The XV Encuentros Abiertos - Festival de la Luz (Festival of Light), will be held from August 1st to September 30th, 2008 in Museums, Cultural Centers, Galleries and Art Venues around 22 cities in Argentina. Festival de la Luz is the most important photography biennial exhibition in Latin America.

Encuentros Abiertos, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, consists of several photographic activities, all of them free of charge, except for the Portfolios Forum and the workshops that are the only paid activities in the Festival.

The activities will be divided into different groups:

Exhibitions: 80 photographic exhibitions at museums and cultural centers around the country. Some of the participating venues are: Centro Cultural Recoleta with its 18 rooms; Centro Cultural Borges; Centro cultural Rojas; Centro Cultural San Martín; Teatro General San Martín; Dirección General de Museos; Museo Fernandez Blanco; Museo José Hernández; Alianza Francesa; Espacio Multiarte; BAC; Escuela Argentina de Fotografía, in its 4 venues; MAC Salta; Centro cultural Virla, Tucuman, Espacio contemporáneo de Arte in Mendoza; Fine Arts museums in La Rioja, San Juan, Gral. Roca, Trelew, Paraná, Santa Fe, among many others.
Meetings: conferences, round tables and screenings at the Auditorium of Alianza Francesa and the National Museum of Fine Arts.
Portfolios forum: meetings for photographers, curators, collectors, editors, critics, museum and festival directors.
Actions: open calls, contests, video-art, street projections, book presentations, performances, etc.
Urban Interventions: Homage to Alicia D'Amico at Plaza Dorrego; Contemporary collective exhibition at Plaza San Martin; Alan Humerose (Switzerland) at Puerto Madero; and Tom Lisboa with "Blow Up" at Plaza Francia.
Workshops: Argentine and international professors are invited to offer different workshops during the festival.

The Festival of Light is an international collaboration of more than 34 photography festivals around the world. This cooperation has a common website: www.festivaloflight.org, and a continuous exchange of exhibitions, activities and participants.The Festival of Light 2008 is sponsored by the embassies of France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. Also by: Alianza Francesa, the Secretary of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires, the General Direction of Museums, Centro Cultural Recoleta, Conaculta (Mexico), Centro de la Imagen (Mexico), Centro de la Imagen (Lima), Fundación Pro Helvetia, Culture France, and is organized by Fundacion Luz Austral.

The National Museum of Decorative Arts presents the traveling exhibition of 19th century French sculptures, "The Rodin Era", that includes works by Auguste Rodin, Louis Ernest Barrias, Emile-Antoine Bourdelle, Jean Baptiste Carpeaux, Albert Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Camille Claudel, Charles Cordier, Alexandre Falguière, Jean León Gerôme, Hiram Powers, Pierre Auguste Renoir, belonging to the Museo de Arte de Ponce, in Puerto Rico, and to the Soumaya Museum, in Mexico.

Like most of the sculptors in the 19th century, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was brilliant at modeling clay, and directed the most important sculpture workshop, composed, among others, by modeling artists, people in charge of the plaster making for bronze molds, marble sculptors, and other collaborators that performed the versions of his works in different sizes.

Going through the works by Rodin, his masters, and his disciples, visitors will understand the revitalizing strength of their creations, and how, despite the criticism of their time, they were able to transcend the temporal and geographic frontiers.

Dates: July 12th to September 16th, 2008
Location: National Museum of Decorative Arts (Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo). Avenida Libertador 1902
Opening times:
Tuesdays to Sundays, 2 pm to 7 pm
Mondays closed.
Guided visits:
Tuesday to Friday: 5.30 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 4.30 pm and 5.30 pm

Argentina will be hosting Russia for the Semifinals of the Davis Cup on clay at the Estadio Parque Roca in Buenos Aires on September 19th, 20th and 21st, 2008. The two nations last faced each other in the 2006 final, when the victory was for Russia 3-2 in Moscow.

The dates and times of the matches are: Friday 19th, 11 am; Saturday 20th, 12 pm; and Sunday 21st, 11 am.
A unique opportunity to attend to the single and double matches between two of the nations with some of the best ranked tennis players, like Argentine players David Nalbandian, Juan Martin del Potro, and Guillermo Cañas, and Russian players Marat Safin and Nicolay Davydenko.

Location: Estadio Parque Roca. Av. Roca y Escalada, Buenos Aires.
Tickets are on sale at Ticketek Argentina website.
More information: Davis Cup official website.

The Argentine Polo Association has announced the Schedule for the tournaments of the Official Spring 2008 Season. The program, between September and December, includes three of the most important Polo tournaments worldwide: Tortugas C.C., in which for the first time in Polo history the twelve 10-goal handicap players with will be participating; Hurlingham Club Open, the oldest Polo tournament in the world, and Argentine Open Championship.

Don´t miss the opportunity of attending these world class events. You can experience Polo the Argentine way, enjoying the matches of the Spring Polo Season. Email me to receive information about prices of transportation.

Email: sandra@batravelguide.com

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

Club Militar San Jorge Open Championship
Hurlingham. Finals in Palermo
August 29th to September 6th

Metropolitan Championships (A) and (H)
September 13th

Copa Inicicacion (A) and (H)
September 6th

Inter-Schools Championship
From September 10th, 2008

Springbok Trophy
September 16th and 19th, 2008
3 PM. Palermo Polo Field

Buenos Aires Jockey Club Open Championship
September 8th to 20th, 2008

Argentine Open Junior Championship
For players between 15 and 21 years of age.
September 22nd, 24th, 29th, 2008
Argentine Polo Association. Pilar


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

Tortugas Country Club Open Championship
Emilio de Anchorena Cup
September 23rd to October 11th, 2008

Classifying Tournament for Hurlingham Open and 115th Argentine Open Championship
Participating teams: Alegria (31 goals), Santa Maria de Lobos (31 goals), Trenque Lauquen (30 goals), El Paraiso (29 goals), La Baronesa (29 goals), and Coronel Suarez (28 goals).
September 23, 26, and 30.
Palermo Polo Field

Senior Tournament
Club and dates to be confirmed

Hurlingham Club Open Championship
The Ayshire Cup
Confirmed Participating teams: La Dolfina (40 goals), Ellerstina (39 goals), Indios Chapaleufu II (37 goals), Pilara (37 goals), La Aguada (37 goals), and Black Watch (34 goals).
October 14th to November 1st, 2008

High - Campaña del Desierto (A) and Coronel Enrique Padilla (H) Cups
21 to 24 goal teams
From October 4th, 2008 – Finals in Pilar

Medium - Presidente (H) and Honor (A) Cups
15 to 20 goal teams
From October 4th, 2008 – Finals in Pilar

Low - Andrés Gazzotti (A) and General Mariano Necochea (H) Cups
From October 4th, 2008 – Finals in Pilar

Spring Cup (A) and (H)
From October 4th, 2008 – Semi Finals and Finals in Pilar

Inter-University Championship
From October 3rd, 2008

Municipalidad de Pilar Championship
Estimated date: from October 18th, 2008

Ciudad de La Plata 2008 Open Championship
Republica de Panama and Eduardo Rojas Lanusse Cups
La Enriqueta Polo Club
October 25th and 26th, 2008


NOVEMBER/DECEMBER

Annual Ponies' Exhibition
Tortugas Country Club
November 10th, 2008

Camara de Diputados Cup (A)
November 18th to December 12th 2008
Final in Palermo

115th Argentine Open Polo Championship
November 15th to December 13th, 2008

Provincia de Buenos Aires (H) and Jose C. Reynal (H) Cups
Semi Finals in Pilar and Finals in Palermo
From November 22nd 2008
Final in Palermo: Sunday, December 14th

Estimulo (A) and Cacique (H) Cups
Finals in Palermo
December 15th, 4 PM and 6 PM

Juan B. Miles Cup (A) and Comando de Remonta y Veterinaria Trophy (A)
Final in Palermo
December 14th, 4 PM and 6 PM

Guillermo Sojo Cup (A) and (H)
Finals in Palermo
December 17th, 10 AM and 12 Noon

Argentine Polo Association official website