Original article: 80 años del Nobel: GAM celebra a Gabriela Mistral con programación especial en diciembre

GAM Commemorates 80 Years of Gabriela Mistral’s Nobel Prize with Special December Programming

Eight decades ago, a woman became the first Latin American laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature. This historic achievement occurred in December 1945, awarded to Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral. This accolade highlighted her lyrical poetry, steeped in profound emotions, establishing her as a symbol of idealism for voices across the region on the global stage.

In 2025, the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center, GAM, will honor the poet and this significant milestone with a special lineup of events, featuring music, theater, literature, and much more.

«The Mistralian thought represents a cultural proposal aimed at transforming how we connect with childhood, nature, memory, education, and femininity. Her cultural insights are profoundly inclusive, viewing art as a means of teaching and social emancipation,» stated GAM’s Executive Director, Alejandra Martí Olbrich.

«Her name is not merely decorative for us but serves as a declaration of principles. We invite the public to engage with our special programming this year-end to honor this remarkable woman who continually inspires us,» added the director of the Cultural Center.

Activities

In theater, the company La Llave Maestra will unveil its creative process to captivate audiences with a preview of its upcoming production slated for 2026. The piece, titled «INFINITA, landscapes of Gabriela» (December 5-7), will present Mistral embarking on a dreamlike journey through her memories, works, and life.

«Our theater is characterized by the absence of text, so the challenge was to translate her poetic texts into images where words are unnecessary, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in this poetic universe and feel love, pain, absence, motherhood, and tenderness through image and movement,» revealed directors Edurne Rankin and Álvaro Morales.

The narrative begins in Mistral’s final days when a character from one of her works takes her into a magical, spiritual, and emotional realm of her own memory. This family-friendly show recreates the sensations of her poems intertwined with her life, blurring the line between reality and fiction.

In film, the documentary «Locas mujeres» will be screened on December 7, exploring the inner world of the Chilean poet and her romantic relationship with American Doris Dana (featured in the cover photo). Released in national theaters in 2011, this film by María Elena Wood is based on recordings made by Doris with Gabriela and friends who visited her in the months leading up to her death.

«Locas mujeres is a love story. The film focuses on the relationship with Doris Dana, explored through recordings and personal archives. This perspective offers a deeply human, modern, and authentic glimpse into Gabriela Mistral,» Wood stated in a press release.

Meanwhile, in music, «Saudades de Gabriela» (December 11) will be a concert revisiting the complete repertoire of the album of the same name recorded in Portugal in 2021, composed by Chilean Jorge Prado. Mistral’s works arranged in the Portuguese fado style, filled with melancholy and longing, will be performed by the group Fado al sur del Mundo.

Recall that Mistral lived in Lisbon during the 1930s, a time when she reconnected with her inspiration for writing. The live performance will merge the emotional resonance of Mistral’s work with the essence of fado, musically interpreting her poems Montañas mías, Piececitos, Desolación, the Sonetos de la Muerte, País de la ausencia, Cosas, Riqueza, Todas íbamos a ser reinas, Ausencia, and Dos ángeles.

Literature will also play a key role in this tribute. There will be a marathon reading of the Poema de Chile on December 13. Under the title «Now You Guide Me,» this event will take place continuously for five hours, with open participation from the community in GAM’s central plaza. This is one of the author’s most emblematic works, intertwining nature, history, and the cultures of the country.

In visual arts, the influence and legacy of the poet, along with the relevance of her thought, will be showcased in «La ronda infinita» (December 11 to February 28). This exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Cultures and GAM, will feature works by 28 women artists from various generations.

In total, over 50 pieces will include installations, drawings, videos, sculptures, woodcuts, crafts, textiles, ceramics, oils, photography, tapestries, screen printing, and more, created between 1960 and 2025.

Curated by Josefina de la Maza, the exhibition aims to foster a contemporary dialogue with themes present in Mistral’s work: the profound connection with nature, care, pedagogy, crafts, and the female experience.

Other activities include the launch of the book «Classic Tales of Mistral» (December 3), the seminar «Mistral and Her Legacy» (December 4), the workshop for early childhood «To See You Grow» (December 5), the workshop «Forest Santiago» (December 12 and 13), and the expo «Gabriela Mistral Audiotheque» (December 13 to 28).

All programming, prices, and hours can be found on gam.cl

El Ciudadano