The
Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts was established in 2000
at the initiative of the Embassy of Uruguay in Washington D.C..
The principle goal is to foster understanding and exposure to
the rich cultural heritage of Uruguay. The Foundation
accomplishes this mission by introducing Uruguayan culture in
all its forms into the United States through exhibitions and
exchange programs and by facilitating participation by Uruguayan
artists in various public and private cultural programs
operating in the U.S. The Foundation presently boasts a
membership of approximately one hundred artists.
Although
the Foundation was officially recognized as a non-profit
organization by the end of 2001, it was already directly
involved in the organization of more than twenty cultural
activities in Washington D.C. and various other cities
throughout the United States.
Main Activities
Art Exhibitions
In
February 2002 with the acquisition of the new building
the Embassy inaugurated the Salón
de las Artes in its second floor.
Since opening its doors to the public our Cultural
Department has programmed a number of art exhibitions...
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Other Activities
Tango
May 26th
and 27th, 2004. From
Gardel to Jobim, nights of Tango and Bossa Nova at
the Embassy of Uruguay, Salón de las Artes,
Alejandro Montesdeoca in piano and
Richard Miller in guitar.
Visual Arts
September 22nd to
October 3rd. 2004. Seventh Annual Latin American Film Festival,
organized by the Organization of American States, American Film Institute, and
Ibero-American Cultural Attachés.
From Uruguay, Despite Treblinka, by
Gerardo Stawsky.
"Holocaust survivors of the Treblinka
prison camp, now living in Uruguay, Poland and Israel, reminisce to their
children and grandchildren, and to the camera, and watch their own earlier
testimonies, and those of others, in a screening room.
Harrowing, sometimes even humorous,
and ultimately inspiring, with highlights including accounts of a post-war
romance, a one-in-a-million chance fraternal reunion, and a hair-raising,
bullet-riddled actual breakout from Treblinka. Yet another Holocaust
documentary, but with a strikingly different tone."
"Sobrevivientes de la prisión
Treblinka del Holocausto, que ahora residen en Uruguay, Polonia e Israel,
relatan cuentos del pasado a sus niños y nietos y a la cámara, y miran sus
propios testimonios anteriores y los de otros, en una sala de proyección.
Inquietante, a veces chistoso, y en fin inspirador, el film incluye cuentos de
un romance de la posguerra, una reunión fraternal inverosímil y un escape
espeluznante de Treblinka que verdaderamente ocurrió. Es otro documental del
Holocausto, pero con tono único."
Director, Producer,
and Screenplay: Gerardo Stawsky; Cinematography: Daniel Cheico, Daniel Rodríguez
Maseda and Eyal Selah; Editor: Fernando Epstein; Music: John Zorn. 2002, Color,
90 min, Spanish with subtitles.
June 23rd, 2004. Members of the Uruguayan Candombe Group "Cuareim 1080", performed this month in "Candombe! Tango
Negro", at the Gala Hispanic Theatre of Washington, DC (June 3rd
to 27th, 2004).
This play was conceived and directed by Hugo Medrano, based on a
book by Jorge Emilio Cardoso, a distinguished
Afro-Uruguayan poet and dramatist. Other renowned Uruguayan
artists of Candombe also worked in the production of the play,
Carlos Páez Vilaró (Set Design) and Waldemar "Cachila"
Silva (Musical Director).
On Wednesday, June 23rd, they performed at the Salón
de las Artes of the Embassy. Uruguay’s First Lady, Mercedes
Menafra de Batlle, was a special guest to the event.
Image of the invitation to the event "A Puro Tambor".
