CONTACT:
Barbara Gonzalez, Associate Director (954) 262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Assistant Director (954) 262-5350
Elizabeth Ninomiya, Coordinator (954) 262-5309
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2004
“IN EXILE, ECHOES FROM HAITI AND CUBA” TO ADDRESS
THE ARRIVAL OF UNDOCUMENTED HAITIAN AND CUBAN IMMIGRANTS TO
MIAMI
Night of Interdisciplinary Arts to Feature Dance-Theater,
Visual Arts, Music, and Typical Food Benefiting Haitian
Community in Exile
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL— The Miniaci Performing Arts Center at
Nova Southeastern University will be turned into a haven for the
Haitian and Cuban exile communities when three students of the
Interdisciplinary Arts Program at the Fischler Graduate School
of Education & Human Services present an engaging and timely
piece, “In Exile, Echoes from Haiti and Cuba,” as their final
Capstone Project at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 3 at the
Miniaci Performing Arts Center on NSU's main campus, 3100 Ray
Ferrero, Jr., Blvd. Members of the public are invited to attend.
The free performance, an original piece created by students
Patricia Bencomo-Amaro, Shirley Julien, and Roxana Suarez-Gianantonio,
will feature dance-theater, visual arts and music, and will
address the critical issue of the arrival of undocumented
Haitian and Cuban immigrants to Miami, and the resulting social
impact on our community. All five human senses will be touched,
with works of art from the Cuban and Haitian communities on
display and available for sale, along with typical foods from
both communities, with proceeds going to members of the Haitian
community in exile. An open dialogue and Q&A between the
audience, artists and directors will follow the performance.
In creating the piece as the final requirement to graduate
from the Interdisciplinary Arts Program, Bencomo-Amaro, Julien,
and Suarez-Gianantonio are working towards raising awareness of
the plight of both communities. They seek for participants to
walk away from their performance with a refreshed sensitivity to
both cultures, and a renewed sense of responsibility for
ensuring America is a productive and compassionate place where
everyone can pursue the American Dream. “We are a professional
and highly motivated team of graduate students united by the
same passion, which is our desire to serve and educate out
community through the arts. We believe art is the most powerful
and effective tool to entertain, heal, educate, transform and
grow. In short, art bridges cultural divisions and helps people
reach self-actualization,” they said jointly. “As graduating
master's degree students of the Interdisciplinary Arts Program,
we are joining efforts to use this tool to promote international
cultural exchange in a multiethnic community.”
A special mural, “We Are on the Same Boat,” created by
artist Xavier Cortada in coordination with Hands on Miami and
senior citizens from the Haitian and Cuban communities, will be
exhibited at the performance. Posters of the mural will be
available for sale at the event, with Xavier Cortada on hand to
sign the posters. The following activities also are planned:
- Galerie d'Art Nader presents a Haitian Art Exhibit and
Silent Auction
- Gingerbread Design Group presents a Haitian Art and
Handicraft Sale
- Artists Marcy Grosso & Humberto Benitez present a Cuban
Art Exhibit and Sale
For tickets and information about “In Exile, Echoes from
Haiti and Cuba,” please contact Roxana Suarez-Giantonio at (954)
262-8680, or at
suarez@nsu.nova.edu .
“In Exile, Echoes from Haiti and Cuba” has been made possible
by the following sponsors: Nova Southeastern University, the
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services, the
Rose & Alfred Miniaci Performing Arts Center, Miami artist
Xavier Cortada, Galerie d'Art Nader, Gingerbread Design Group,
Diaspora Vibe, Construction Catering-Cuban Cuisine, Broward
Division of Cultural Affairs, artists Marcy Grosso and Humberto
Benitez, and Carl & Priscila Swanson.
The Master of Science in Education with a specialization in
Interdisciplinary Arts degree program is offered through the
Graduate Teacher Education Program (GTEP), although the program
is equally geared toward non-educators interested in the arts.
The program's mission is to educate, nurture and facilitate
visionary and conceptual artists by offering a nurturing
learning environment, resources and tools to expand their
knowledge, skills, experience, and entrepreneurship in the arts.
The IA program fosters inquiry, research, and creative
professional development by uniting faculty and students in
acquiring and applying knowledge in professional, educational,
community, corporate, cultural and other interdisciplinary
settings. For more information on the Cinematherapy course and
the Interdisciplinary Arts Degree Program, contact Program
Administrator/Artistic Director David Spangler at (954)
262-8363, or visit
http://fgse.nova.edu/iap.
NSU's Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human
Services, based at NSU's North Miami Beach campus, is the
largest accredited graduate school of education in the United
States with more than 12,000 students annually in more than 50
sites in the U.S. and abroad, and via a variety of distance
education technologies. FGSEHS, a leader in graduate distance
education for educators, organizational leaders, and trainers
throughout the world, has more than 7,000 students in graduate
education programs in Florida alone, including both online
programs and live classes at NSU locations statewide.
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