Blog #4: Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center

The 18th century building known as Casa de los Condes de Peñalver has history as a post office, bank and school, but perhaps is better known for its current state as the house of The Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center- or Centro de Arte Contemporaneo Wifredo Lam. This state-run art center is considered to be not only one of Havana’s best art galleries, but one of its most important. It seems that this gallery was built to be important; in 1983 it was created for the study, research and promotion of contemporary visual arts in developing countries of Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean. The global works of the Second and Third-World are showcased through many exhibitions both inside and outside Cuba, and the variety of manifestations of visual art like: sculpture, printmaking, drawing, installation, painting, photography, video and architecture. All of these types of visual art add up to about 1,000 pieces in the building- collected from donations, purchases and prize-winning works from the Havana Art Biennials. 

This art center in Cuba was named for renowned artist Wifredo Lam who we learned a bit about in the previous modules. Of all the historic and influential Cuban artists, why do you think the gallery was named after Lam? Why not another important artist like Fidelio Ponce de Leon? I think the reason may be not only because of Lam’s talent and vision, but his passion for his cultural heritage as Afro-Chinese. In the interview with Wifredo Lam’s son, his son talks about how meeting Picasso, who encouraged Wifredo to embrace his ancestry, caused his father to delve into more African inspired art. Looking at some of Lam’s paintings shown in the art center, one can easily see the influence via the shapes, colors and arrangements. 

Another important aspect of this cultural center is that it is the organizer of the international art fairs known as the Havana Art Biennials. The Biennial is actually considered to be the art center’s main project. Thousands of artists from these focused regions (Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean) have had art exhibited during this event. We saw one such work for the Biennial in the video “Wrinkles in the City”, which focused on the elderly people of Havana. It is also during this event that the art world of curators, art critics, museum directors, collectors and gallerists have the opportunity to come together and exchange ideas. 

What kind of impact do you think the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center has on the people of Cuba? On people of the world? What are you most excited to see/experience in Cuba in regards to art? I’m looking forward to seeing you all in Havana! :) 

Also, if anyone wants to check it out: the Wifredo Lam Contemporary Art Center is 3 CUC for admission  and it’s open 10am-5pm Monday through Saturday. It’s located just off Cathedral Square in Old Havana.

Blog #4 Colon Cemetery

 Colon Cemetery

The mysterious and worn Cementerio de Cristobal Colon (Colon Cemetery) was named after the infamous Christopher Columbus by Spanish architect, Loira, in 1876, who was also it's first occupant. It lies in the Vedado barrio of Havana, and is only open from 8am to 5pm Monday through Friday with free admission (imagine having to pay to see your deceased family?). It has over 120 acres of land, and organizes its 'residents' according to their social rank and economic status, as many other cemeteries are. It is made to be like a mini-city, in which the rich and powerful lie in the more prominent parts of the cemetery and the lower class individuals lies in the outskirts. It holds over 800,000 graves, and it is considered a premium spot to reside in the afterlife, so many remains are removed after three years and packed up in storage (so much for 'final' resting place)!!

Despite its residents being removed every few years to make room for more bodies, it looks to have a very peaceful appearance. The all-white or cream elaborate monuments make it a little eerie at night (probably why it closes at 5pm), but during the day it is quite a beautiful sight. There is over 500 major mausoleums, chapels, and family vaults with 19th and 20th century artists drawing inspiration from the renaissance and neoclassical art to develop intricate and unique monuments. Many of these memorials are assigned to honor special people, like a huge 75-foot tall monument for firefighters who died in 1890, a white king chess piece shaped monument for a famous chess player, and a double-three domino shaped one for a famous domino player. Even Ibrahim Ferrer (of the Buena Vista Social Club) is buried here.

It is interesting to see that some of the monuments, like the rest of Havana, are crumbling and slowly deteriorating because of lack of maintenance due to the fact that many of their family members either in exile due to the Revolution of 1959. This just goes to show that even the deceased are impacted by the Castro regime.

Watch this video for a tour of the cemetery!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTWyKT5WvnE

With all this being said, do you find that cemeteries are creepy? Or that they are peaceful?

Do you think that Cuban culture on the deceased is abnormal or is it expected?

Do you think it is wrong for someone's remains to be removed and put into storage after originally being put to rest in a plot of land? 

Muraleando

Muraleando transformed the Lawton from a run-down section of town to an attractive environment. Along the streets you can find music, dancing, murals, sculptures, and acting. It is known for its art made of unusual objects and bright colors. Some of these objects include tin, traffic signs, cans, fabric, foam, and marble. The purpose of the neighborhood is to bring art to ordinary people. The other purpose was to take an area covered in trash, and essentially do a “trash to treasure” type upgrade, making trash into art.

Muraleando contains murals of common Cubans like we learned about in the last module. These murals decorate the streets. Some of these murals are of other famous artists, like Teresita Fernandez who was a songwriter. The murals aren’t usually political by nature, however the area was transformed as a way to cope with the economic downfall after the fall of the Soviet Union, so there may be some discreet political messages or analogies in some of the murals. Other art includes pop art, where murals are made with different materials and rocks, thus making the mural have texture. The area also includes a restaurant, El Mirador de Acosta, that costs around 7 CUC and has live music shows. Sometimes, there are vendors selling crafts throughout the streets, like handcrafted jewelry.

The area’s headquarters is in an old water tank. Inside are galleries and workshops. Recitals and performances take place on the stage. There is also a dance floor, bar, and cafeteria. There is always a band playing, and there is the option to buy merchandise from the band. Often, others can be heard singing or practicing their instruments. The project has been funded from the beginning through local artists, community members, and visitors. There are also lessons for the children of Cuba here. Seeing the murals itself is a free experience, but there are options to buy artwork, crafts, and food. It is open year-round, all day, but the headquarters is only open during business hours. Artists and vendors are there at their own discretion. The nearby restaurants are typically open from nine in the morning to eleven at night.

The center also has a message about ecology, conservation, and the environment. The center is located on an abandoned water reservoir that was filled with trash and damaging the environment. Now, it is kept clean, used to help the economy, and features many recycled objects and murals of animals. It truly looks like a beautiful place and I am excited to visit.

Would anyone like to visit Muraleando with me? Are there any other art places you’d like to attend? Are there any pieces or artists in particular that you are excited to see in person?

Blog Post #4- Fábrica de Arte Cubano

Fábrica de Arte Cubano is right in the heart of Havana, Cuba between Calle 26 and Calle 11.
The hours of operation are from 8am- 2am on Thursday-Sunday. Why are the hours of operation so long one might ask? Well, Fábrica de Arte Cubano is a mixture between a premiere art gallery and a premiere night club! What a rad idea to combine the two! The idea was borrowed from converting old factories into usable spaces in places like in Brooklyn, New York and in Berlin, Germany. Originally, Fábrica de Arte Cubano was a cooking oil factory but was later converted to what it is today. “Fábrica de Arte Cubano” literally translates to Cuban Art Factory in English. This is definitely not like a usual art gallery. A broad span of musical performances, fashion walkways, theater performances, dancing, movies, and all different mixtures of art from graphic design, photographs, architecture, and much more! The price of admission is only 2 CUC per person, so it’s relatively reasonable to go somewhere fun for the evening! The best part about the location of this place is it is right by our house stays while we are all in Cuba. While visiting, Fábrica de Arte Cubano, you do not pay for food and drink but instead you run up the bill on a stamp card and then pay on your way out. Not to mention, free dance lessons are sometimes offered. Along with the artists, designers and musicians mingle with the crowd. X Alfonso, a popular Cuban rocker and artist manages Fábrica de Arte Cubano. Cuban officials are fine with having Fábrica de Arte Cubano as an establishment because it is not privately owned nor state owned but is  referred to as a “community project” instead since it is a government building. It is a fun, hip place for local teens in the area to hang out. The doors will have lines around the block of teens trying to get into this place. After midnight, the basement of the factory kicks off the “discoteca” where everyone can dance. Although, some of the artwork published in the art gallery pushes political boundaries of the government. To the point where a photograph that was hanging on the walls had to be taken down because the photograph represented a political stunt that happened back in the 1950s. I definitely believe this is a place we should all visit while we are down in Cuba. Fábrica de Arte Cubano relates to what our trip is about with learning about Cuban art, culture, and dance in a cool, hip, and exciting way! Would you want to visit a cool place like Fábrica de Arte Cubano? What other places are you interested in seeing while in Cuba?

Here is a link to their website:

http://www.fac.cu/

Blog #4 Museum of Fine Arts: Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

The Museum of Fine Arts of Havana also known as Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes De La Habana is a museum that shows art collections from colonial times up to contemporary generations. Founded on February 23,1913 it has only gained global acclaim since 2001 when it was rebirthed. In 2001 the international collection was installed in the former Centro Asturiano. The building was built in 1927 in a Spanish renaissance style. Marble from Spain, Italy and the United States were used during the reconstruction. Cedar and mahogany from Cuba were used for all the wood detail. The building is a work of art itself with its wall- sized murals and great staircase.

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes De La Habana is separated into two buildings one houses Placio de Bellas Artes which is a main attraction of the museum that holds only artwork created by Cubans. The other building which is the Palacio de Centro Asturiano holds artwork from the rest of the world. There are more then 700 pieces in the Spanish collection making it one of the richest collections in the world. The museum is divided into eight sections including work from all around the world. Artwork from France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Great Britain, Asia, the United States, Flanders, Latin American and Germany are on display in the museum.

Famous painter Canaletto sliced a long landscape he painted and sold both halves separately in the mid-eighteenth century. Half of the painting hangs in the Museo de Bellas Artes. Each floor has a unique theme religion, landscape and custom scene of everyday life are just a few you will see. Lahabana.com recommends “English and Italian galleries; in the latter hangs perhaps our favourite painting in the entire collection: a fabulous swagger portrait of the Marquesa de Pinar del Río in a drop—waisted flapper dress, with a huge fan and an even huger sense of style”. Living in New England I am a huge fan of the fine arts museums we have around here. I am excited that we get to visit the museum of fine arts on our second day in Cuba.

To attending the individual buildings, it is CUC 5 or to do both it cost CUC 8. The hours are 10am-6pm Tues-Sat and 10am-2pm Sun.

            Some questions I have for the class:

-       Is there one artist in particular you are excited to see in the museum? If so, Who?

-       Are you surprised that the fine arts museum has art from American artist?

-       Is there another museum you are interested in going to while we are there?

Website :http://www.lahabana.com/guide/museo-nacional-de-bellas-artes-the-international-collection-edificio-de-arte-internacional/

Blog #4 Visit Casa de Africa

Casa de África en La Habana

Address: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Casa+de+África/@23.1383918,-82.3504794,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x68877f7b9bf5b6f6?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjC6-Pane3mAhWIct8KHV2YASoQ_BIwGnoECA8QCA

Website: http://www.lahabana.com/guide/casa-museo-de-africa/

Hours: 

Monday: Open 24 hours **

Tuesday:  9:30AM- 5PM

Wednesday:  9:30AM- 5PM

Thursday:  9:30AM- 5PM

Friday: 9:30AM- 5PM

Saturday: 9:30AM- 5PM

Sunday: 9:30AM -2PM

Phone: +53 7 8615798

Cost:* I am not sure, some said it was free but not many mentioned if there was a cost or not

Videos: 

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9AD3q0PDgQ

Above is a video of Cuba’s ONLY female group presenting at Casa de Africa in Old Havana 

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_oyWvG3sxk   

3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekBBFP677Zk 

Casa de Africa, also known as the House of Africa, of the Havana Historical Center, plays a huge role in the contemporary African culture and art. It is actually the only museum in the world where one hundred percent of the African pieces that it treasures, is the product of solidarity and gratitude for the contribution of the Island. This would be a great place to visit because it you will see amazing architectural pieces that hold lots of value and history to each and every structure. The House of Africa was made to honor the memory and legacy of two of the greatest researchers of Afro-Cuban culture, José Luciano Franco and Fernando Ortiz, names that are always remembered during the Workshop sessions. The museum gives you the opportunity to go on a tour where you will physically see the influence of African culture, as well as be able to see several exhibitions that hold more than 2,000 objects, from valuable wood carvings to small ivory items. I would ask if you can take pictures just in case but this museum is a nice topic to write about in your final paper or to have in your photographic project. 

Reviews on tripadvisor: 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g147271-d3281502-Reviews-or5-Casa_de_Africa-Havana_Ciudad_de_la_Habana_Province_Cuba.html#REVIEWS

“This museum gives an excellent overview of the African roots of Cuban culture. It's small, but packed with aesthetic and interesting exhibits. An hour spent here is an hour well spent. Staff are also very helpful and speak English.”

“For a wonderful exhibit of the African influence on Cuban culture, come to this small museum. There is beautiful artwork, lovely wooden statues, a variety of splendid instruments and gifts to the Castro family. “

Discussion Questions: 
1. How are ways this museum benefits the Cuban community ?
2. What do you think about this museum holding valuable pieces that mean a lot to the African culture ?

Blog #4: Finca La Vigía

Finca La Vigía was Ernest Hemingway’s home in Cuba. In the 1930’s Hemingway travelled to Cuba and fell in love. He then purchased Finca La Vigía and lived there from 1939 or 1940 until his death in 1961. Once he passed, the Cuban government took control of the house, with or without his surviving wife’s permission. Restoration has begun at this house and visitors can come between 10 am to 4 pm Monday-Saturday and 9 am to 1 pm on Sunday for only $5 CUC. The location of this house is 10 miles outside of Havana in San Francisco de Paula. This area was a modest choice for Hemingway at the time, rather than living in an upper class neighborhood. Finca La Vigía would be very interesting to visit because a lot of Hemingway’s original possessions are still there. Not only are his trophies from hunts in Africa and the United States still present on the walls, but also his original typewriter remains in Finca La Vigía. Whenever a house is preserved in this way, it is always fascinating to walk around to understand the environment behind the writer. This house was also where he wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Old Man and the Sea, and who knows, maybe some inspirations of these novels are in his home. Overall, this house has been impeccably preserved in order for tourists and fans of Hemingway to see. Most of the furniture is elegant and simple, leaving the animal trophies to be the most intriguing aspect of the house. Even though trophy hunting in Africa is looked down upon today, at the time it was meant to be a sign of bravery because of the risks involved in the hunt. Although its preservation today seems as though it was the right thing to do, there are a lot of controversies regarding it. After Fidel came into power in 1959, Hemingway killed himself a few years later. The government has also claimed that they took Finca La Vigía with permission of Hemingway himself and with the permission of his family. According to Mary Welsh Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s wife at the time of his death, “the Cuban government informed the family that it had confiscated the property, all of it, and that it now belonged to the nation” (The Contradictions…). This unexpected confiscation caused Mary to scramble to get some of Hemingway’s manuscripts to bring back to the US for preservation. All of this conflict regarding the possession of Finca La Vigía makes me question the Cuban government’s motives. Do you feel as though the Cuban government was fair in taking this home away from Hemmingway’s family? At what point does a personal possession such as this turn into a monument, as it is today?

http://www.hemingwaycuba.com/finca-la-vigia.html

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-contradictions-of-hemingways-house-in-cuba?verso=true 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=EcaC3QO2n6M&feature=emb_logo

Blog #4: Gran Teatro de la Habana

Gran Teatro de la Habana

(Sorry for the picture placement! The blog would freak out anytime I tried to format them!)

According to what I found on Wikipedia, the Gran Teatro de la Habana was built in 1914 and designed by Paul Belau, a Belgian architect. The building is owned by the national government of Cuba and its purpose is as a performing arts center, making it the home to the Cuban National Ballet and the host of the International Ballet Festival of Havana. Not only that, but it includes facilities such as theatres, a concert hall, conference rooms, a video screening room, an art gallery, a choral center, and several rehearsal halls for dance companies. This building has a lot of history to it as it was paid for by the Galician immigrants of Havana to serve as their community-social center. The building has also gone through many names over the years since it opened in 1915, such as Palacio del Centro Gallego, Gran Teatro-Centro Gallego (1902 – 1961), Teatro Federico Garcia Lorca (1961 – 1977), Liceo de La Habana Vieja (1977-1985), and Gran Teatro de la Habana (1985 – 2015).  When researching, I found the architecture to be unique as the building was built around the already preexisting concert hall, Teatro Tacón. The Gran Teatro de La Habana has a Baroque Revival, or Neo-Baroque style, which was the style of architecture in the late 19^th century that is quite extravagant using exuberant detail, contrast, and grandeur. Additionally, the outside of the building has four sculptures created by Guiseppe Moretti and Geneva Mercer created from white marble to represent charity, education, music, and theater. In 2018, a bronze sculpture of Alicia Alonso, the famous Cuban Ballerina, was also revealed in the lobby of the Gran Teatro. The piece is called “Giselle” after the ballet that brought Alonso to world fame and was created by José Villa Soberónsculpture.

The building is located on Paseo del Prado Havana, Cuba with its official address being “458 Paseo de Martí, La Habana 10600, Cuba” and their phone number being “+53 7 8613077”. The website provided by TripAdvisor is https://www.facebook.com/www.granteatro.cu/, making me think they have changed the name of the building again to “Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso”. Based on the reviews I read, it seems tickets to see performances vary from 20 – 30 CUC ($20.02 - $30.02). The building is not opened all the time with its schedule being: Sun (24 hours), Mon (8:30 AM – 10:00 PM), Tue (Closed), Wed (Closed), Thursday (Closed), Friday (8:30 AM – 10:00 PM), and Sat (8:30 AM – 10:00 PM). Overall, with 402 reviews, the Google review of the Gran Teatro is a 4.7 out of 5 stars and a nearly similar review on TripAdvisor. Many of the reviews on both sites state how beautiful the building is, with the outside being slightly more breathtaking than the inside. Additionally, there are countless comments about how amazing the ballet performances are. Now knowing all this information, is this someplace you would be interested in visiting on our trip to Cuba? Why? Also, based on the photos you’ve seen, do you think this is the building seen in Buena Vista Social Club where some of the musicians were seen playing? (In particular, the scene with the pianist playing with the dancers/gymnasts surrounding him).                                                                           

Blog #3 A Change in Street Art

For many years throughout Cuba’s history the only street art has been paintings of Che Guevara or Fidel Castro because of the Revolution and all that it stood for. However, more recently artists have been veering away from that and appealing to the common citizens and issues. Similar to the more formal paintings done by artists such as Los Carpinteros, some of street art has a political message behind it which is their subtle way of stating their opinion to the public and government. Artists like this include Yulier Rodriguez who takes debris he’s found in the street, takes it home to paint on, then places it back where he found it. This form of art represents the decay of the Cuban society. How things are so often falling apart and not being fixed and also that for the artists it’s probably easier to use this method of a canvas rather than trying to keep buying real canvases as they’re most likely not very accessible.

            Other street art that can be seen nowadays are portraits of the elder as well as of children. They are not of any people specifically but just the common citizen and neighbor. The paintings of the elder are meant to show the traditional Cuban spirit through the eyes of the oldest citizens, rather than politicians, who have been a part of the country through all its phases in history. They have so much knowledge and stories about their lives during the Revolution that deeply connects them to their country and the artists Jose Parla and JR wanted to tell those stories. Other murals painted on the street are of the neighborhood children, done by Marcel Lopez. After getting permission from the parents and the authorities he takes about a month to paint a portrait of a child, having done about 15 already. These children are meant to represent the construction and development of society as they are the future of Cuba.

            One of the things I found interesting was the music in Cuba, the education of it specifically. It seems that Cubans are so dedicated to teaching their children all about their culture’s music and where it came from. The children learn at a young age since music education is a priority, there are schools at elementary level all over the country. Music is such an important part of the country’s history that it’s important to pass down to younger generations. There are so many influences in modern Cuban music that come from past ancestors and religion such as the Cabildos or Santeria roots. Their music helps define who they are as a society. One of the popular places to see that ancestral influence is at Callejon de Hamel where the walls are covered in paintings and the African roots are celebrated. A well known music artist of today based out of Cuba is Gente de Zona who is recognized from their collaboration with Enrique Iglesias on “Bailando.” They bring a very modern touch to the typical Cuban rhythms. They had called their sound a “Cuban reggaeton” as it’s a mix of Cuban rhythms into a reggaeton base. What their success means to them is that they were able to prove to themselves and others than artist from Cuba are able to get to the top of the charts, that it’s possible to truly succeed regardless of nationality.

            My question now is: do you think that Cuban music will always have some of it’s roots played into it or will it become more European/Americanized the more open the country becomes? Also, do you think that authorities are going to keep allowing street artists to paint things like Yulier Rodriguez with his more political pieces, however subtle they may be?

Blog #3 Education in Cuba is Vital

Cuba takes education very seriously. Education became a top priority after Fidel Castro became prime minister in 1959 and this aspect has changed and helped the country tremendously. Education is considered one of the vital commitments of Cuba to its society. This perception is mandatory because there is close coordination between the policies and strategies implemented by the country to ensure that the educational development and social progress Cuba requires from its people is available. Public Education in Cuba has always been free. Even attendance at the University of Havana was free of costs, except for the cost of your books, people had to pay for those. This commitment of education for Cuban people is favored by the society at large, education is a task in which everyone in Cuba should participate in one way or another and should also be responsible for. 

 After the Cuban Revolution, the new government placed the reconstruction of the education system as a top priority. Alongside all the demands for education, Cuba not only made it mandatory for individuals to get an education at a free cost, but Cuba also focused on the literacy problem they faced as a country. When Cuba realized they needed to be more advanced on their literacy, Cuba opened literacy centers. The purpose of these centers were to further reach out to all, teens and other young adults who were were drafted and sent out to the countryside to teach their fellow Cubans how to read. The Literacy Campaign were open to becoming a resource to individuals. This campaign helped to provide poor uneducated Cubans a better standing in the country and the world. Education was vital to the new government at the time, many leaders believed that for Cuba to be strong and for citizens to be active participants in society, they must be educated into the Marxist socialist policies of the new government which is why they have so much access to free education. 

Therefore, Education for Cuba is the safety of its future in the preparation of new generations. The main goal of the Cuban effort is to pursue the continuous improvement of education, to fully meet its objectives, which today leads to the implementation of major transformations. It would be impossible to recognize the value of the present state of Cuban education, its major achievements and transformations without a comparative analysis of the education that existed before the Revolution. Cuba invested heavily to make its education system world-class which is clear and evident in a lot of articles I read.

Discussion questions:
1. Do you think free access to education is helping the Cuban government or hurting the government?

2. What (if anything) can we learn from the Cuban educational system?

3. Do you think Cuba has a good education system?