To the Patrons and Members of the Arts Center,
May you have a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!
Warmest wishes for a wonderful New Year,
The Staff and Board of Trustees of WAC
JANUARY BRINGS TWO EXCITING PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITIONS
Upper Gallery – Heinz Otto – “My Creative Images”
Heinz W. Otto is a self-taught Creative Photographer who has gained International recognition because of his unique process of Experimental, Manipulation in printing his pictures. He has been using a camera since he was 16 years old. Heinz has been exhibiting since 1975 and has had exhibitions at Lever House in NYC, The Eastman House in Rochester, NY, Taipei, Taiwan, Manila in the Philippines, Austria and Germany, and an 8 month Kodak exhibit in Disneyland, CA. He has had pictures published in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and in the industrial publication Iron Works.
Heinz has entered International Exhibitions and accumulated acceptances and honors worldwide. For many years his standing was Third in North America, and Seventh Worldwide. In the star rating system of Photographic Society of America in monochrome prints, he is the only photographer to achieve the level of Sapphire star, which is 1600 acceptances.
Although he has retired from active exhibiting at the age of 90, he is still currently taking pictures and working in his darkroom.
The Watchung Arts Center is proud to present a retrospective of Mr. Otto’s extensive body of work. Heinz Otto has served for many years as a dynamic force on the Board of Trustees of WAC, including serving as President, and continues to be a strong advocate for the arts.
Lower Gallery – Joe Guerriero- “CUBA: Streets, Struggle, and Spirits (“Calles, Lucha, y Espíritu”)”
A country that is as complex in culture, history, and politics as Cuba seems to beg an outsider to view it in a way that attempts to make sense. A well-known Cuban ex-patriot once told me, “You will never understand the Cuban people.” My response is, “How I see it is how I understand it.”
In my many visits to Cuba, I have photographed what I perceive to be three domains of life there:
The streets: life played out in music, camaraderie, and the sounds of neighbor calling to neighbor; dark allies at night and playful squeals in the day. The peeling paint on the buildings seems to form a lively backdrop to the gestures of athletic movement.
The struggle: sculpted onto the faces of a strong and patient people whose use of the word “lucha” (struggle) is heard to my outsider’s ears more frequently than even they seem to realize.
The spirit: found in the religion of Santeria, which is the calm eye of the storm that is the struggle itself. Music abounds in this spirit with a blessed beat.
It is easy to see how these three domains are interrelated. It is evident in the very co-existence of the Cubanos themselves as neighbors and as compañeros. Time has made Cuba what it is today, as it has been for 48 years: a beguiling and continuing mystery for Americans and other foreigners. I was told by another who herself has been drawn back again and again to the island, “People find their own Cuba,” and this work is a testament to that truth. No doubt the coming years will bring significant change to Cuba. But whatever happens, the country’s essence, however tempered by change and commercialization, will, as always, be danced passionately in the streets.
Sunday, January 9, 1 - 4 p.m., free of charge
Artist Reception – Upper and Lower Gallery
Please remember that while the facility is on break the Center is accepting enrollment in all adult and youth art and dance workshops and classes. In addition, the Summer Art Camp for Children has opened for registration and all tickets to upcoming performances can be puchased online or by check mailed to the Center.
