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In cooperation with Telemundo, we bring to you Nerieda Garcia Ferraz

Beyond Havana: Intersecting Time and Place

MIAMI, June 26, 2004.   Bettcher Gallery invites the public to welcome one of our most acclaimed Cuban-American artists, Nerieda Garcia Ferraz , as we open her exhibition: Beyond Havana; Intersecting Time and Place, on Saturday evening, June 26 , 2004 from 7:00 until 11:00PM .  A collaborative affair, including coverage by Telemundo/NBC , the night will also feature a book signing by child artist and author of recently published Sniffing for Democracy , Nora Meek and an Exotic Wine Tasting, courtesy Bouquet-Miami, with proceeds benefiting the Humane Society of Greater Miami .

My work originates from open contact with materials as well as a continuous investigation into my own personal history as a Cuban-American . - Nerieda Garcia Ferraz, 2004

This recent body of work explores the reconnection of the many nuances of multiple voices and influences throughout Garcia-Ferraz's life as an artist in the US and her childhood in Cuba; it offers a bare soul contacting the remembrance of geography, literature, family albums, Spanish cards, popular colloquialism and various  stimuli throughout a period of time. Her paintings take on an intuitive appropriation of gestures, open notes and symbols, while the marking of distances and direct meanings are reported within her work as a photographer.

The exhibition is the cumulus of the past three years, taking as reference old photographs from the early 80's and a collection of miniature iconographic propaganda from the early 1900's as well as images from Havana. The references within this body of work often morph, transform, and cross boundaries of period and space,  but a common history remains the story told.

Nerieda Garcia Ferraz received her B. F. A. . from Art Institute of Chicago in 1976 , and developed esteem as one of the United States' most significant Cuban American artists with countless exhibitions throughout many of the most prestigious venues in the country.  Among various awards and accolades, Ferraz has been the recipient of fellowships from such distinguished fine art organizations as the  National Endowment for the Art, the Richard Diebenkorn Foundation and the Ford Foundation , and has been teaching and exhibiting since 1977 .

Telemundo , in effort to foster awareness of the illustrious career of Garcia-Ferraz, will be airing portions of the event on its broadcasts following the reception on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, local Channel 51 , as a feature within their new “Community Connection” programming.

Nora Meek will be offering and signing her children's book, Sniffing for Democracy ,  which tells the tale of a dog named Spangle who realizes he lives in a democracy that has started to stink.  Spangle travels around the world sniffing for one that smells right.  He meets a cast of clever characters along the way who lead him to the heart and soul of democracy where he gets a whiff of what he needs to do to fix the United States of Dogs.  The book is delightfully silly and thoughtful at the same time.

Bettcher Gallery is located in the center of the Fine Arts District of the Biscayne Corridor and within the heart of  Soyka's 55th Street Station's enclave of shops and restaurants at Biscayne Boulevard and 55 Street.   Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday: 11:00-5:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 12:00-10:00 PM, or by appointment by calling (305)758-7556.



55TH STREET STATION    5582 NORTHEAST FOURTH COURT    MIAMI , FLORIDA    33137   305.801.1047