Giving back to the land: BRM Center, Tlalpujahua

Christopher Mankowski and Lucy Braham are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Diego Piñon

Dear friends and students of Diego,

This is a call to ask for support – if you are able – for the beloved land at Tlalpuhajua de Rayon, Michoacán, MX - Diego’s studio, home base of Body Ritual Movement and the ancestral land of his grandparents. Twenty-one years ago, Diego realized a dream and opened the studio, which has hosted so many profound encuentros over the years, between Mexican students and those visiting from the US, Canada, Europe and beyond.

Many of us have already been deeply transformed by these pilgrimages, and maybe for some of you who have studied with Diego, this is a future dream of yours, to visit and study with him in his home. The studio and land are a deep labor of love by Diego and have been contributed to by all of us who have visited and worked there. They are also infused with the spirit and memories of Diego’s teachers, especially Kazuo and Yoshito Ohno.

This beautiful and historical land and buildings urgently need some love and care, and we are hoping to raise funds to support Diego in maintaining this space. Due to the recent pandemic and also to Diego’s commitments to care for his mother, it has been harder recently to support the land with funds from teaching, and there are some critical repairs needed to maintain the viability of the land as a creative space.

In addition to supporting Diego’s own work and future pilgrimages for Mexican and international students, doing these basic repairs will also allow Diego to lease the property out to other artists, groups and creative projects. This will generate funds for ongoing maintenance and self-sufficiency in the future. We are hoping to kick-start this process with an infusion of funds from friends and students, to get the land back into useable and rentable shape for future income generation.

First and most pressingly, funds are needed to re-do water piping to mitigate leaks,

which are jeopardizing the use of the property.

This, and other projects down the road, include:

Tanks / Plumbing

$700

Roof of Studio

$500

Outdoor stage

$1250

2 bathrooms w/ Composting Toilets

$400

Kitchen

$500

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PS: If you are interested in contributing monthly funds of any amount (small

is also very welcome) for the upkeep of the land, or if you have any skills that you think you would like and would be able to donate please email Christopher directly

at ctmankowski at gmail.com

Please consider supporting this historic and beloved cradle for so much ancestral

and future creativity and cross-border collaboration. No amount is too small – all is

welcome!