SPRINGS, COLO — “Café II: The Journeys of Cuban Artists,”

a multi-media exhibit curated by Cuban artist Leandro Soto, opens with

a reception from 5 – 8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Gallery of Contemporary

fundamental aspect of Cuban cultural identity and social ritual. All

of the works explore the dual themes of displacement and cultural identity,

while raising fundamental questions about whether it’s possible

is noted for its strength…..drinking coffee is part of everyday

life on the Island—a social ritual that conforms to and maintains

the intensity of the Cuban character,” Soto said.

The theme of this exhibit functions as a kind of poetic metaphor for

an essential aspect of Cuban cultural identity. “A connection,”

Soto suggests, “that binds all Cubans together. In effect it is

in this exhibit are all Cuban expatriates. Although most were educated

art in distinct cultural contexts, including Russia, France, Mexico,

and Puerto Rico, each professes to maintain strong connections to her

this exhibit represents an attempt to explore the manner in which displacement

reinforces and also transforms cultural identity. All of the works in

this collection thus reflect upon the themes of exile, culture, and

exhibit, the Ethnic Studies Program will be hosting a two-day symposium,

which will feature five of the artists exhibiting in the collection

(Soto, Pedro Portal, Ana Albertina Delgado, Laura Luna, and Adriano

Buergo). Additionally, the internationally recognized Cuban poet and

art critic, Ricardo Pau-Llosa, and cultural critic-philosopher, Grisel

free and open to the public. The symposium can also be taken as a one-credit

course entitled “Journeys of Cuban Artists” (EST 390-02).

For more information, contact Gerry Riggs, director, Gallery of Contemporary

Contemporary Art, the Office of Academic Diversity and Development,

the Ethnic Studies Program, the Faculty Minority Affairs Committee,

and the Center for the Study of the Government and the Individual are

the American-born daughter of a Cuban mother and an Irish American father,

spearheaded the exhibit and the symposium as part of Hispanic Heritage

Month. Herrera, assistant vice chancellor for academic diversity and

development, will be available to autograph copies of her books, “The

Pearl of the Antilles” and “ReMembering Cuba: Legacy of

located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the

fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing

universities in the nation. The university offers 25 bachelor’s degrees,

17 master’s and two doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls more than 7,400

students annually.