Art brings together U.S., Cuban consuls
Mérida, Yucatán — A private reception at SoHo Galleries in Santa Ana was an international occasion of historic proportions.
The day before Adele Aguirre’s Cuban-infused “Landscapes of the Soul” exhibition opened, a private preview gathering brought together for the first time in decades the consuls of both the United States and Cuba.
“As a U.S citizen, this was momentous being that I grew up not knowing a thing about Cuba or at least nothing good about Cuba,” said Aguirre. “I have fallen in love with the artists from Cuba. I love arts, the music, the dances of Cuba … and I love my country … I believe that art is a universal language.”
SoHo’s tag line is “Artists without Borders” and “that is what we practice,” said Aguirre, who is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y. “In fact, at some point it was only myself, the U.S. consul and the Cuban consul upstairs talking. What an experience!” Aguirre added.
The diplomats monitor international relations and assist citizens in their home countries who are in the three states that comprise the peninsula. Mario Jorge García Cecilia is general consul for Cuba, and David Micó is the newly arrived consul representing the United States.
Diario La Verdad covered the occasion with the headline: “Art unites Cuba & the United States: The Consuls of both Nations appear together for the first time in a formal event.”
“The diplomatic representatives were guests of honor and interacted cordially with the approval of their governments. something unique that was captured within a beautiful frame of art and culture,” said Carlos Cabrera, head of Fundación BAI, whose relationships with the media and knowledge of political protocol helped yield “piece of history that will stay in my mind for the rest of my life!”
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