Article Detail

News & Articles

BACK TO HAVANA

October 03, 2017

Exploring Cuban Culture and Community


Havana and Mobile share a common history dating back 300 years. Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville explored the region of Cuba in 1698 and founded Mobile in 1702. In fact, he’s buried in Havana and statues of him gazing across the water to the opposite port grace both city riverfronts. In addition, Mobile and Havana formed a “sister city” bond back in 1963, the first between the two countries. 


To celebrate our shared past and reinvigorate our relationship, the Alabama Contemporary Art Center is bringing the work of twelve Cuban artists to Mobile in the exhibit, “Back to Havana”. On display from September to June, the artists explore Cuban culture through the categories of home and family, play and recreation, travel and transportation, communications and technology, and dreams. 


The exhibition’s five sections and bilingual didactic texts will act as a point of reference for viewers and participatory zones including a pop-up wifi lounge, response area, and study library will be set up. A schedule of themed monthly events celebrating Cuban music, food, fashion, and baseball - produced with Mobile International Festival and Visit Mobile - will bring Cuban art to life for communities across Mobile and the Alabama Gulf Coast. 


Alabama Contemporary Art Center is a non-profit contemporary arts center located on Cathedral Square in the heart of Mobile’s historic downtown district. The center functions as a public forum, convener, and cultural broker by forming strategic alliances with like-minded cultural, social, educational, and civic institutions. Exhibitions and programs investigate themes and topics of particular relevance to the Gulf Coast while creating a national model for constructive community-building through the arts.