By Reynaldo Mena
Many years ago, I heard a lecturer speaking about the great Mexican muralists accompanied by a projector that emitted images of the great works of Diego Rivera, Siqueiros, and Orozco, among others. “How crazy!” I must confess that was my first thought. I went to see him. I had little time in Los Angeles, and my devotion to my Mexican culture was intact.
I was very curious to arrive at a museum where a diverse audience patiently settled in front of a large wall that would project the images. The lights went out, and the presentation came.
“With you, Gregorio Luke,” they announced. From the moment he took the microphone and said his first words, the atmosphere changed, the people fell silent, and the magic happened. I, too, fascinated, listened to that cadenced voice, which, with timely changes of tone, seemed to be directing an orchestra.
The great works of universal art appeared and disappeared from the walls, and Luke wisely guided us through them with his history, the personality of the artists, and curious anecdotes that avoided any distractions.
“Throughout my career as a speaker, I have dedicated myself to rescuing spoken word. I do not simply do it to present my work, but I also seek to motivate people to do their own research and seek to know more about the topics,” says the native of Mexico City, dedicated for many years to the promotion and dissemination of Mexican art.
Some might categorize Gregorio Luke as a complex character; the wisdom with which he speaks could intimidate many, but just listening to him, approaching him, we realize the simplicity with which he shares the most complex topics.
“Rhetoric has been lost, spoken word is something distant, perhaps, it is a product of social media, but I have set myself the goal of continuing that tradition, injecting interest into people, spinning ideas, using expressions with meaning, for that, we have to interest them, show them that the topics we talk about make sense and are interesting to them,” adds the former director of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.
“We live in a world where the quality of reading has decreased. Again, we can blame social media, but for me, the most important thing is not to blame anyone; it is to ask ourselves, what can we do to change it?” he adds.
At the time of this interview, Luke was preparing to give a talk at UNAM, Mexico’s highest university institution. The topic? The Indian Holocaust, the extinction of indigenous peoples throughout Mexico’s history.
“They are going to want to crucify me,” Gregorio Luke says with a laugh. Many people do not want to talk about certain topics, but for me, it is important to talk about all topics. To sow curiosity in people, to debate, regardless of the consequences.”
During the pandemic, like many, he had to seclude himself and think about how to continue his dissemination work.
“People asked me for it, they wanted my online lectures,” he says.
“If it is not possible to disseminate this experience in the community, there will be no changes. We need everyone involved.” Gregorio Luke
So he created a program called “La Dominguera,” where every Sunday at 6 pm Central Mexico time, he gives a talk on topics that change week to week.
“It’s free, I try to continue my promotion work. People write to me, I send them a link, and they connect for 90 minutes. It has been a wonderful experience. Some Sundays, I have had up to two thousand people located all over the world. And I open the question panel, people can congratulate me or criticize me, I don’t care; we have to spread this practice, not lock ourselves in,” says Luke.
And he adds, “for example, I am going to talk about Van Gogh, but as a spiritual artist, who goes as a missionary, later protects a prostitute, I tell them about Holland, explain its geographical difficulties being below sea level, I try to generate a deep curiosity in the people who listen to me.”
Luke’s experience is not limited to large conferences, he has also given talks to elementary or high school students.
“It’s fabulous, and it’s a lie that young people aren’t interested in art. For example, I tell high school girls about the life of Sor Juana and they are amazed at how radical she was,” he adds.
Luke insists on the importance of returning to teaching, rhetoric as part of our education. He mentions the recent approval of Proposition 28, led by former LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner, which will provide funding for arts education in California schools.
“It’s a step forward. Now we need to focus on finding those teachers who can influence students to move forward. I remember when I was a student in Mexico, a generation of exiled Uruguayans, Argentines, and Chileans came to teach in the high school equivalent schools. They were professors with deep knowledge. I remember they entered the classroom like they owned the place, students eagerly awaited them, and silence ensued,” he says enthusiastically.
“When I saw them, I said to myself, ‘I want to be like them’,” he says.
For Gregorio Luke, an important part of teaching is freedom, “a silenced teacher is not a great teacher.”
However, he says his work must go beyond his own experience.
“If it is not possible to disseminate this experience in the community, there will be no changes. We need everyone involved.”
