Cintas Foundation to Entrust Miami Dade College with Renowned Art Collection

New York (I-Newswire) June 24, 2011 - Miami Dade College (MDC) will soon be the new home of the renowned Cintas Fellows Collection, the largest collection anywhere of Cuban art outside of Cuba. On an extended loan to MDC by the Cintas Foundation, the collection is comprised of nearly 300 pieces by artists of Cuban descent who have received prestigious Cintas Fellowships, awarded since 1963.

The collection will be formally welcomed to the college at a signing ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, June 20, at the Wolfson Campus, in the Office of Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College and champion of the arts. Some of the art from the collection will be on display at the signing.

More than 200 artists are represented in the collection through a wide variety of media including paintings, prints, photographs, drawings, films, sculptures and installation art. The vast scope of the collection reflects the heterogeneous nature of the artistic production of Cuban artists, spanning across various generations, and their significant aesthetic and historical contribution to modern and contemporary art.

Selections from the Cintas Fellows Collection will be on permanent display to the public for the first time at MDC’s National Historic Landmark Freedom Tower. In addition to being the steward of this exceptional collection, MDC will also oversee the Cintas Foundation Fellowship Awards and host the annual awards exhibition and reception, an honor that played an influential role in the development and advancement of many artists’ careers.

Cintas Foundation
The Cintas Foundation was established with funds from the estate of the late Oscar B. Cintas, a former Cuban ambassador to the United States and a prominent industrialist and patron of the arts. The mission of the Cintas Foundation today remains true to Mr. Cintas’ wishes: to encourage artistic expression and appreciation by offering grants to artists and by making art available to the public. Cintas fellowships acknowledge creative accomplishments and encourage the development of artists in the fields of architecture, literature, music composition and the visual arts. Past recipients include writers Oscar Hijuelos, Maria Irene Fornes and Reinaldo Arenas; visual artists Agustín Fernández, Félix González-Torres,Guillermo Calzadilla, Quisqueya Henríquez, Lydia Rubio, Gean Moreno, Glexis Novoa, Luis Gispert, María Martínez-Cañas, Carlos Alfonzo and Andres Serrano; architect Andrés Martín Duany, and composers Orlando García and Tania León.

Miami Dade College
Miami Dade College has a long and rich history of involvement in the cultural arts, providing South Florida with a vast array of artistic and literary offerings including The Miami Book Fair International, the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, The Miami International Film Festival, the Cultura del Lobo performing arts series, The Cuban Cinema Series, the Prometeo Theatre, the Miami Leadership Roundtable speakers’ series, the Miami International Sculpture Park, a renowned art gallery system, several campus theaters, and the nationally recognized School of Entertainment and Design Technology. It is also the home of the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower.

MDC’s Art Gallery System’s (AGS) mission is to encourage the appreciation and understanding of art and its role in society through direct engagement with original works of art and art-related creative processes. The AGS organizes exhibitions and educational programs to offer enjoyment and encourage inquiry, while building and preserving its collections in trust for future generations. With seven art galleries throughout Miami Dade and the art spaces at the iconic Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami, it is the largest art network in Florida.

WHAT: Miami Dade College and Cintas Foundation signing ceremony

WHEN: Monday, June 20, at 11 a.m.

WHERE: Miami Dade College – Office of the President
Wolfson Campus
300 NE Second Ave., Building 1, Room 1479


For more information, please call MDC’s Art Gallery System at 305-237-7700, or e-mail galleries@mdc.edu.


Media-only contacts: Juan Mendieta, MDC director of communications, 305-237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu; Tere Estorino, director of media relations, 305-237-3949, testorino@mdc.edu; Sue Arrowsmith, 305-237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu; or Tarnell Carroll, 305-237-3359, tcarroll@mdc.edu.

This and other MDC releases are available on the web at www.mdc.edu.

Company Contact Information
Cintas Foundation, Inc.
Jessica Lynn
C/O Nancy Reisman, Esq. 767 Third Avenue
Fourth Floor
10017
Phone : 305-348-3892