SPRINGFIELD, MO.- El Grabado: Contemporary Cuban Printmaking, an exhibition of over 70 prints by 33 Cuban artists pulled entirely from the private collection of Doctors Antonio and Luz Racela, opened Friday, December 7 and will run through March 17, 2019.
The 33 featured artists have all worked, at one time or another, at the Taller Experimental de Gráfica de Habana – the oldest, continuously running print workshop in Cuba. The Taller was established in 1962 by muralist Orlando Suarez with the help of Che Guevara, who was then Cuba’s Minister of Industry. From its inception, the workshop has focused on connecting artists with traditional printmaking techniques and fostering a dynamic artistic community based on the sharing and exchange of ideas, experimentation, and art criticism. This supportive community has allowed Cuban artists a relative freedom of expression, even amid the country’s larger political and cultural issues. It continues to be one of the most important workshops in Cuba.
The Racelas built their collection, with the assistance of Northwest Missouri State University’s Philip Laber, during humanitarian trips to Havana with the Racela Educational and Charitable Foundation. The collection has been exhibited in whole, and in part, at Northwest Missouri State University, Columbia College, the Kansas City Art Institute, and the United Community Center, Latino Arts Inc. in Milwaukee.
Museum Director Nick Nelson noted, “We are extremely grateful to the Racelas for providing us the opportunity to showcase a sampling of the incredible artistic heritage of Cuba, while promoting understanding and appreciation for the rich and innovative cultural production taking place there. We are also pleased to announce that this will be our first entirely bilingual exhibition in recent memory thanks to assistance from Yolanda Lorge, President of Grupo Latinoamericano. English-Spanish translations on all exhibition text help make this exhibit accessible to an even wider audience.”
The Springfield Art Museum is located at 1111 East Brookside Drive. Admission is always free.
