‘Merging Cultures,’ Exploring Latin American And Caribbean Art And Life

WATERBURY — “Merging Cultures: Latin American and Caribbean Art and Life in Connecticut,” has opened at The Mattatuck Museum Arts & History Center. The exhibition presents the work of a diverse group of artists, including Waterbury’s Ernest Lopez, whose assemblages incorporate photographs taken when he attended Latino Cultural Day celebrations. Strong artistic images and compelling personal stories combine to create a gripping exhibition in which art is used to underscore the issues encountered by immigrants whose culture must now be lived-out in a new homeland.

The exhibition will remain on view until August 10, and supports the museum’s theme for 2008 that is linked to the opening of its new permanent exhibit, “Coming Home: Building Community in a Changing World,” which will take place May 10.

The work of 12 Connecticut artists is featured in “Merging Cultures,” including photographs, mixed media, and paintings. The exhibit explores each artist’s expression of how immigration affected their lives as newcomers to the greater Waterbury region, and how Connecticut Latinos view their integration into the community. Visitors will encounter a wide range of styles and themes inspired by politics, social issues, historical events, personal experience, religion, and nature.

“It is a constant challenge for the artist of color to confront the issues of negative stereotypes and prejudice, weighing their past and present identities in order to shape their future.  Their imagery gives voice to their combined experiences,” says guest curator Ben Ortiz. “I commend the Mattatuck Museum for bringing contemporary issues of cultural identity to the forefront by hosting a non-traditional exhibition, which validates the presence of Latin American and Caribbean artists working and living in the area.”

The artists in “Merging Cultures” reflect the immigration trends of Connecticut, representing Argentina, Chile, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, and Puerto Rico.

Diane Barcelo received her MFA in sculpture from the University of Maryland. Her installation pieces often incorporate atypical, non-art materials such as the candy used in her mixed media piece, “CubaSleepMap.”

Growing up in Puerto Rico, the son of a photographer, Pablo Delano at first resisted photography and studied painting at Temple University (BFA) and Yale University (MFA). Now Mr Delano, who lives in Hartford and teaches at Trinity, uses a panoramic camera to document Latino life in that city. Mr Delano has just released a new book of photographs taken in Trinidad that document the religious spirit and celebrations of the Caribbean island.

The vital and energetic Puerto Rican community of Hartford is the subject of Juan Fuentes’s photographs. Born in Puerto Rico, Mr Fuentes has been a Hartford resident for almost 40 years, during which he has documented people, places and events. Winner of many grants and prizes, he was honored for Outstanding Services to the Arts in Connecticut by the Connecticut Commission of the Arts.

Waterbury artist Ernest Lopez is an interdisciplinary artist who has exhibited his installation and mixed media works throughout the United States. He taught spoken word at Teachers and Writers Collaborative in New York City and two-dimensional design at both Purdue University and Arizona State University where he earned a Master of Fine Arts.  For this exhibition, Lopez presents a group of works titled “Dominonation” in which the game of dominoes — a national pasttime for some Spanish speaking cultures — allows the viewer to reconnect with cultural heritage.

Born in Santiago, Chile, Carmen Lynch moved to the United States in 1953. Her poignant works document the prominent stages in her life’s journey. Her video in “Merging Cultures” reveals the continuing path as she enters her 70s.

Farmington based photographer Marlo Marrero is Puerto Rican by ancestry. She earned a BFA from the University of Connecticut and an MFA from Hartford Art School. Her most recent body of work, “My Latina Self/My Other Self,” explores cultural identity of Dominicans both in the Dominican Republic and in the United States.

Ricky Mestre references a wide variety of sources from the Renaissance to Star Wars action figures in his work. A Puerto Rican artist, Mr Mestre holds a BFA from Bridgeport University. He lives and works in Bridgeport where he has taught art to both elementary and high school students.

Born in Norwalk to Columbian immigrants, Dovian Montoya discovered his passion for art at a young age. Trained at Manhattan’s School of Visual Art, Mr Montoya has worked as a restorer, an art director, and gallery co-founder. His provocative paintings bring attention to social issues of the day.

Lisie Orjuela’s cultural heritage is Argentinean. She grew up on Uruguay and arrived in the United States at age 13. She now lives in Trumbull. Ms Orjuela did her undergraduate studies at Andrews University and her graduate studies at New York University. Her paintings deal with interpersonal relationships, transformations, and passages.

Puerto Rican Victor Pacheco won a 2008 Connecticut Commission of the Arts Fellowship. He holds a BFA from University of Hartford and an MFA from Rhode Island School of Design. Mr Pacheco was a 2007 artist resident at Skowhegan School. His mixed media sculptures incorporate video, music, and sometimes viewer participation.

Debra Roinestad received her BFA at the School of Visual Arts. Of Puerto Rican descent, she lives in New Haven. Her photocollages combine the gray urban scenes of her daily life with the exotic hues of tropical plants and animals.

A graduate of Universidad Iberoamericana, Cuban/Mexican Ruenitz now lives in Ridgefield. She uses photographs combined with objects such as rosaries, keys, Milagros and letters to explore the Latina experience.

 The Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center, at 144 West Main Street in Waterbury, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm; and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. Convenient, free parking is located directly behind the museum on Park Place.

For more information about this exhibition, the museum’s collections, and other programs, call 203-753-0381 extension 10 or visit MattatuckMuseum.org.