May 20, 2008 – June 27, 2008
Steven Daiber and Jacquiline Hayden have traveled to Cuba annually since the spring of 2000. During the academic year of 2003-04 they lived in Havana, Cuba for ten months, where Steven had the opportunity to work in five different print shops with a variety of Cuban artists. Two of these are state run print shops that provide equipment, supplies, and opportunities for Cuban artists and foreigners to work. Another two shops are unofficially run, providing the same services and more. The fifth, a private shop recognized by the government, is amazingly equipped with an abundance of inks, paper and presses. This is Cuba, the state and private enterprise coexisting, waiting for change.
In Havana, living with a Cuban family, Steven and Jacqueline worked with Cubans caught in the political bind between Cuba and the United States, using humor and creative inqenuity to survive and prosper. The prints in this exhibition were made by Cuban artists of all ages, from young college graduates to seasoned printmakers. The artists exhibited in Grabados de la Habana look at contemporary life in Cuba, masculinity and power, the daily water supply, old cars and hope.