October 8, 2013
FIESTA AMERICANA
SUNY Empire State College Celebrates Hispanic Heritage
“Between the Palms” by Daisy Ferrer. (Image provided by the artist)
(BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 8, 2013) In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, SUNY Empire State College will present Fiesta Americana, a multimedia exhibit showcasing the work of current students and alumni.
The opening reception is Thursday, Oct. 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the college’s Metropolitan New York Center Livingston Gallery, sixth floor, 177 Livingston Street, Brooklyn. Raúl Manzano, college faculty mentor and gallery coordinator, is the curator of the exhibition. The exhibition will be on display from Oct.10 through Dec. 19, Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
“With the exhibition ‘Fiesta Americana,’ the Metropolitan New York Center of SUNY Empire State College proudly celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month and showcases the artistic talent and creative energy of our college community,” said Metropolitan New York Center Dean Cynthia Ward. “Sharing diversity of experience and vision goes to the heart of academic excellence. Our college is uniquely open to personalized learning and dedicated to recognizing the special creativity of each individual. This exhibit reflects our vision.”
Untitled work by Current Metropolitan Center Student Joseph Colon. (Image provided by the artist)
About the Artists
Joseph Colon – Current Metropolitan Center Student
Joseph Colon celebrates New York and its residents with images of subway riders from the 1990s. These print portraits evoke a time not yet disturbed by the computer age. They capture a moment of human interaction and a glimpse into an era of constant flux amidst the panorama of this great city.
Daisy Ferrer – Current Metropolitan Center Student
As a Dominican immigrant celebrating her heritage, Daisy Ferrer’s colorful landscape paintings, streets and traditional vendors depict a blend of Spanish, African and Native Tainos. These distinct cultures still drive social identity in the Dominican community in the United States today.
“Shadow Players” by Maria Fillad ’05, a graduate of the Metropolitan Center. (Image provided by the artist)
Maria Fillad – 2005 Graduate of the Metropolitan Center
An Argentinian artist, Maria Fillad ‘05 is fascinated with music. Her intuitive paintings of dancers and musicians reflect her passion for life and creativity.
“Blue” by Venesa Gomez. (Image provided by the artist)
Venesa Gomez – Current Metropolitan Center Student
Inspired by tropical nature from her Colombian and Puerto Rican upbringing, Venesa Gomez explores her intuition and experimental work to recreate the rich browns and lush greens of the earth and its mountains, the shimmering blue-greens of the ocean, and the vivid, bold, bright colors in her digital printmaking composites.
Gabriel Rivera – Current Metropolitan Center Student
Through figurative imagery in his painting “El Mercado,” self-taught artist Gabriel Rivera depicts Mexican indigenous traditions and European influences by means of religious symbols.
“Loan Officer” Nicole Velez. (Image provided by the artist)
Nicole Velez – Current Metropolitan Center Student
Nicole Velez is a second-generation Puerto Rican and first-generation New York-born Puerto Rican. Her heritage and culture is embedded in the fabric of her motifs creating novelties out of stereotypes through photographs of future generations.
“This coalition of artists from different cultures is an example of the school’s commitment to diversity. Whenever you provide a platform for people to share and learn about others’ traditions, you open the door to greater understanding of diverse cultures and contribute to creating a civil society, where we can celebrate each other’s differences and learn about our similarities,” says Manzano, who has been on the faculty since 2006. “This exhibition is also part of the Metropolitan Center Visual Arts program.”
The college also is celebrating Hispanic culture by participating in the eighth annual Latin American Cultural Week in New York City by working with arts institutions promoting and enriching the arts and bringing together the community at large. The Latin American Cultural Week is an annual festival that showcases music, dance, visual arts, theater, film, literature and auctions throughout the New York City area. The LACW is a program of Pan American Musical Art Research, founded and directed by Uruguayan pianist Polly Ferman. PAMAR will be celebrating its 30 anniversary next year. For more information about Ferman, visit www.pamar.org or www.pollyferman.net.
“El Mercado” by Gabriel Rivera. (Image provided by the artist)
About SUNY Empire State College
SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 to offer adult learners the opportunity to earn associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York.
In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career. Students engage in guided independent study and course work onsite, online or a combination of both, which provides the flexibility for students to learn at the time, place and pace they choose.
The college serves more than 20,000 students worldwide at more than 35 locations in the state of New York and online. Its 70,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more. More information about the college is available here.
###
Directions to the exhibit: 2, 3 trains to Hoyt Street or A,C,G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets
Media contact: David Henahan, director of communications
518-587-2100, ext. 2918
David.Henahan@esc.edu
518-321-7038 (after hours and on weekends)
Event contact: Raúl Manzano, M.A., faculty mentor and Livingston Gallery coordinator
718-907-5740 (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday noon to 6 p.m.)