16th Edition of Arte en la Rampa

Mercy Correa, director of the National Crafts Center attached to the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets (FCBC, after its initials in Spanish), Mario Escalona, director of the Cuban Recording Company EGREM; Rubiel García González, president of the Hermanos Saíz Association, and Martha Caballero, vice deputy of Artex, gave details on this event at a press conference held at its headquarters.

In this regard, Mercy Correa explained this 16th edition of Arte en la Rampa will have 90 stands with an important representation of artisans and artists from Havana, seven institutional stands of the FCBC with excellent projects, among them: Víctor Manuel and Forma art galleries, as well as Freixas shop, Furniture store and Boyeros Store.

These areas will sell high quality products such as footwear, textiles, furniture, ceramics, pottery, metals, jewelry, lamps, wood and marble works, among others, with a general design which has tried to improve the visual and location, in order to achieve an easier public movement.

There will also be in this fair of different cultural goods a significant group of national institutions such as EGREM, Artex, Génesis, Art Galleries, ICAIC,  UNEAC,  ABDALA, Editorial de la Mujer, Casa de las Américas, Distribuidora Nacional del Libro, Centro Provincial del Libro, and Colibrí.

Correa stressed the artisans of the Wax Museum, in Granma province, will exhibit their products in this fair for the first time.

Mario Escalona announced the company he runs will present an album by Team Cuba de la Rumba project which will complete the DVD that has the peculiarity of containing useful scenes for learning this dance genre.

Meanwhile, Artex will keep the sale of its leading products of Arte en Casa line especially the most preferred, like shower curtains, and will incorporate trays, all with the image of visual artists. Artex videos will be shown at the Salón de mayo this time, a set dedicated to women of the Cuban Visual Arts: Flora Fong, Zayda del Río, Alicia de la Campa, Ileana Mulet and Judith Vidal, whose works will be present in many on sale products.

Furthermore, all the regular spaces of Arte en La Rampa will be maintained, such as La Pérgola with musical performances and gatherings, Salón de Mayo with the Meeting with; Alfredo Guevara room with Confluencias del lente, the projection and debate of audiovisuals, and Jueves de Danza space with Lizt Alfonso Spanish Dance Ballet and Habana Compás Dance, among other companies.

Children's activities will keep on being during Saturdays and Sundays, at 11 am.

During the meeting it was learnt that popular artists and groups will perform during the event at Pabellón Cuba on weekend concerts, at 6 pm, among them, David Blanco, Ernesto Blanco, Arnaldo y su Talismán, Ivette Cepeda, Adrián Berazaín, Tony Avila, Interactivo, Orquesta Failde, and many others.

The entrance of the public on the opening day (Friday, July 10 will be at 2 pm, while at 3 pm will take place the official opening of the exhibition tribute to Juan Padrón, on occasion of the 45th anniversary of the creation of Elpidio Valdés. The performance of La Colmenita and a tribute to Juan Formell and Los Van Van popular orchestra will take place at 6 pm, at the main courtyard,

Concerning Visual Arts, two art exhibits will be inaugurated at Orígenes art gallery of the National Center of Visual Arts, along with the presentation of La Coleccion Project.

Translation: Roxana Marquez Herrera (Cubarte)