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LOS CHAMIGOS Y LAS CHAMIGAS

Monthly Newsletter October/November 2010

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members & Friends: Welcome to another issue of ―Los CHAmigos y Las CHAmigas.‖ As you may have noticed, CHA members have been very busy. Many participated in our exhibits—―Blue‖at PHCC and ―Dwellscape‖at MOSI. We also had a strong presence at the Ybor City Saturday Market at the Guavaween Family event and at the annual Conga Caliente. We even had representation at the sponsored event of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County with the Tampa Museum of Art. The Board of Directors has been working very diligently to make possible to give you places to participate in to gain visibility in the Tampa Bay Area. This is not easy because there is a lot of competition out there—many other artists and other guilds after the same resources, almost. As President I have been very busy serving the art community at large—in the advisory committee of the Tampa Museum of Art ―Dia de Los Muertos‖ along with Armida Nagy Stickney who acted on my behalf when I was not able to meet. In fact, Zoe Otero de Gonzalez and Armida collaborated on an intergeneration Day-of-the-Dead altar, Luz Penington painted faces at the spectacular Day of the Dead, Manuel Portales was volunteer photographer for the interview with Dr.. Dan Arvizu, who won the annual MOSI Hispanic Scientist Award, on ―Meet the Hispanic Scientist Day‖ when over 1,300 underprovided students attended the event. Alcira Levy and Dora Iregui participated in the exhibit celebrating ―The Women of Ygor, 125 Years of Influence‖ at the garden of the Ybor City Museum State Park. Elsa Granado de Obediente Isidoro Tejeda, and Luis Rodriguez participated at the Poster Contest of Tampa Hispanic Heritage ,Inc.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Letter from the President / 1 Upcoming Events/ 2 “Action is the Foundational Key to All Success” /2 Featured Artist / 3 What CHA… Have Been Doing /4 Ybor City Saturday Market /6 New Procedures: Featured Member / 7

Teresa Arruza, won a prize as theBest Musical Group from the annual celebration of the Sheriff Department. Special thanks go to Diana Posada who is always ready to help CHA with her colorful brochure and photography at the celebration of the Tampa Hispanic Heritage. Special thanks also go to Agustin and Magdalena Negron who have made all the necessary

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arrangements to be present at the Ybor City Saturday Market so that CHA artists can have a presence there to promote their art. (We need more takes. Take this opportunity to reserve your spot on Saturdays.) Last but not least, the Board of Directors gives Sarita Paccine special thanks for extending to our members an invitation to participate in the 2009 and 2010 Conga Caliente event and for other art venues. As you well know, the end of year is upon us. We have had an active year to say the least. Though our resources have been taxed, we have managed to stay afloat. Your interests in participating have made it worth our while. We have been excited to be able to see the products of your inspiration and hard work. More plans are in the works for the last quarter of the CHA fiscal year—January-March 2011. Thanks to Armida and Luz for the hard work of keeping up the newsletter and to Armida for administering our official web site. Please remember that we value your support and participation. As a famous artist said, ―act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.‖ Please give the Board feedback on what can be done to make CHA stronger and more visible to the community at large. Thanks to all members who support CHA. If you know of someone who would be interested in CHA, please ask them to join. Be the face of CHA whenever you can. If you are not a member, consider joining us to become a member of the team. Hoping to see all of you at the Third CHA Holiday Party on December 4, 2010. Details are on our web site: http//www .art-cha.com.

Best wishes,

Damaris

UPCOMING EVENTS

11/20/10

YBOR CITY HERITAGE AND CIGAR FESTIVAL 9AM-5PM

12/11/10 ART IN THE PARK 9AM-5PM

2/26/10-FLANFEST 9AM-4PM

―ACTION IS THE FOUNDATIONAL KEY TO ALL SUCCESS‖—Pablo Picasso

If you agree, are you willing

to become active in any of

the following CHA standing

committees

(subcommittees)? We need

your help to sustain us into

a successful Hispanic

organization of artists &

friends.

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Finance, Fundraising, Marketing, Governance, Membership,

Electronic Communications, Publishing, Art Exhibition,

Evaluation. (For more information and the scope of each

committee, check out Article VII—Committees of the Bylaws.

A copy of the Bylaws is on the web site.)

The Board of Director is requesting from it members to

seriously consider becoming a part of a CHA standing

committee. In that way, you can gain valuable experience and

learn more about your organization. If you are interested, please

let us know. Contact Luz Pennington at. (813) 374-5535 or

e-mail luzajordan@hotmail.com.

ISIDORO TEJEDA, Our Featured Artist

Born in the city of the Havana, Cuba, Isidoro Tejeda arrived in

the United States in 1992.

Beginning in the plastics arts from very young, he studied at the

School of Design of the Ministry of Culture in Cuba where he

took classes in drawing, painting, procedural techniques,

graphical and textile design, art history and sculpture. In the

70’s and 80’s, Isidoro was engaged in numerous group and one-

man exhibitions. As soon as he arrived in Miami, he worked in

several publicity agencies and companies, applying his talent and

skills in various areas of design—feminine footwear, floral

design and crafts.

His creative abilities have crossed different styles and techniques

of painting, drawing, ornamental sculpture, and bamboo (wild

cane). He has excelled in the technique of pirograbado floral

design.

One of Isidoro’s favorite

subjects are the figurative

subjects in Cuban

landscapes—colonial patios,

huts, carts with oxen,

roosters, dogs, birds, boats,

buildings, including faces

and bodies of streamlined

women and combining the

impressionist styles and

expressionist styles as well

as modernism. All of his

works contain aspects of

abstractionism.

Some of his paintings are in

international galleries such

as in Spain, Mexico, and

Germany. In the United

States, his art is exhibited in

Ohio, Tennessee, and

Florida. He also exhibits in

his homeland, Cuba.

Continued on page 8….

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WHAT CHAMIGOS AND

CHAMIGAS HAVE BEEN DOING

―Blue / Azul‖ at the Pasco-Hernando Community College

– Alric Pottberg Gallery:

From September 30 to November 6, 2010, the aritists exhibited

were as follows:

Armida Nagy Stickney (curator), Muriel H. Prieto, Alcira Levy,

Dora Iregui, Magdalena Matias, Ivanova Velasco, Manuel

Portales, Gerardo Aristud, Elsa Granado de Obediente y

Arlene Gabriela Morales. The Installation Subcommittee was

Agustin Negron, Armida Nagy Stickney, and Manuel Portales.

―The Many Faces of Hispanic Artist,‖ a juried exhibition

showcased the works of Chamigas Dora Iregui, Alcira Levy, and

Luz Pennington from September 1 through October 28, 2010.

This took place at the SouthShore Regional Public Library in

Ruskin, Florida.

At CHA’s Second MOSI Exhibit, ―Dwellscape,‖ held from

October 5 tthrough October 28, 2010, we opened the

application process for the first time to non-members. Pedro J.

Brull joined us from Orlando, Florida. Participating artists were

were: Gerardo Aristud, Pedro J. Brull, Dora Iregui, Alcira Levy,

Magdalena Matias, Arlene Gabriela Morales, Armida Nagy

Stickney, Elsa de Obediente, Jose Murani, Luz Pennington,

Manuel Portales (Curator), Muriel Prieto, Isidoro Tejeda, and

Ivanova Velasco. The Installation Subcommittee was Damaris

Soto, Manuel Portales, Agustin Mercado, and Armida Nagy

Stickney. Dave Conley, VP of Exhibits, invited us back in 2011.

Photograph of Reception. From left to

right: Gerardo Aristud, Damaris

Sotto, Muriel Prieto, Diana Hanson,

Manuel Portales, Magdalena Matias,

Dora Iregui, Alcira Levy.

From left to right: Dora Iregui, Luz

Pennington, Alcira Levy

MOSI – Painting byPedro J. Brull

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―Women of Ybor,‖ sponsored by the City Museum Society

and the HCC, took place on October 14, 2010. The setting was

the beautiful Mediterranean- style courtyard and a beautiful

autumn afternoon with music, food, dance and art, making the

Reception a success. There were 18 participating artists of

which two were CHA artistis, Alcira Iregui and Dora Levy.

Dia de Los Muertos at the Tampa Museum of Art. Damaris Soto as CHA President, and Armida Nagy Stickney as CHA Vice President/Webmaster served as guest advisors on the Arts Council advisory committee for this fabulous event. Three CHA artists were final participants: Zoe Otero de Gonzalez and Armida collaborated on an intergeneration altar, entitled “Spirit Guide, Midissia, Speaks,” one of 13 altars that were featured. Luz Pennington, face painter, painted skeletal faces for free laboriously throughout the whole night. Amazing!

Bottom right—Brenda Gregory, Chair of

the Advisory Committee of the Advisory Committee, ACHC

.

Large puppets of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera entertained the enthusiastic crowd

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Ybor City Saturday Market How to Participate in the Ybor City Saturday Market (YCSM) Interested members are asked to commit and secure a space on a given Saturday two weeks in advance. CHA provides the following for the main tent: two table, tablecloths, two chairs, and two racks. We recommend that the tent be limited to no more than two artists at a time. Notify the contact person(s) by e-mail and mail the payment to— CHA YCSM, c/o The Negrons, 10619 Fairfield Village, Tampa, FL 33624-5080 Contact information: Agustin Negron, red51nv@yahoo.com 813.298.9958 Magdalena Matias, Magdalena.matias@yahoo.com, 813.300.1635 Rules of the YCSM Committee: Set up is at 7:30 to 8:15 a.m. (If this is not followed, CHA could forfeit its space.) Breakdown cannot be before the closing of the Saturday Market. Location: Centennial Park (corner of 8th Avenue and 19th Street, Tampa, Florida)

On special events, CHA will arrange to rent other tents as needed To learn about days of special events, visit the Ybor City web site, http://www.ybormarket.com. The non-refundable fee to participate is as follows:

$10 for access to have the tent

$20 for the entire tent

Dear Member, if you do not

have an e-mail or a computer

at home, please let us know

for us to help you to open an

account. You will be able to

learn how to use e-mail and

the internet at your local

public library where there are

free classes and computers are

free to use. For more

information, call your nearest

public library.

Register to benefit from this

free public service (taxpayer’s

money at work).

If you haven’t notice, the

world has gone World Wide

Web—the internet is where

the information is.

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New Procedures FEATURED MEMBER: One of the products CHA offers to all its members is an interview (used loosely here due to limited resources) that will be published in our newsletter, “Los CHAmigos y Las CHAmigas,” and posted on the official web site, http://art-cha.com. This is a marvelous way to let others to get to know you and to get you to think about your creative process. It’s a journey of exploration. a. Procedure The manner in which the interviews will be conducted is as follows: To facilitate the production of Featured Artist or Member on a monthly basis, the Publications Committee will periodically post 15 questions formulated for your consideration. Members have the end of each month to submit their answers. They will be reviewed, approved, and published in the order received by e-mail or regular mail (postmarked) by the Publications Committee. In the event there is not a “Featured Member of the Month” on a given month, the Editorial Staff will reprint from various sources, as permitted, information on famous Hispanic artists, living or deceased. Each submission is to be accompanied by a .jpeg photograph of the artist and/or artwork. By submitting answers, you are agreeing to your work being edited as appropriate. Every attempt will be made to get clarification on an answer. Therefore, it is important to provide a contact number and the best hour to be reached. Each member who contributes will be published only once every two fiscal years. b. Submission

1. Submit by e-mail: cha.hispana@yahoo.com, “Subject” line to read: Featured Member; or 2. Mail to CHA, P.O. Box 15234, Tampa, FL 33684-2324, Attention: Featured Member (only answers; no jpegs unless they are on a CD); 3. Provide your full name as you wish it to appear in print; 4. Provide e-mail address, telephone no., and best hour to reach you. c. Questions

Select a minimum of five (5) of 23 questions listed below. The last three (24, 25, and 26 are required in the write up on yourself. Word count is not to exceed 500-1,000 words. In essence, you will be answering eight questions. Enjoy them; make them sing in your heart. Your answers can be in English, Spanish, or a minimum mixture of “Spanglish.” In any case, your answers will be translated. However, answers in English will be published first on the web site while they await translation into Spanish. 1. What theme(s) inspire you to create? 2. What are your goals as a member of CHA? 3. Have you changed over the years in your style of painting? 4. How would you best describe your current style? 5. How did any of the Old Master inspire you if any? Name them. 6. How did any of the 20th Century Hispanic

artists inspire you if any? Name them.

7. Do you consider yourself a self-taught artist or

have you had traditional training?

8. How did you go about your training?

9. Do you consider yourself a “Sunday” painter

or a professional?

10. Do you collect art from other artists to hang

on your walls? And, what genre have you

collected?

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11. Please describe your most recent visual

experience that resulted in your latest artwork or

that will become your next artwork?

12. In a world saturated with images and with the

speed of communications, is two-dimensional

painting relevant?

13. If you could meet a historical figure (painter,

politician, writer, philosopher, etc.) who inspires

your creativity, who would he or she be?

14. Do you believe artistic creativity is innate,

channeled, a gift?

15. What do you think of political art?

16. Do you think “the style” of an artist is

fabricated to boost sales and marketability?

17. What causes artistic blocks, and how do you

solve them?

Does getting paid for your work embarrass you?

If so, why? If not, why not?

18. Did you choose, or where you chosen to

create art?

19. What do you want people to walk away with

when they see, hear, or read your work?

20. What is your biggest challenge in creating

your art?

21. Do you aspire for your work to meet a need;

and if so, do you have a name for that need?

22. Where are you based and do you have a

working studio? (Required)

23. If you find you can no longer paint, write,

or play music, or have to close down your

studio, how do you think your creativity

would express itself.?

Required—

24. What is your country of origin and when did you

come to the United States?

25. When did you first start to create art and how

did you work to grow in this area (describe)?

26. What is your artistic statement (as you see your

art influencing or inspiring a viewer)?

Another product CHA seeks to provide the

members is a portfolio/e-magazine. Answers to

questions 24, 25, and 26 will make it possible to

prepare such a portfolio to show to prospective

sponsors.

Your commitment to this process is important.

May you enjoy your journey.

Continued from page 3…Isidoro Tejeda

Some of his paintings are in international

galleries such as in Spain, Mexico, and

Germany. In the United States, his art is

exhibited in Ohio, Tennessee, and Florida.

He also exhibits in his homeland, Cuba.

Isidoro connects elements of realism in his

figures with a suggestive impressionistic style

in a very peculiar way, using fantasy as an

element design. The themes are portrayed in

tropical colors full of symbolism and

movement to the expressions of living things.

He has succeeded in making his art a

livelihood.

Editorial staff for this issue—Damaris Soto

Armida Nagy Stickney Luz Pennington