The Américas!

(NEW YORK CITY, Sept. 18, 2012) In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, SUNY Empire State College opens its exhibition calendar with “The Américas!,” a multimedia exhibit showcasing the work of current students.

The opening reception is set for Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Livingston Gallery, 177 Livingston St., sixth floor, in downtown Brooklyn. Raúl Manzano, college faculty mentor and gallery coordinator, is the curator of the exhibition. The exhibition will be on display from Oct.1 through Dec. 20, Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. 

Alejandra Delfin

‌“On behalf of the Metropolitan Center and the Brooklyn Unit, I am delighted to support the college’s efforts to honor Hispanic Heritage Month with this remarkable exhibition. Brooklyn is an amazingly diverse place – a population almost the size of Chicago and hundreds of languages spoken throughout the borough. The artists in this show display some of the talents within the Latino community and present compelling materials that resonate for all of us. New York City is a ‘studio’ in the best sense, and this show represents a slice of that studio’s work,” says Unit Coordinator Christopher A. Whann.

George Ocho‌a

Alejandra Delfin

Through the artist’s imagination, the public gets a glance of the evolving changes in the Latino culture through the lens of the Alejandra Delfin. Her series of expressive spray paint stencils, Delfin’s  latest works, reflect her position on social, environmental and political issues. Calling to stop violence against women and draconian immigration laws, she raises awareness about these current debates. She has been working on these themes for the past few years using different printmaking techniques.

Edwin DeLoatch

Through the art of poetry, Edwin DeLoatch conveys his appreciation for Hispanic culture with the poem “Love and Pride,” written for this special occasion.

George Ochoa and Fiamma Piacentini

After 1940, East Harlem became “Spanish Harlem,” with a predominantly Puerto Rican population. Today this migration wave continues with another Latino migration from Mexico. Using documentary photography George Ochoa’s work reflects the new cultural identity of this new Latino migration of East Harlem, while Fiamma Piacentini focuses on traditional Mariachi music.

Gabriel Rivera's Mesclados

‌Gabriel Rivera

By way of symbolic images of Aztec, Mayan, Toltec and  Spanish cultures, Gabriel Rivera reflects on his cultural ancestry.

"His multiple panels are reminiscent of the Mexican-American cultural movements of the '70s transformation of native habitants, the influx of new immigrants and raising political voices to the streets of El Barrio, representing his experience of  the rich culture of this growing population,” says Manzano, who has been with the faculty since 2006.

The college also is celebrating Hispanic culture by participating in the seventh annual Latin American Cultural Week in New York City by working with artistic institutions promoting and enriching the arts and bringing together the community at large.

Fiamma Piacentini

‌The Latin American Cultural Week is an annual festival that showcases music, dance, visual arts, theater, film, literature and auctions to people throughout the New York City area. LACW is supported by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Latin Media and Entertainment Commission, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and other government, institutions and corporations. For a full schedule of events, visit www.lacw.net.

LACW is a program of Pan American Musical Art Research, founded and directed by Uruguayan pianist Polly Ferman. For more information about Ferman, visit www.pamar.org or www.pollyferman.net.

Directions: #2,3 trains to Hoyt Street or A,C,G to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets.

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