Palmetto Luna announces Latino Arts MESS 2011

Piedra de Dos Caminos -Stone of Two Roads,
launches activities for Latino Arts MESS

"Serious Illusions of Grandeur" Litography by Edgar Cano

"Piedra de dos caminos -Stone of Two Roads, Mexican Lithographs on Marble" is a collection of lithographs and prints by rising Mexican artist Edgar Cano. This exhibition will be shown at the Friday Cottage Gallery, Located on 1830 Henderson Street on Friday, September 30, 2011 at 7:00 PM. The event is organized by Palmetto Luna Arts and it launches activities for Latino Arts MESS 2011.

Piedra de Dos Caminos is a collection of works with intense symbolism and provoking details that could produce vertigo but leaves the sensation of well organized and solid compositions. Edgar Cano has received recognition in Mexico and abroad and this will be his first exhibition in the southeast region. The works for Piedra de Dos Caminos were produced on marble taken from the state of Veracruz to Mexico City for designing/etching -and then back to Veracruz for printing. Cano started this project when he received Mexico's prestigious FONCA (Arts and Culture National Fund) Scholarship in 2010. He defines this set of works as a reflection of our times, the mysticism of the habitual, and the fleeting speed that all individuals face in society. Also, in each rock he aims to show the versatility offered by the image of the Mexican people.

Piedra de Dos caminos includes over 20 pieces and explores Edgar Cano's feelings when he moved from his small-town to an urban experience with crowded streets -and the virtue to stop and really see other human beings -even though you only have a few seconds to do it. Cano also claims the technique for producing these artworks is itself an irony: The hardness of the rock is softened when the graphics are etched into it, almost as a soft caress. Thus, the stone has not only travelled two roads, Veracruz and Mexico City, but has also gone from being a hard unreceptive place to becoming the frame for a beautiful image.

About Edgar Cano

Born on La Isla, Veracruz, Mexico on December 26th, 1977, Ernesto Cano graduated in 2006 from the Faculty of Plastic Arts at the University of Veracruz. His works received recognition in painting, drawing and graphic contests; since 2010 he is a recipient from the prestigious FONCA (Arts and Culture National Fund) Scholarship -in the category Young Creators; Also in that year, he won first prize in the XVII national Lithography contest "Jose Guadalupe Posada"; In 2005 and 2006 he was selected by the State of Veracruz to receive the Creativity Stimulation and Artistic Development Program Scholarship; He has participated in important national and international artistic exhibitions; He has 10 solo exhibitions and over 35 collective exhibitions in Mexico and also in cities abroad such as Valjevo, Indianapolis, Nueva York, Boston, Philadelphia, Victoria, and London. His artistic creations delve into the realms of illustration and scenography. He currently works lives and works in Mexico City and performs artistic internships at the Ceiba Grafica Workshop in Veracruz.

About Palmetto Luna Arts

Palmetto Luna Arts’ mission is to foster an understanding of the Hispanic/Latino culture by promoting artistic creation and providing opportunities for cultural expression for the community in South Carolina. To learn more, visit: www.palmettoluna.org

Other activities for Palmetto Luna's Latino Arts MESS 2011 include:

Edgar Cano's "Stone of Two Roads" Conference at USC
Mexican artist Edgar Cano will discuss the creative process to develop his "Stone of Two Roads" artworks and also talk about the ways to use art as an advocacy tool.
Monday, October 3. 2011 at 3:30 PM
Humanities Room 201, 3:30pm

"Migra, Amor y Migrañas (Immigration, Love and Migraines)" play performed by La Tropa Theater Group.La Tropa is an all Latina theater group initiated by Palmetto Luna Arts. Their first play includes original stories, written by their cast members, which depict their experiences as immigrant women in the US.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 7:00 PM
USC, Benson Theater

Alejandro Garcia-Lemus Exhibition
701 Center for Contemporary Art
Hallway Gallery

Flower Mandala -A Remembrance of the Death.
The Autumn Remembrance -A flower mandala is a celebration inspired by the Mexican "Day of the Death" tradition that has been presented at the Five Point's Fountain for the last 4 years. This year, Palmetto Luna Arts is the lead entity organizing this celebration. Flower Mandala -A Remembrance of the Death will continue the tradition of the autumn remembrance while including more aspects of the traditional "Day of the death" celebration.
Octuber 30 to Novermber 3, 2011
Five Point's Fountain

La Peña -A bohemian Latino Night
¡We do not want a Gala, we want a Peña! A Peña folclórica is a social event where diverse musicians, poets, or dancers perform in small venues with an audience that sits at small candle-lit tables drinking wine and eating tapas. Sometimes audience members are invited to participate spontaneously. La Peña is Palmetto Luna Arts first formal fundraising event. The event is by invitation only and designed for a selected number of individuals interested in continuing fostering Latino arts and culture in SC.
November 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM
The Friday Cottage, 1830 Henderson St. Columbia SC, 29201.