen these initiatives and expand the
possibilities for dialogue among artists, audiences, and the community.
Introducing Creative Take, a new digital segment by the
Colombo Americano of Bucaramanga, where we explore and discuss ideas,
creativity, and cultural perspectives from our community and the world!
This first edition also honors the work of Elena Arenas de Ortiz, who has just concluded her time as Cultural Director at the CCAB. Her dedication and vision have left a lasting impact on our cultural programs!
Attention
Something new is coming.
Creative Take is a new digital segment by the Centro Colombo
Americano of Bucaramanga where art, culture, books, film, and ideas come
together in English.
From local exhibitions to cultural conversations from around
the world, each episode opens a new perspective on creativity.
Join us and discover a new way to experience art and
culture.
#CCAB #CreativeTake #ArtAndCulture
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)