Art on the Rampa
invades
Pabellón Cuba
Mireya
Castañeda
Arte en La Rampa (Art on the Rampa)
has become totally associated with its Pabellón
Cuba. Both these points have been favorites for
youth for decades and are dubbed by some of their
most fanatical followers as "the heart of Havana."
The Rampa is a stretch of 23rd
Avenue, which runs from Infanta to L Street in
Vedado, some 500 meters transited by thousands of
people every day, with its favorite spot being the
Pabellón Cuba, inaugurated in 1963.
Constructed as an exhibition center,
its functional architecture converted it 14 years
ago into a focus for Havana residents and visitors
with the arrival of Arte en La Rampa. The
14th edition, which opened June 28, continues
through September 1, with music, literature,
functional craftwork, visual arts and film
screenings.
Jorge Alonso, director of the
Ministry of Culture’s Cultural Industries and
president of the Fair’s organizing committee,
reiterated that quality, diversity, good taste in
options, the sale of beautiful and functional items
and recreation from a cultural perspective, have
been the objective since Arte en La Rampa was
initiated.
Programs are always planned from the
family point of view with the much-in-demand sale of
art reproductions, marketed by Genesis and the
Cultural Assets Fund.
Among innovations in the field of
visual arts are La Colección files, with
reproductions by the painter Servanda Cabrera,
celebrating the 90th anniversary of his birth, and a
compilation of works inspired by Cuban landscapes
with paintings by Víctor Manuel, Tomás Sánchez,
Mario García Portela and Vicente Rodríguez Bonachea.
There are also small-format and
reasonably priced reproductions of the mural
dedicated to the five Cuban heroes sentenced to long
prison terms in the United States for combating
terrorism.
In her address at the Fair’s
opening, Lesbia Vent Dumois, president of the Visual
Arts Association attached to the Union of Cuban
Writers and Artists (UNEAC), stated that the
original work, a canvas of 1.40 meters by 10 meters,
involved Roberto Diago, Nelson Domínguez, Flora
Fong, Ever Fonseca, Ernesto García Peña, Alicia
Leal, Juan Moreira, José Rodríguez Fuster, José Omar
Torres, Alexis Leyva (Kcho), Eduardo Abela and
others, and was painted at UNEAC headquarters.
Much requested by the public is the
ARTEX Arte en Casa Collection, objects to
enhance the home, with an original response in terms
of design and functionality: crockery, shower
curtains and table cloths.
A total of 80 stands have been set
up for the occasion, with costume jewelry, textiles,
ceramics, footwear, gold and silver items, furniture
and other crafts.
It is evident that children are at
the center of attention, with a specially designed
artistic program. On Saturdays and Sundays, young
children can enjoy clowns, choirs, dance and the
launch of discs, such as Chiquilín y Cazadores de
cuentos, by singer-songwriter Kiki Corona, and
for young adults, the presence of popular groups.
The Pabellón has two areas for
music: the Pergola, from Tuesday through Saturday, a
space for new trova (Charly Salgado, Heidi
Igualada, Evelio Francia, Yaima Orozco); theatrical
performances (Osvaldo Doimeadiós, Omar Franco,
Adrián Berazaín); jazz (Roberto Carlos Rodríguez
"Cucurucho", Cubadisco 2013 Prize); and campesino
music.
The central stage, from 6:00 to
8:00pm, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, is reserved
for special concerts by well-known artists like
Descemer Bueno, Isis Flores, Luna Manzanares, Ivette
Cepeda, David Álvarez and Juego de Manos, and Habana
Compás Dance.
Arte en La Rampa has many, many
reasons for thousands of people to enjoy their
summer at the Pabellón Cuba.
