The amber has been housed at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), where it is being processed into the largest catalog of Dominican amber in the world.
Emil Melmoth
Emil Melmoth, sculpting the Fragile Threshold Between Flesh, Faith, and Mortality. His hyperrealistic figurative sculptures initially resem...
July 31, 2014
Milton Sanderson's Amber from Dominican Republic
In 1959, entomologist Milton Sanderson (1910–2012), lead an expidition at an area in Pico Diego de Ocampo, in Santiago, Dominican Republic, where he collected more than 160 lbs of fossilized amber samples with insects, plants and mammal hair preserved inside.
The amber has been housed at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), where it is being processed into the largest catalog of Dominican amber in the world.
The amber has been housed at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), where it is being processed into the largest catalog of Dominican amber in the world.
20-million-year-old Grasshopper from Dominican Republic
Two scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), have found samples of hair, ants, beetles, mites, spiders, plant remnants and fungi, which may have been fossilized in amber between 18 and 20 million years ago.
Paleontologist Sam Heads and laboratory technician Jared Thomas, are screening more than 160 pounds of amber collected in the Dominican Republic by entomologist Milton Sanderson (1910–2012), in 1959.
From 1942 until his retirement in 1975, Sanderson worked at the Illinois Natural History Survey. During his long career, he travelled widely pursuing his interest in beetles. During an NSF-funded fieldtrip to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, he collected more than 160 lbs of amber in the Dominican Republic, which he packed into 5 gallon drums and shipped back to INHS. On his return, he examined the amber and discovered insect and plant inclusions.
Together with his colleague, Thomas Farr, Sanderson published a short essay in the Journal Science documenting the discovery.
For more than 50 years, Sanderson's amber remained locked away at the INHS. And it wasn't until 2010, that the drums were reopened for a slow and lengthy screening process which has now caught the attention of the science world.
Within the amber the scientist found a pygmy locust (tiny grasshopper), estimated to have lived 18- to 20-million years ago, and which fed on moss, algae and fungi.
The specimen is considered and important and remarkable find, because it represents an intermediate stage of evolution in the life of its subfamily of locusts (known as the Cladonotinae).
The most ancient representatives of this group had wings, while modern counterparts do not. The newly discovered locust has what appear to be vestigial wings — remnant structures that had already lost their primary function.
In the Journal Science essay, Sanderson's says that the amber samples were collected at an area in Pico Diego de Ocampo, which is the highest point in the Cordillera Septentrional in the Santiago, Dominican Republic.
Sources: Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Science Journal, ZooKeys, worldtracker.org
July 30, 2014
First Cultural Center of the Dominican Republic will open in La Romana
On Wednesday, July 30, 2014, The Ministry of Culture will officially inuagurate the first cultural center of the Dominican Republic, which will be located in the former prison, Santa Rosa de Lima, in La Romana.
It is the first cultural center of its kind, and a part of the Medina administration's economy boosting plans which are being executed in cities of close proximity to tourist destinations.
The old building was built the early 20th century, and housed the Santa Rosa de Lima prison, which was shuttered in January 2013. Before closing, the prison was known for its riots and inhuman treatment and housing of prisoners.
Maria Luisa Ortiz, Provincial Director of Culture of La Romana, said that the establishment of this center will benefit the residents of the town and the region in different aspects, such as the promotion of provincial and regional artistic values, increased formation and education of cultural assets; the development of creative enterprises; increasing community participation in tourism and the sale of local arts and crafts.
She added that, in addition to this, artists and promoters will have the opportunity to show their talent and skills through their involvement in various fields such as theater, music, dance, crafts and singing.
Photo of Santa Rosa de Lima: cultura.gob.do
July 28, 2014
Julia Alvarez Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Obama
On Monday, July 28, 2014, President Barack Obama presented Julia Alvarez, the Dominican-American poet, novelist, and essayist with the National Medal of Arts.
Alvarez was recognized for her contributions in storytelling, poetry and prose.
In poetry and in prose, Ms. Alvarez explores themes of identity, family, and cultural divides. She illustrates the complexity of navigating two worlds and reveals the human capacity for strength in the face of oppression.
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts.
Julia Alvarez was born on March 27, 1950, in New York City, and raised in the Dominican Republic. When she was 10 years old, Alvarez had to leave the Dominican Republic, after her father had supported an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow dictator Rafael Trujillo. She graduated from Middlebury College in 1971, and went on to earn a master's degree from Syracuse University in 1975.
In 1991, Alvarez published her critically acclaimed novel, How the García Girls Lost Their Accents. And in 1994, she published, In the Time of Butterflies.
Photos from the 2014 Bronx Dominican Day Parade
Thousands marched, while many more lined up between E. Tremont and E. 167th Street along the Grand Concourse for the 25th annual Bronx Dominican Day Parade.
Music, floats, customes and many flags lit up the streets with vibrant colors, while marchers and spectators danced and scream in celebration of their Dominican heritage.
July 26, 2014
The Spirit of St. Louis in Santo Domingo, in 1928
The Spirit of St. Louis is one of the most famous aircrafts in aviation history. And on February 4, 1928, it made its only stop in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in a flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, that lasted 3 hrs. 30 min, the same amount of time it now takes Jetblue to fly from New York City to Santiago.
But those three and a half hours are nothing compared to the 33 hrs. 30min non-stop flight from from Roosevelt Airfield in New York to Paris Le Bourget, on May 20, 1927. The first plane to accomplish this flight, and which added the Spirit of St. Louis and her pilot Charles Lindbergh to the record books.
The Spirit is now on display at the National Air and Space museum (Smithsonian Institution), in Washington DC, USA.
Image source: National Archives of the Dominican Republic
July 25, 2014
Very Old Photograph from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
| Title: | Niños Ambulantes |
| Author: | Unknown |
| Year: | 1910 (Uncomfirmed) |
| Medium | Photograph |
| Size: | Unknown |
| Collection: | Unknown |
July 24, 2014
National Drawing Competition for Nutrition Awareness in Dominican Republic
(Santo Domingo) - The Dominican House of Representatives is calling out for youth and teens across the country to participate in a National Drawing Competition, for a series of stamps which aims to create public awareness of the right to nutrition.
The invitation, whose special motivation is to help increase use of the country's mail delivery system, is open to young people between 12 and 21 years of age, who must physically submit their work at the Unidad Técnica de Cultura de la Cámara de Diputados in the Nacional Palace or the Centro de los Héroes de Constanza, in Santo Domingo.
The contest deadline is on July 30, 2014.
To participate, applicants must send their work with the registration form, which must be filled in by typewriter or handwritten letters.
For more information or to obtaina registration form, you can call 809-535-2626, ext. 3615 or 3521.
You can also write to concursosellopostalCD@gmail.com.
More information (in Spanish) HERE.
The invitation, whose special motivation is to help increase use of the country's mail delivery system, is open to young people between 12 and 21 years of age, who must physically submit their work at the Unidad Técnica de Cultura de la Cámara de Diputados in the Nacional Palace or the Centro de los Héroes de Constanza, in Santo Domingo.
The contest deadline is on July 30, 2014.
To participate, applicants must send their work with the registration form, which must be filled in by typewriter or handwritten letters.
For more information or to obtaina registration form, you can call 809-535-2626, ext. 3615 or 3521.
You can also write to concursosellopostalCD@gmail.com.
More information (in Spanish) HERE.
July 23, 2014
Mujer de la Aldea - Virgilio Méndez
| Title: | Mujer de la Aldea (Woman from the Village) |
| Artist: | Virgilio Méndez |
| Year: | 1981 |
| Medium | Watercolor and Pen / Fabriano Paper |
| Size: | 34.8 x 33.5 cm |
| Collection: | Museo Bellapart in Santo Domingo |
Study of Human Figures - Virgilio Méndez
| Title: | Estudio de Figuras Humanas (Study of Human Figures) |
| Artist: | Virgilio Méndez |
| Year: | 1978 |
| Medium | Pastels / Fabriano Paper |
| Size: | 74.9 x 54.8 cm |
| Collection: | Museo Bellapart in Santo Domingo |
Virgilio Méndez (1941 - 20003)
In 1958, at the age of seventeen, he enrolls at the Nacional School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo, where he earns a diploma as professor of drawing in 1962. At ENBA, he has the opportunity to be a student of three greats of Dominican arts, Jaime Colson, Hernandez Ortega and Domingo Liz.
In 1963, Méndez is selected by Jaime Colson as an assistant in the mural workshop at ENBA. In this same year, he is named a professor at the School of Fine Arts in San Francisco de Macoris, a position which only last for few months, as Méndez receives a scholarship to study at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain.
In 1965, he returns to Santo Domingo, join the recent artistic movement taking place in the Colonial Zone. During this time he befirends fellow artists Gilberto Hernández Ortega, Tomás López Ramos, Julio Susana and Roberto Flores.
During the 70s, 80s and 90s, Virgilio Méndez participates in many joint and solo exhibitions throughout the Dominican Republic.
In 2001, he creates a bust of Juan Pablo Duarte for the central park of La Romana, Republic
Dominican.
Many of Virgilio Méndez's works of art are now a part of the Museo Bellapart in Santo Domingo.
July 22, 2014
Ada Balcácer: Outstanding Figure of National and Latin American Art.
Ada Balcácer (Santo Domingo, June 16, 1930) is a Dominican visual artist. She studied at the National School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo and at the Arts Students League in New York. In the Dominican Republic, she was a student of Dominican visual arts masters Celeste Woss y Gil, Manolo Pascual, Joseph Gausachs, Gilberto Hernández Ortega, and Luichy Martínez Richiez.
Photo of Ada Balcácer by Nicole Sanchez - www.nicolesanchez.com
Biography of Ada Balcácer by Myrna Guerrero
Ada Balcácer recognized artist, designer, printmaker, painter, muralist, cultural promoter, theorist and teacher who has spread her knowledge and experiences in various parts of the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the United States, where she lives today.
She's an artístic personality of Caribbean descent, whose aesthetical, theoretical approaches, and quality of work, make her an essential figure in the history of art from the Caribbean and Latin America.
A Brief Recount Of Her Life And Molding
Ada is Balcácer, a woman, dark skinned, born in poverty to parents who believed in the importance of education for human improvement. She was born in Santo Domingo, on June 16, 1930, in the town of San Carlos de Tenerife, and lived in Villa Francisca, two popular neighborhoods of the Dominican capital.
Her early childhood years were spent between Santo Domingo and San Juan de la Maguana, land of Anacaona and Canoabo-Cacique taíno de Maguana -- and Olivorio Mateo, the rebelious healer of the early twentieth century, that the time has transformed into magica-religious figure of Dominican legend.
She grew up under the guidance of her grandfather, Catedral de los Santos, a member of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit and overseer of the estate of Domingo Rodriguez and his descendants for three generations.
Thanks to the strong initial education received, she entered formal education by the fourth grade. She then permanently settled in Santo Domingo, but maintained the bond with San Juan de la Maguana, which later became her vacation home.
Her early teachers, the Cambero sisters, Matilde García de Ricart and Musetta Peynado - all trained under the pedagogical method of Eugenio Maria de Hostos' of liberating education -- Balcácer learned to conquer space and freedom, combining work, discipline and excellence.
Positivistic and pragmatic, intuitive and suspicious, the young student avidly read classics and contemporary works. Learned to love poetry, and assimilated the importance of combining craft and intellectual formation as instruments for peoples to come out of poverty. Pricinples which she would later apply to succesful program fro destitute women.
The restless youth dreamed of being medical surgeon, but one event changed her life and career plans. During the Easter holiday of 1946, she lost her left arm in an accident.
She recounts, attending the Palm Sunday parade in San Juan de la Maguana with her childhood friends. Balcácer was riding a horse, and slid from her saddle, hitting a curb on the street and fracturing her wrist.
A twist of fate had caused her to lose the fractured left arm and become a painter, as the great Mexican muralist, José Clemente Orozco, who also had only the right arm.
"... when I lost my arm, for two months I was disoriented in my decisions. a
friend pushed me towards art, and I found my destiny..."
Anchored by the Hostonian method with which he learned to learn, there exist a spirit within Ada Balcáce, of constant searching and processing constraints, embodied in 3 strengths; critical observation is one of its pillars. Carefully observing hersurroundings and the forms of its essence: traditions, landscape, nature, human, social events, political movements, hopes and frustrations of women in particular and the society in which it operates.
Some initial drawing skills became a permanent source of creativity with the guidance of Manolo Pascual in drawing, Josep Gausachs y Gilberto Hernández Ortega in painting, and the brush gestures of Celeste Woss y Gil, at the National School of Fine Arts Santo Domingo, from which she graduated in 1951.
Personal circumstances offered new opportunities for growth in her artistic training. Her marriage to a baseball player presented the opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico. There she had the chance to work with artists like Eugenio Fernández Granell at Mural Workshop at the University of Puerto Rico and participate with José Alicea and Rafael Trufiño at the First Biennial Ateneo in Puerto Rico.
From San Juan, she traveled to the United States, and settled in New York, where she remained until 1961, working as a textile designer, becaming the first Dominican textile designer. A few years later, a visit to Mauricio Lasansky's workshop in Iowa - considered the father of modern-rprint-making, helped expand her horizons in fine arts.
Daughter, wife, mother, lover, revolutionary, tenacious, a complete and totalizing woman as sensitive and tender as she is hard and voracious, generous and caring, in Ada Balcácer we have an exceptional human being.
--
This short biography of Ada Balcácer is a translation of Myrna Guerrero's ADA BALCÁCER: MAESTRÍA Y OSADÍA DE UNA ARTISTA EXCEPCIONAL.
--
Myrna Guerrero Villalona is a visual artist, art historian and critic. Member of the Dominican Association of Art Critics (ADCA) and the International Association of Art Critics (AICA). Currently he is Director of Bellapart Museum in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
The 2014 Bronx Dominican Day Parade
On Sunday, July 27, 2014, Dominicans throughout New York City will gather in the Bronx, for the 26th annual Dominican Day Parade.
The parade starts at 12 noon and runs south on Grand Concourse, starting E. Tremont Ave to E. 167th Street. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. will serve as the grand marshal.
Expect many floats, hundreds of marching groups and thousands of spectators lined-up along the Grand Concourse to be a part of the festivities.
Many clubs and restuarants throughout the Bronx will also host special celebrations and events in honor of the day.
THE BIG SHOW
This celebration taking place in the Bronx, is lead-up to the main event; the 33rd Annual Dominican Day Parade on August 10, 2014, in New York City.On that same date (August 10th), Providence Rhode Island will celebrate their 26th Annual Dominican Parade and Festival, from 10 am to 12 noon on Broad Street, in Providence, and from 12-7:30 pm at the Roger Williams Park in Providence. You can contact parade organizers at 401.941.2749.
The festivities will continue on August 17, 2014, with the Morrison Avenue Festival in the Bronx (joint venture between Dominicans and Puerto Ricans), on Westchester Ave and Morrison Ave (my old block, 1155), from 12:00n to 6:00pm.
Philadelphia also gets its turn on August 17, with their annual Dominican Day Parade, starting at 10am on Lehigh Avenue from Ameringo Avenue to North American Street.
July 21, 2014
Domingo Guaba, Sculptor, Painter
Domingo Alberto Guaba Rodríguez, was born in Santo Domingo in 1978. He is a self-taught multideciplinary artist, creating sculptures in resin, bronze and paper. His paintings are usually oil based.
In 2004, his sculpture, "La Gran Ciguapa," recieved the Audience Award (Premio del Publico), at the XX Eduardo León Jimenes Art Contest in Santiago, RD. And in 2005,
La Gran Ciguapa was exhibited at the reception hall in Dominican Consulate in New York City.
La Gran Ciguapa - Domingo Guaba
| Title: | La Gran Ciguapa |
| Artist: | Domingo Alberto Guaba Rodríguez |
| Year: | Unknown (2000 - 2004) |
| Medium | Paper / Mix Materials |
| Size: | Unknown |
| Collection: | Personal / Private |
Read La Ciguapa — The Dominican Succubus, and learn more about this mythical creature of Dominican folklore.
July 19, 2014
Luis Martínez Richiez, Painter and Sculptor (1928-2005)
Luis Martínez Richiez (1928-2005), known as Luichy to the art community, was born in San Pedro de Macoris, a province in the south-eastern region of the Dominican Republic.
He began his studies under sculpture with Manolo Pascual, and painting with José Gausach and Celeste Woss y Gil, at the National School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo, where he would later become a professor.
In 1946 he won the national Biennale in Santo Domingo, and in 1950 held two solo exhibitions.
He obtained a scholarship to study in Paris in 1952. In the years 1953-54 at the Salon D'Automne, in 1957 at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, and in 1958 at Le Salon Comparaisons Paris.
Throughout the 1960s, Luichy held several exhibitions in Europe, such as in the Salón Mai de París and the Morton Gallery in London, England. From 1963 to 1973, consecutively, he exhibited at the Salon de la Jeune Sculpture in Paris, France.
Other countries in which Luichy has exhibited includes, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Venezuela.
Luis Martínez Richiez (1928-2005)
Photo, Museo Bellapart
He began his studies under sculpture with Manolo Pascual, and painting with José Gausach and Celeste Woss y Gil, at the National School of Fine Arts in Santo Domingo, where he would later become a professor.
In 1946 he won the national Biennale in Santo Domingo, and in 1950 held two solo exhibitions.
He obtained a scholarship to study in Paris in 1952. In the years 1953-54 at the Salon D'Automne, in 1957 at the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, and in 1958 at Le Salon Comparaisons Paris.
Throughout the 1960s, Luichy held several exhibitions in Europe, such as in the Salón Mai de París and the Morton Gallery in London, England. From 1963 to 1973, consecutively, he exhibited at the Salon de la Jeune Sculpture in Paris, France.
Other countries in which Luichy has exhibited includes, Scandinavia, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Venezuela.
Luis Martínez Richiez (1928-2005)
Photo, Museo Bellapart
Cerveza Preseidente, 1935 - 1961
| Title: | Botella de Cerveza - 1935-1961 |
| Description: | Photograph of a Cerveza Presidente bottle used between 1935 and 1961. |
| Artist: | Unknown |
| Year: | 1935 - 1961 |
| Medium | Photograph |
| Size: | Unknown |
| Collection: | Centro Cultural Eduardo León Jimenes |
Photo of Mercado Modelo in Santo Domingo from 1958
| Title: | Interior del Mercado Modelo de Santo Domingo |
| Artist: | Max Pou |
| Year: | 1958 |
| Medium | Photograph / Silver Gelatin Process |
| Size: | Unknown |
| Collection: | Centro Leon |
July 18, 2014
Island Road Trip by Vannesa Solis
For the summer of 2014, Dominican fashion designer Vanessa Solis presents her Island Road Trip collection.
Inspired by the natural beauty of the Dominican Republic, the 60s and the Dominican flora. Solis considers Island Road Trip as a reinterpretation of traditional Dominican.
'ISLAND ROAD TRIP' is the story of a girl travelling across a beautiful island,getting to know the culture, folklore, as well as its beautiful scenery. Created for those who believe in freedom, love and the power of the universe; dream chasers, beach mermaids, moon lovers and sun preachers, the collection is about reconnecting with oneself and finding balance.
See more of the Island Road Trip collection at vanessasolis.com
Yoryi Morel - Paisaje Con Tres Casas (1942)
| Title: | Paisaje Con Tres Casas |
| Author: | Yoryi Morel - Bio. |
| Year Completed: | 1942 |
| Medium: | Oil on Canvas |
| Size: | 42 x 53.5 cm |
| Collection: | Centro de Artes Visuales Eduardo León Jimenes |
Gaspar Mario Cruz in 1952
| Description: | A photograph of Dominican sculptor Gaspar Mario Cruz, working with wood, taken in 1952 |
| Source: | OGM el Caribe |
| Year: | 1952 |
| Medium | Black and White Photograph |
July 17, 2014
Gaspar Mario Cruz, Sculptor
Gaspar Mario Cruz was born December 6, 1929 in San Francisco de Macoris, and died on September 8, 2006.
At an early age he begins to produce figures of religious saints with modeling clay, and during his teens years he begins to explore Woodcarving.
In 1948 he moves to Santo Domingo and enrolls in the National School of Fine Arts, under the direct guidance of the Spanish born artist and sculptor, Manolo Pascual.
In 1956, Cruz won the First Prize for Sculpture at the VIII Biennial of Art with his work Llanto de Baquiní”.
In 1957, he joins the faculty of the National Fine Arts School, and the following year wins First Prize for Sculpture at the IX Bienal again with his work titled "Amantes”," which he carved on mahogany wood.
Gaspar Mario Cruz's works have been exhibited worldwide, including such cities as Barcelona, Sao Paulo, Paris, London, Madrid and New York.
In 1968, he joins the newly founded group PROYECTA with an allstar group of artist, which includes Ada Balcácer, Domingo Liz, Fernando Peña Defillo, Félix Gontier and Thimo Pimentel.
In 1985, as President of the Colegio Dominicano de Artistas Plásticos, he organized the First Latin American Symposium of Sculpture in the Gallery of Modern Art in Santo Domingo. In this event he is joined by international artists like Nancy Craves (USA), Stuart Maldonado (Ecuador), Pablo Rubio (Puerto Rico) and art critics such as Luis Gonzalez Robles (Spain), Gaston Diehl (France), Raquel Tibol (Mexico) and Belgium Rodriguez (Venezuela), among others.
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