Eduardo J. Padrón
President
Office of the President
300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami, Florida 33132-2297
305-237-3316
epadron@mdc.edu
Message From the President
Monday, June 20, 2011
MDC to House Most Comprehensive Collection of Cuban Art Outside of Cuba
I am pleased to announce that the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College is the new home of the largest collection anywhere of Cuban art outside of Cuba. On an extended loan to MDC from the Cintas Foundation, the Cintas Fellows Collection is comprised of nearly 300 pieces by artists of Cuban descent who have received prestigious Cintas Fellowships.
More than 200 artists are represented in the collection through a wide variety of media, including paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, films, sculptures and installation art. The vast scope of the collection reflects the heterogeneous nature of the artistic production of Cuban artists, spanning across various generations, and their significant aesthetic and historical contribution to modern and contemporary art.
Among the works in the collection are pieces by several Cintas Fellows who have continued on to win other renowned awards, including Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos; visual artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres, who posthumously represented the United States at the 2007 Venice Biennale; and artist-duo Allora & Calzadilla, who are also representing the United States at the 2011 Venice Biennale.
In addition to being the steward of this exceptional collection, MDC will also oversee the Cintas Foundation Fellowship Awards and host the annual awards exhibition and reception, an honor that played an influential role in the development and advancement of many artists’ careers. Selections from the Cintas collection will be on permanent display to the public for the first time at the Freedom Tower as part of our fall 2011 programming. In celebration of the Cintas Foundation's 50th anniversary, a major exhibition featuring works from the collection is planned for 2013.
Please join me in thanking the Cintas Foundation for sharing this extraordinary art collection with Miami Dade College and our community.
Thank you.
Eduardo