{"id":786,"date":"2016-03-22T18:56:27","date_gmt":"2016-03-22T18:56:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/?p=786"},"modified":"2016-03-31T13:54:08","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T13:54:08","slug":"fine-press-art-books-from-cuba-on-display-in-babbidge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/fine-press-art-books-from-cuba-on-display-in-babbidge\/","title":{"rendered":"Fine Press Art Books from Cuba on Display in Babbidge"},"content":{"rendered":"

An exhibit of handcrafted books created by members of the world-renowned Ediciones Vig\u00eda, a fine press publishing house in Cuba, is on display in UConn\u2019s Homer Babbidge Library through May 2.<\/p>\n

Since its creation in 1985 in the city of Matanzas, Ediciones Vig\u00eda has been internationally recognized as a unique artist\u2019s collaborative press, whose work is included in outstanding private and public collections, such as the British National Library, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Library of Congress, and numerous universities throughout the world. Ediciones Vig\u00eda\u2019s catalog combines limited editions by authors such as Baudelaire, Emily Dickinson, Pasternak, Tolstoy, Tagore, and Verlaine, Spanish-language authors such as Borges, Federico Garc\u00eda Lorca, and Gabriela Mistral, and renowned Cuban writers such as Jos\u00e9 Mart\u00ed, Lezama Lima, and Nancy Morej\u00f3n.
\n

\"Special<\/a>

Special thanks to the Libraries’ Michael Bennett for photographing the materials in this exhibition.<\/p><\/div>
\nHowever, Ediciones Vig\u00eda\u2019s work is especially notable because of their aesthetic value and original design, which use wood, paper and cloth scraps, and the most unimaginable objects and materials. This reflects both the artists\u2019 creativity and the unfortunate economic crisis and resource shortages currently experienced by Cubans. Each handmade volume is a genuine piece of art, as well as a powerful testimony of struggle and artistic survival and sustainability.<\/p>\n

\"Cuban<\/a>\u201cThis exhibition takes place within an exceptional context,\u201d says Professor Odette Casamayor-Cisneros, associate professor of UConn\u2019s Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Literatures and Cultures department and co-curator of the exhibit. \u201cSince December 2014, when U.S. and Cuban Presidents Barack Obama and Ra\u00fal Castro announced their mutual intentions of reactivating the relationship between the two nations, the general interest in Cuba has unexpectedly increased. One of the result of more than 50 years of political and economic disconnection is the tremendous lack of information about today\u2019s reality in Cuba which must be addressed.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This exhibition about one of Cuba\u2019s most innovative fine art publishing houses sheds light on this often misunderstood country, Casamayor-Cisneros observes.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile showcasing pieces of remarkable aesthetic value, the exhibition also exposes the visitors to a little known aspect of Cuba\u2019s cultural production,\u201d she notes.<\/p>\n

The UConn Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections currently owns 42 of these beautiful handcrafted books and looks forward to adding more work from the collective in the future, says co-curator Marisol Ramos, Latin American & Caribbean Studies, Latino Studies, Spanish & Anthropology Librarian.<\/p>\n

The exhibit is co-sponsored by the Department of Literatures, Cultures & Languages and the Puerto Rican\/Latin American Cultural Center (PRLACC).
\nTwo public receptions will be held in connection with the exhibition on March 24, from 4-6 p.m. at the Puerto Rican\/Latin American Cultural Center and on April 18 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. in Homer Babbidge Library.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An exhibit of handcrafted books created by members of the world-renowned Ediciones Vig\u00eda, a fine press publishing house in Cuba, is on display in UConn\u2019s Homer Babbidge Library through May 2. Since its creation in 1985 in the city of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":816,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786\/revisions\/816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs-dev.lib.uconn.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}