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One of Miami's leading art writers, Irene Sperber, recently visited the Lowe's new exhibitions and we are honored with h...
05/24/2026

One of Miami's leading art writers, Irene Sperber, recently visited the Lowe's new exhibitions and we are honored with her review in MiamiArtZine. Our city is fortunate to have Irene's insightful writing and her depth of cultural knowledge. Her review featured praise for the Lowe, and for the two Afro-Cuban exhibitions currently on view.

From Irene's review:

“200 Years of Afro-Cuban Art: the Lowe dives deeper into this fascinating subject.”

“A group kept in the shadows of the art world, Cuban artists of African descent are finally rescued from obscurity.”

“You will find yourself connecting the dots of impact and historic significance . . . the melding of cultures fueled personal upheaval that conveyed profound depth of creativity on the island.”

“These two special exhibits complete a ‘don't miss’ moment ‒ the Lowe fills in many knowledge gaps . . . visiting these shows will be a rewarding afternoon well spent, cracking open doors of information.”

“Harvard University's Afro-Latin American Research Institute chose the Lowe for El Pasado Mio after its debut at Harvard.”

“Our companion exhibition from the Ramón and Nercys Cernuda Collection explores the complexities and contradictions of Afro-Cuban culture, which played a vital role in Cuban Modernism,” says Dr. Jill Deupi, the Lowe Art Museum’s Beaux Arts Executive Director and Chief Curator.

Artwork captions:

Slide 1: Installation view of the exhibition El Pasado Mio/My Own Past – two sculptures by Teodoro Ramos Blanco (1939 and circa 1940s).

Slide 2: “Cuba on the March,” by Alberto Peña (1936).

Slide 3: “Shango and Life,” by Manuel Mendive Hoyo (2001).

Slide 4: From the Birth of a Land series, by Juan Carlos Alom (2010).

Slide 5: Installation view of El Pasado Mio/My Own Past.

Slide 6: Installation view of the exhibition Afrocubanismo: Highlights from the Ramón and Nercys Cernuda Collection – two paintings by Wifredo Lam: “Untitled/Enigmatic Woman,” (1970), and “Au Defaut du Jour,” (1945).

Slide 7: “Mouth of Sand,” by Liset Castillo (2010).

We are honored! Thank you editors at Art Daily for this beautiful cover story about the Ameriican Federation of Arts Spr...
05/23/2026

We are honored! Thank you editors at Art Daily for this beautiful cover story about the Ameriican Federation of Arts Spring Luncheon.

From Art Daily's cover story today:

"The highly anticipated event brought together more than 240 guests."

“At the AFA, we are committed to creating meaningful ways for audiences to engage with art,” says Pauline Forlenza, the AFA's Director and CEO. “The 2026 Spring Luncheon reflected that spirit, bringing Firelei Báez and Connie Butler into a dynamic conversation that explored how art reshapes our understanding of history, identity, and the world around us.”

“I am honored to have been selected by the American Federation of Arts to take part in this conversation event with Connie Butler, MoMA PS1's Director,” says the artist Firelei Báez. “Many thanks to the AFA for centering art, artists and connection in the way that they do.”

“For more than a century, the AFA has toured 3,500+ exhibitions viewed by millions in every U.S. state, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.”

“Support of the annual Spring Luncheon ensures audiences can experience the transformative power of art nationwide.”

“Proceeds go towards supporting the AFA’s touring exhibitions and public programs – all part of the AFA’s mission �to make the arts more accessible.”

05/22/2026

Thank you New York press for joining us at the American Federation of Arts Spring Luncheon!

We are grateful to the media for coming out to learn more about the AFA's work, for your editorial coverage throughout the year of the touring exhibitions, educational programs and scholarly publications.

The AFA welcomed journalists and art writers to the event honoring contemporary artist Firelei Baez, in conversation with Connie Butler, MoMA PS1's Agnes Gund Director.

“At the American Federation of Arts, we are committed to creating meaningful ways for
audiences to engage with art,” says Pauline Forlenza, Director and CEO. “The 2026 Spring Luncheon reflected that spirit."

Congratulations to Miami-based artist Hernan Bas, interviewed in Venice by The Guardian's Charlotte Higgins. The exhibit...
05/10/2026

Congratulations to Miami-based artist Hernan Bas, interviewed in Venice by The Guardian's Charlotte Higgins. The exhibition "Hernan Bas: The Visitors" is presented at Ca' Pesaro International Gallery of Modern Art in Venice. Featuring more than 30 new artworks conceived specifically for the Museum show.

Organized in collaboration with Victoria Miro, Lehmann Maupin, and Perrotin. Curated by Elisabetta Barisoni. Bas has created a new body of work during his recent residency in Venice. The works predominantly feature young male tourists in scenarios both imagined and real. Where the ordinary slips into the extraordinary.

In The Visitors, his sensibilities turn outward. These new figures hover at thresholds: between curiosity and arrogance, encounter and violation, experience and spectacle.

“The young men are like aliens, they might have dropped by from outer space. This show is in Venice for a reason."

“When I sit around with these characters I have to make entire backstories about their lives that only exist in my brain.”

“It’s the cliche of the youth who doesn’t know where he is in life. I’ve basically been painting that character for my entire career.”

Slide 1: "Alone With Lisa (the Louvre, Paris)," by Hernan Bas (2025). ©Hernan Bas. Photo by Silvia Ros.

Slide 2: "Just Shy of His Boiling Point (Hot Springs, Iceland)," by Hernan Bas (2025). ©Hernan Bas. Photo by Silvia Ros.

Slide 3: "The Self-Designated Representative of Marie Laveau’s Tomb on Mardi Gras (New Orleans)," by Hernan Bas (2025). ©Hernan Bas. Photo by Silvia Ros.

We love this headline! "The Best Art Exhibitions to See in Miami in May."Thank you editors at Miami New Times and art cr...
05/05/2026

We love this headline! "The Best Art Exhibitions to See in Miami in May."

Thank you editors at Miami New Times and art critic Douglas Markowitz for this honor. Photos by Rodolfo Benitez

On view now through September 12 at the Lowe Art Museum at University of Miami — these two exhibitions are the most comprehensive presentation of Afro-Cuban art ever shown.

Featuring more than 100 works of art spanning 200 years (created between 1822 and 2022), the two shows bring together 58 Cuban artists in a new way.

After its debut in Cambridge, Harvard University’s exhibition organizers at the Afro-Latin American Research Institute selected the Lowe for "El Pasado Mio/My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Art" – the groundbreaking museum show that brings to light how Cuban artists of African descent were erased and sidelined.

Concurrently, the Lowe is presenting the companion exhibition "Afrocubanismo: Highlights from the Ramón and Nercys Cernuda Collection."

Thank you Los Angeles Times and Arts Editor Jessica Gelt! We are honored to be featured in your selection of this week's...
05/03/2026

Thank you Los Angeles Times and Arts Editor Jessica Gelt! We are honored to be featured in your selection of this week's must-see arts and culture happenings.

The American Federation of Arts kicks off the national tour of "Willie Birch: Stories to Tell" in L.A. at the California African American Art Museum on May 5 (through October 21).

The exhibition is co-organized by the American Federation of Arts and the New Orleans Museum of Art. The museum show is curated by Russell Lord, Chief of Curatorial Affairs at the Norman Rockwell Museum, working in tandem with the AFA's Amanda Hajjar.

The national tour also features a 208-page hardcover book published by the AFA in association with Yale University Press.

"Willie Birch has created a body of work rooted in the everyday lives, struggles, and joys of the Black community,” says Pauline Forlenza, the Director and CEO of the American Federation of Arts.

"Birch's art holds space for contradiction — pain and joy, vulnerability and pride, endurance and resistance. Whether exploring the quiet dignity of his neighbors or the complex history of African traditions in American culture, Birch’s eye is unwavering and empathetic," adds Forlenza.

The exhibition has been booked by museums in several cities, including: the California African American Museum in Los Angeles (May 5, 2026 - Oct. 21, 2026); New Orleans Museum of Art (March 20, 2027 - Sept. 5, 2027); Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville (Oct. 28, 2027 - May 14, 2028); and the Hudson River Museum, New York (Sept. 22, 2028 - Jan. 14, 2029).

Slide 1: "Sky-Gazer," by Willie Birch (1982). Acrylic on Bristol board. Courtesy of Willie Birch Studio. Photo by Sesthasak Boonchai.

Slide 2: "Evoking the Spirits of the Ancestors," by Willie Birch (2002). Acrylic and charcoal on paper. Courtesy of Willie Birch Studio. Photo by Sesthasak Boonchai.

Cover story in the Sunday newspaper's Arts Section! Thank you editors at El Nuevo Herald and art critic Dennys Matos for...
04/26/2026

Cover story in the Sunday newspaper's Arts Section! Thank you editors at El Nuevo Herald and art critic Dennys Matos for this honor.

The two exhibitions "El Pasado Mio/My Own Past" and "Afrocubanismo: Highlights of the Ramon and Nercys Cernuda Collection" open May 1 through September 12 at the Lowe Art Museum at University of Miami.

Excerpts from the beautiful cover story written by Dennys Matos:

“I felt it was essential to bring this to Miami, and to the Lowe Art Museum ‒ my favorite space in the city because of the excellence of its team, the dedication of its Executive Director, Dr. Jill Deupi, and because in an academic museum one can explore ideas and narratives,” said the guest curator Dr. Alejandro de la Fuente.

“Viewed together, both exhibitions not only enrich our understanding of Cuban art but also contribute to repairing a fragmented memory.”

“The two shows restore centrality to Afro-descendant artists, works, and imaginaries that can no longer occupy a marginal place in the narrative of Cuban culture, past and present.”

Slide 1: “Finding Balance,” by Maria Magdalena Pons (2015). Twenty-eight Polaroid Prints. Courtesy of the artist and Bernice Steinbaum Gallery.

Slide 2: “Pastoral,” by Mario Carreño (1946). Oil on canvas. From the Ramon and Nercys Cernuda Collection.

Slide 3: “Naked Jungle,” by Elio Rodriguez Valdes (2020). Soft sculpture and acrylic. Perez Collection. Courtesy of the artist.

Slide 4: “Sikan and the Storyteller,” by Gilberto de la Nuez (1977). Oil on masonite board. Alejandro de la Fuente and Patricia Gonzalez Collection.

04/25/2026

Insights from the artist on the value of arts and culture, at the opening reception for the new David Geffen Galleries.

Video by

Thank you editors at The New York Times! We are honored and grateful."What to See This Spring at Museums Across the Coun...
04/24/2026

Thank you editors at The New York Times! We are honored and grateful.

"What to See This Spring at Museums Across the Country" is the title of the feature story in the Museums Special Section of The Times, celebrating must-see exhibitions nationwide.

The American Federation of Arts national touring exhibition Abstract Expressionists: The Women was selected for its upcoming presentation at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville (on view May 16 – August 30).

Congratulations to the Christian Levett Collection, to FAMM (the Female Artists of the Mougins Museum of France), and to all of the exhibition partners, curators, and supporters.

Artwork image caption/credits:

Untitled, by Sonja Sekula (circa 1943-44). Oil on canvas. ©Sonja Sekula. Courtesy of the Levett Collection and FAMM. Photo by Fraser Marr.

Two major Afro-Cuban shows open May 1 at the Lowe Art Museum at University of Miami – featuring art from Harvard's accla...
04/19/2026

Two major Afro-Cuban shows open May 1 at the Lowe Art Museum at University of Miami – featuring art from Harvard's acclaimed nationally touring exhibition, alongside celebrated masterworks from the Ramon and Nercys Cernuda Collection in Miami.

Thank you Mariana Lema for your feature story. We are honored and grateful!

The exhibition "El Pasado Mio/My Own Past" (from Harvard University) is curated by a team led by Dr. Alejandro de la Fuente.

Dr. de la Fuente is the Robert Woods Bliss Professor of Latin American History and Economics; Professor of African and African American Studies and of History; and is the Director of the Afro-Latin American Research Institute, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

The concurrent exhibition "Afrocubanismo" (from the Cernuda Collection) is also curated by Dr. de la Fuente.

From the News & Events section of U.M. College of Arts Sciences:

"The Lowe Art Museum’s lineup reflects its role as a cultural and educational hub."

"Offering visitors an opportunity to experience these works within a broader cultural and historical context."

"More than 100 works spanning two centuries, by recognized figures and artists whose contributions have historically been overlooked"

Slide 1: "The Immortals of the Machete," Antonio Argudin Chon (circa 1950). Oil on jute. Private collection.

Slide 2: "Mouth of Sand," by Liset Castillo (2010). C-print from sand sculpture. Alejandro de la Fuente and Patricia Gonzalez Collection.

Slide 3: "The Farm," by Mariano Rodriguez (1944). Oil on wood. From the Ramon and Nercys Cernuda Collection.

Slide 4: "Woman in Interior with Bird and Flower Vase," by Luis Martinez Pedro (1949). Mixed media on heavy paper, laid down on canvas. From the Ramon and Nercys Cernuda Collection.

Slide 5: "Untitled (Enigmatic Woman)," by Wifredo Lam (1970). Oil on canvas. From the Ramon and Nercys Cernuda Collection.

Slide 6: "Eleggua's Head," by Roberto Diago Querol (1949). Gouache on board. Eric Johnson Collection.

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