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Knoxville’s Hispanic community focusing on photography of Cuba in July
Knoxville’s Hispanic Organization, HoLa Hora Latina, is presenting a dramatic display of photographs of Cuba during the month of July. Cuba: Transition, Dreams, and Transformation will be showcased at The Emporium center in downtown Knoxville.
A special reception for the three photographers, who are experienced Cuban travelers and leaders of the Hispanic community in Knoxville, is scheduled for the evening of Friday, July 3rd 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM in suite 112 of the Emporium Center. The reception is open to the public without charge. The photo exhibit will be open to the public during normal business hours through the end of July.
The photos of Cuba are unusual because they visually reveal how Cubans are dreaming and also how visitors might be dreaming of Cuba. The collection of photographs shows the results of intensive visits to Cuba. With the changing diplomatic relations, Cuba has come into the limelight and media coverage has been intense since travel to Cuba by American is now a realistic dream of change.
The photographers of this special exhibit include:
Maria B. Clark, PhD, Associate Professor of Spanish language and literatures at Carson-Newman University. She visited Cuba in 1992 and 2014 to participate in international literary conferences. While hailing from Germany, she is well traveled in Latin America because of her research interests and love for Hispanic peoples and cultures. The selected photos from her recent trip focus on some iconic places as well as everyday public spaces of Havana in transformation, as thriving tourism creates new crossroads and dreams for its inhabitants.
Astrid Galindo, a local artist, was in Cuba during the difficult time after the Soviet Union collapsed and after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Cuban people were stoical and creative and suffered with fortitude. Artistic creativity was latent during that period that she called "The Bicycles Period” because riding bicycles was almost the only means of transportation and, as demonstrated in her photographs, was an art form.
Rosa Mar is currently the Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and an active leader in the Hispanic Community. She is a member of the class of 2012 Leadership Knoxville, a recipient of the YWCA awards for women’s achievement, and a board member of the HoLa Hora Latina. Her trip to Cuba was part of a program sponsored by the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and gave her special insight, as well as photo opportunities, into the Cuban culture.
Published June 28, 2015 |
