CWRU to host Hispanic Heritage Month art show

To celebrate national Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), Case Western Reserve University will host a special art show, featuring local Latin American artists from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico. The show will open with an artists’ reception at the Kelvin Smith Library Sept. 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. The art show will feature paintings and photographs and a display of handmade puppets. Artists include:

• Linda Ayala, representing Puerto Rico;
• Augusto Bordelois, representing Cuba;
• Bruno Casiano, Puerto Rico;
• Hector Castellano, Guatemala;
• Teresa Martinez, Mexico;
• Dante Rodriguez, Puerto Rico and Mexico; and
• Rafael Valdivieso, Ecuador.

After the reception, the art will be displayed during regular library hours until Oct. 22. The reception and art show are free and open to the public, but photo identification is required to enter the library. “The Hispanic Art Show at CWRU is a first exhibit in recent times on campus by local Hispanics artists,” said Edna Fuentes-Casiano, research assistant and a member of the campus’ Alianza Latina/Latin Alliance group. Fuentes-Casiano and Damaris Punales-Alpizar, CWRU assistant professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, organized the art show. “It is an excellent way to start the Hispanic Heritage Celebration by displaying the richness of our many Hispanic cultures for all to enjoy,” Fuentes-Casiano said. “It also serves as a way to reach out to the Hispanic community in Cleveland and to our CWRU community.” The art show is sponsored by CWRU’s community resource group, Alianza Latina/Latin Alliance; the campus student organization, La Alianza; and the Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity. Hispanic Heritage Month, which began in 1968, starts Sept. 15, the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Also in September, Mexico, Chile and Belize celebrate their independence. The heritage month ends Oct. 15, three days after Columbus Day, or Dia de la Raza. The 2014 Hispanic Heritage Month theme is “Hispanics: A Legacy of History, A Present of Action and a Future of Success.” For information, contact Fuentes-Casiano at exf28@case.edu or 216.844.2104. Visit the CWRU Alianza Latina/Latin Alliance website at case.edu/diversity/resources/alianza.html for more local Hispanic Heritage Month events.