Cuba: the Land, the People, the Arts – 60 years after Castro’s Revolution with Irene Shaland

Alex Shaland, The Malecon, Digital Print

As part of its upcoming exhibition Visual Emotions- The Way I Remember You and the new 2017 ART BITES series of Collecting Art Talks, the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve is proud to present Cuba: The Land, the People, the Arts – 60 years after Castro’s Revolution with Irene Shaland, on Saturday, November 18th, 1 – 3pm

Cuba defies conventional thinking: with half the land and people of the whole Caribbean, it seems more of a continent than an island. At the crossroads of the Western hemisphere for over 500 years, 20th century Cuba became a country where the clocks stopped for many decades. Its recent troubled history presents a story of brutal oppression and deprivation, but which is at the same time intriguing and fascinating. From the hot music clubs to Che Guevara murals, sensuality and socialism rub shoulders in Cuba’s great cities; and the newly-allowed art galleries display cutting-edge paintings and sculptures that might make New York or Santa Fe envious.  Dilapidated mansions neglected for decades stand side-by-side with beautiful newly renovated colonial, art nouveau and art deco buildings.

Take a journey with internationally published art and travel writer Irene Shaland to rediscover this island against the background of its 500 plus year history. Travel from Santiago to Havana, from Cienfuegos to Trinidad- to learn how Cuba is finding its way back to the future.

Cuba: The Land, the People, the Arts – 60 years after Castro’s Revolution with Irene Shaland is FREE and open to the public courtesy of a matching grant provided by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture (CAC), however, please CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ON EVENTBRITE or call 216.721.9020 to reserve a spot.

AAWR is fully wheel-chair accessible and has ample free parking both in its adjacent lot as well as on East 123rd Street.  Light refreshments will be served after the program.