Sponsors

From Havana to Ventura

Josh Addison
Bell Arts Factory
Booth Machinery, LLC
Patti Channer
City of Ventura
Community Memorial Health System
Downtown Ventura Partners
Fashion Forms
Thomas & Ellen Graybill, Graybill Investments
Bill Hendricks
Jensen Design and Survey, Inc.
Bill & Elise Kearney
Lyn Fairly,  KVTA News Talk Radio 1590 AM 
Museum of Ventura County
Pierpont Racquet Club 
Sherwin Williams Paint
Sue Pollack and Lawrence Markworth
Danielle and Jim Sakamoto
Ted Skidmore
Suz Montgomery, TDC Studios Channel 6
VC Reporter
Vita Art Center
Ventura College
Ventura Film Society

Special Events

-Havana to Ventura Mural Collaboration

-Conversations on Cuba:
Time: 10am-Noon
Location: Museum of Ventura County. Main Street location. 
Cost: $25 per person.             
Event description:
1. Victor Pina Tabio will discuss his extensive knowledge on Ernest Hemingway during his 21 years living in Cuba. Known to the Cubans as "Mr. Way," Hemingway donated his 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature to the Cuban people.
2. William Hendricks, Professor of Photography at Ventura College, will present a visual look at the complexity of this revolutionary stronghold located 90 miles from our shores. Hendricks will also present excerpts his newly published book, "PROOF."
3. Lorenzo DeStefano, photographer and film maker will discuss his varied experiences while photographing and filming, "Los Zafiros - Music from the Edge of Time," a feature documentary about the famous Cuban group, The Sapphires.

“From Havana to Ventura,” is an inspiring tale about abiding friendship, torn barriers, artistic collaboration, determination, good intention, and a bit of magic. 

Endearingly labeled, “the Cubans,” Pedro Pulido, an illustrious sculptor and painter, along with Victor Pina, a distinguished former aeronautical engineer, are two Cuban creatives who, over the years, built a close relationship with some prominent artists in Ventura, CA resulting in their upcoming visit to the city this July and participation in ArtWalk 2015.

The story began in 1997 when Paul Lindhard and Lorenzo DeStefano reached out to the well know Cuban sculptor Pedro Pulido. They invited him to be an Artist in Residence at ArtCity in Ventura. Pedro lived and worked at ArtCity for 6 months. He created Embargo which stands at the entrance to ArtCity. This permanent sculpture represents a time in Ventura when Thompson Blvd was under construction and prostitutes where walking the street. Pedro created Embargo with the remnants from the construction site and mindfulness of the woman.

In 2002 Victor Pina participated in Lorenzo DeStefano’s production of the film “Los Zafiros. Música desde el Borde del Tiempo,” based on the famous Cuban musical group of the 1960s who has maintained its popularity into the 21st century. DeStefano is a writer, director, producer and photographer.  During their time together, a mutual friendship grew between the two men, and similar to the fame of Los Zafiros, it has endured over the years.

In December of 2014 Ventura College Professor of Photography William Hendricks lead his 54th trip to Cuba. Sue Pollack, Patti Channer along with their friends and a handful of students from Brooks headed out for their Cuban adventure. They had the opportunity to contact Pina and Pulido and spend time with them in Havana. Being a Co-Chair on the Artwalk Committee, Sue invited two Cubans Artists to participate in Ventura ArtWalk 2015.

It is anticipated that, during their month’s stay in Ventura, Piña and Pulido’s days will be chock-full of activities, recognitions, events, and fun preluding and during ArtWalk. Some of the scheduled events include the creation of the street mural project: a collaborative project between local muralist MB Hanrahan and Pedro Pulido. MB and Pedro have been sending sketches back and forth from Ventura to Cuba through  Hendricks who made his 57th trip over Ventura Colleges Spring break. "This mural is history being made" says Hendricks.

Mr. Way and Cuba, Victor Pina’s visual presentation on Ernest Hemingway; William Hendricks will be discussing his 20 years of Cuba along his new book called Proof. A collaboration with Cuban writer Orlando Hernandez. Lorenzo DeStefano and Pina will discuss their experiences in Cuba and share photos and film clips from the documentary about "The Sapphires". 

Visiting Cuban Artists

Victor Pina

Upon retiring from an impressive career as mechanical aeronautical engineer and international representative of Cuban aviation, Pina became involved in historical research, which led him to participate in the production of several documentaries and, in turn, become an advocate for the promotion of art, specifically, fine arts. In addition, Pina has built several studies on the life and work of Ernest Hemmingway, particularly about the writer’s experiences in Cuba. Over the last six years, Pina’s works on this subject, aptly titled “Mr. Way,” based on the term the fishermen of Cojimar, La Habana gave Hemmingway, were accepted into the international event “Coloquios Internacionales Ernest Hemmignway” in Cuba, which have a growing reception among international scholars.

In 2013 Mary Mount University in San Pedro invited Pina, a scholar in the History of Science and Technology and a member of the Cuban Society of History of Science and Technology, to lead several conferences about aeronautical ties between the U.S. and Cuba.

Pedro Pulido

Pedro Pulido is an international-exhibiting artist whose works have shown around the world in Cuba, Italy, Bulgaria, Australia and the United States, in private collections and at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Habana and the Museum of Sydney in Sydney, Australia.

His is a graduate of the University of Havana with degrees in Graphic Design, Ceramic, Sculpture and Ecology. He holds a BA from the National School of Fine Art, San Alejandro, Cuba, in drawing and sculpture, has been commissioned monumental national works from the Cuban government and tours worldwide as a professor of fine art.

 Widely recognized as a sculptor and poet, Pulido is the coordinator of “Proyecto Sociocultural Comunitario CintioVitier” which is a net of people who voluntarily work on projects for the social well-being of communities, including schools, workplaces, families, organizations, and more.

 “Haciendo Almas,” (Forging souls) is at the core of their philosophy. The term was originally used by Cuban and intellectual patriot, Jose Martí upon his return to Cuba to fight in the war for independence. Founded in art classes, their main principles are love, well-being, hard work, good social actions that go beyond words and the care respect for nature and the planet. Via one of the project’s participants: “Pulido was born with star qualities. From an early age he had big dreams. He owns everything he proposes, tears down barriers, and mocks those who oppose him. He has created his own world, his own school where he regularly enjoys gifting students with his experiences…by teaching them how to express themselves through painting and sculpture, and infusing their artwork with feeling, values, joys and sorrows, and dreams. This is Pulido’s fundamental objective. He is an individual who refuses to conform, who strives to continually give more. He demands more of himself and picks himself up the moment he seems to falter. A warrior, that is Pulido.”