Revolutionary Island: Tales of Cuban History & Culture opens
MEDIA ADVISORY / REQUEST FOR ONSITE COVERAGE: FRIDAY, 1/18 – 5PM
Revolutionary Island: Tales of Cuban History & Culture opens
WHAT: Revolutionary Island: Tales of Cuban History & Culture opens
WHO: Cuba’s famous artists on hand: Ruben Alpizar and Esterio Segura and curator Darius Anderson
WHERE: Sonoma Valley Museum of Art: 551 Broadway, Sonoma (just off town square)
WHEN: Friday, January 18: opening reception / media availabilities: 5pm-9pm
WEB: www.svma.org
WHY:
Nothing in Cuba is what it appears,” says Darius Anderson and he should know from his 25 plus years traveling to that fascinating island. From January 19-March 24, 2013, Anderson’s passion for Cuba will be reflected in a new exhibit coming to the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (www.svma.org). Revolutionary Island: Tales of Cuban History and Culture The Sarah and Darius Anderson Collection.
“A culture is expressed through its art,” said Kate Eilertsen, Executive Director of the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. “The works in this exhibition provide a profound and realistic assessment of revolutionary to present-day Cuba. Some of the works are powerfully moving, like a series of near life-sized paintings of everyday Cuban people doing everyday things, but all under water. The impact comes when you find that every one of these people of all ages—men, women, even children—have died attempting to cross over by sea to Florida. This personalizes an ongoing tragedy still relevant today.”
The Sarah and Darius Anderson Collection demonstrates that passion with objects as diverse as paintings, sculpture, humidors and more. Through this dynamic and diverse collection viewers will see not only art work illustrating the desire to express non-conformity, or even a sly, knowing wink to the savvy viewer, but also the passion for baseball, love of tobacco and a collection of historic documents that will illustrate the stories that make up the culture and history of this island of revolution. This exhibition will feature Cuban artists: Rene Francisco, Esterio Segura, Ruben Alpizar, Carlos Valera (musician) and many more.
With more than 1,000 members, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art (SVMA) is the largest visual arts organization in the San Francisco North Bay region. It was incorporated in 1998 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to promote the creation, exhibition, and collection of fine arts, to provide a venue for art exhibition in Sonoma, and to offer educational opportunities for people of all ages. It occupies an 8,000-square-foot space at 551 Broadway, just one-half block south of the historic Sonoma Plaza. The Museum purchased the building in early 2001, and completed extensive renovations in March 2004.