Describe the main features of the measure/initiative:
The main objective of the Caguayo Foundation (FC) is to collaborate with the development of the monumental and applied arts in Cuba, especially in the fields of sculpture, muralism, ceramics and the casting of artistic and utilitarian pieces that preserve our national identity.
It collaborates with other cultural entities such as the Provincial Division of Culture of Santiago de Cuba, the University of Oriente, the National and Provincial Council of Visual Arts, the National Association of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), the Advisory Council for the Development of Monumental and Environmental Sculpture (CODEMA), the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS), the Casa del Caribe, Performing Arts Council, the Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales (EGREM), the Oficina del Conservador de la Ciudad de Santiago de Cuba, the Academia Profesional de Bellas Artes José Joaquín Tejada de la ciudad, Oficina Nacional de Diseño (ONDI) and the Instituto Superior de Diseño (ISDI). In addition, it maintains communication with other national and international foundations, such as the Ludwig Foundation and the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation.
The foundation participates as a relevant social actor in the decision-making processes in this field. There is a close relationship with the Government and the Provincial Party’s Committee and the various entities of the Ministry of Culture. It assumes and executes objects of artistic works and monumental sculpture, for its own interest and on demand, and acts as advisor in other cultural projects.
Website of the measure/initiative, if available:
What are the results achieved so far through the implementation of the measure/initiative?:
As a result of the harmonious exchange with other cultural organizations, it has been possible to fulfill the objectives set out by the Foundation. The national and international René Valdés Cedeño Sculpture Symposiums are clear examples of this. This joint effort with other institutions such as CODEMA and the Provincial Council of Visual Arts is an unquestionable benefit for Santiago de Cuba and Cuban culture due to the presence of unique examples of environmental works by countless Cuban artists and those from other parts of the world.
The Foundation has a publishing house named Caguayo, which has made it possible to document important phenomena of Santiago de Cuba and Cuban culture. Under this seal, it was possible to produce the series La cultura artística y literaria en Santiago de Cuba. Medio milenio. (The Artistic and Literary Culture in Santiago de Cuba. Half a millennium). These unprecedented texts gather five centuries of the cultural activity of the province in all aspects of the arts, which have never been explored in depth before. Similarly, it produced the book Escultura en Cuba siglo XX (Sculpture in Cuba in the 20th Century), which represents a basic document for the study of Cuban sculpture.
In spite of the fact that the presence of the Caguayo Foundation in the culture of Santiago and Cuba has been based on its contribution to the realization of projects that promote the visual and applied arts and, within them, sculpture, it is necessary to point out that its actions have expanded to other areas. The Foundation collaborates with various events held by cultural institutions, such as the Santiago Álvarez International Documentary Festival, the International Choir Festival, the Pepe Sánchez Trova Festival and the "Jazz Plaza" Jazz Festival. In this regard, it worked together with the government of the city of Santiago de Cuba in the creation of the Iris Jazz Club, a space for the development of this musical genre in Cuba and its relationship with the visual arts.
Since its creation, the FC has been inserted into the activities developed by the Casa del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba and has based that exchange on the support to its activities, mainly to the most representative event which is the International Festival of the Caribbean. It also develops actions such as sponsorship, exhibitions of national and international artists, the donation of works of art, meetings of Caribbean poets that have had as a stage "El Patio" of the FC; as well as other expressions, among which the pilgrimage to the monument El Cimarrón stands out, a work made by the artist Alberto Lescay Merencio, President of the Caguayo Foundation, in the village of El Cobre, which is part of one of the historical traditions of such Festival.
A key element is the joint work with the Council of Visual Arts in supporting projects of halls and exhibitions of visual arts carried out in the country. Such is the case of the international project Aponte visionario: Arte y libertad negra, a traveling exhibition that integrates artists from the United States and the Caribbean.
Also, as a result of this exchange, the program to revive the historic Prado de las Esculturas Park, located in Santiago de Cuba, has been successfully launched. This park is the largest collection of environmental sculptures of an international nature in the country. Especially, it has collaborated in the reconstruction and restoration of the twenty monumental sculptures and the creation of a mechanism for the operation of the site.