By Bob Skloot

From the 2nd to the 27th of November, 2009, the Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association hosted a visit from two noted Camagueyano artists, Orestes Larios Zaak (a painter) and Gregorio Perez Escobar (a sculptor). The visit had political significance because the Cubans received among the first artists’ visas issued by the U.S. government under the new Obama administration. Among the many events and appointments the Cubans had was an introduction to American politics — the Madison variety — when they attended a meeting of the city’s Common Council at which they received a warm welcome that included a proclamation congratulating them for their part in the Madison-Camaguey relationship which had achieved its 15th anniversary. Mayor's Proclamation November 2009 (27) Partial support for the visit was provided by the Dane County Cultural Arts Commission.

Larios and Perez were invited to display their work at the DeRicci Gallery of Madison’s Edgewood College. Their exhibition was called “Celebrating Friendship/Celebrando Amistad.” Accompanied by the exhibit’s curator Maria Ofelia Granela, the work on view showed the distinct interests and differing perspectives of two artists whose work is beginning to achieve international recognition. Larios’s paintings are gentle and ruminative expressions of the natural environment and the (implied) threat to the natural world’s beauty. Perez’s sculptures in dark, polished wood are both aggressive and intricate in their expression of the lost human figure (often absent), but many pieces also possess a wry, surprising humor. More than a hundred enthusiastic patrons attended the opening reception on November 6.

There was an important educational component to the visit. Larios and Perez attended several art classes at Edgewood, working with students and their teachers. On Nov. 11th, members of the Madison/Dane County community heard an illustrated lecture on “Cuban Art from Colonial Days to Today.” The artists also travelled to Milwaukee at the invitation of the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where they interacted with MIAD’s art students, and commented on the students’ work; they also presented a talk on the theme of “The Life of Cuban Artist in the 21st Century.” In addition, while in Milwaukee, they visited the city’s famous Art Museum and had the opportunity to visit Chicago’s Art Institute on a quick trip to the Windy City as well.

To be sure, the visit occasioned much socializing, including attending several important concerts featuring Cuban music and musicians. They visited Taliesen, Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio/school in Spring Green, WI, and a number of art galleries in the area. They attended a sabbath service at Madison’s Beth Israel Center (Larios is Jewish), and enjoyed many lunches and dinners provided by members of MCSCA and others with whom they became quick friends. Because the end of the visit coincided with Thanksgiving, they attended two gatherings and spoke eloquently about the friendship and love that they encountered, and about the importance of their visit as an opening wedge in what they hoped would be a fully engaged cultural interchange between Cuba and the U.S.

The Madison-Camaguey Sister City Association hopes to make that dream a reality, and will plan for more visits TO Cuba by U.S. artists. In the meantime, we have the memory of an extraordinary month of activities and encounters to inspire the continuation of this work. Please contact MCSCA if you would like to participate in planning future exchanges.