| MISSION
Palmetto & Luna’s 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.
-
Create awareness of the Hispanic/Latino arts and culture
in South Carolina.
-
Expand the scope of art exhibitions and art education in
South Carolina to include Hispanic/Latino artists in order
to present more diverse insights and inspiration and the
often misunderstood cultural manifestation of Hispanic/Latino
artists.
-
Help to integrate the rapidly growing Hispanic/Latino population
into the mainstream arts community.
- Promote
emerging Hispanic/Latino artists in South Carolina.
-
Empower the Hispanic/Latino community through collaborative
public art programs.
Palmetto & Luna (P&L) was incorporated on September
8, 2008. Since 2003 the organization has produced a variety
of events and programs focused on Hispanic/Latino Art, Culture
and Heritage:
Art Exhibitions in South Carolina - Argentinean painter and
printmaker Marcelo Novo (2003), German Cuban sculptor Britta
Cruz (2003), Colombian painter Alejandro García (2004),
Philipino painter Tony Imperial (2004), Mexican-American-Chicano
visual artist Ernesto Cuevas, Jr. (2008), Colombian artist
Eliana Pérez and Diana Farfán (2009).
InspirARTE
- A fundraising event in 2003 and 2004 for the oldest Hispanic/Latino
non-profit in South Carolina (Acercamiento Hispano de Carolina
del Sur), held at the South Carolina State Museum. InspirARTE
successfully created awareness of Hispanic/Latino Art among
local non-Hispanic artists in Columbia, SC.
Annual art auctions and children’s art contests in 2003
and 2004.
Book
Club - "Páginas" - that focuses on Hispanic/Latino
authors. This club was established in 2004 and it is probably
the only book club of its kind in the state of South Carolina.
Organizing
Spanish speaking groups and providing bilingual docents for
the guided tours of the Columbia Museum of Art’s permanent
collection and special exhibitions since 2002.
Artist-in-Residence
program in Columbia which hosted its first artist in October
2008 - Ernesto Cuevas, an Atlanta-based muralist and painter.
Cuevas also gave a presentation of his work – "Immigration
Seen through the Lens of a Latino Artist", at the University
of South Carolina. The event was hosted in collaboration with
the Consortium for Latino Immigration Studies (Arnold School
of Public Health)
|
BOARD
OF DIRECTORS |
|
IVAN SEGURA -Executive
Director-
Ivan
Segura, born in Aguascalientes, Mexico 246 years ago,
has dwelled into several artistic endeavors until finally
deciding to follow his High School teacher's advice
("What the heck are you doing trying to paint or
sculpt? You are a writer, did you hear me? A writer!"),
and zeroing on the aspects of creating stories through
words. He has published several short stories and a
collection of poems. A devoted advocate for the Hispanic
community, Ivan has organized a number of artistic projects
with the mission to positively affect society through
the arts and to bring together Hispanic artistry and
the American society. He is Vice-president of the Council
of Mexicans in SC and Member of the Board of Directors
of the SC Hispanic Leadership Council. He lives in Columbia,
SC with his wife Amanda and daughters Sofka and Maya.
|
|
ALEJANDRO
GARCIA -Former Executive Director-
Alejandro
García is a Colombian-American visual artist
living in South Carolina since 2002. He holds a MA in
Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International
University in Miami and a BA in Graphic Design from
the School of Arts at the National University in Bogotá,
Colombia. His work focuses on complex social issues,
mostly on aspects of immigration, biculturalism, religion
and social justice.
Alejandro served on the Board of Directors of SC Hispanic
Outreach, was cofounder of the Coalition for New South
Carolinians, which organized the rally at the State
House to support new immigrants. He received The State
newspaper´s "20 under 40 award" and
he is also a Certified Court Interpreter and general
manager of Comunicar Spanish Language services. He attended
the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture
Leadership Institute, and he is the founder and former
Executive Director of Palmetto & LUNA. |
|
BRITT
HUNT
A
native of Columbia SC, Britt Hunt has dedicated his
life to the study of Latino culture. Britt holds a BA
in Spanish and International Trade from Clemson University
and an MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from
Florida International University in Miami. He is the
President and founder of Comunicar Spanish Language
Services where he also serves as a Certified Legal Interpreter
for the Court Systems in South Carolina and Georgia.
Britt has worked in the administration of several arts
events including the Bogotá Iberoamerican Theatre
Festival (1998 and 2000), InspirARTE Art Auction (2003,
2004), What's Love Valentine's Show (2008, 2009). He
has lived in Madrid, Spain, Quito, Ecuador and Bogotá,
Colombia and traveled widely in Latin America. Britt
is interested in the music and folklore of Latin America,
contemporary Latin American art and Southern historic
preservation. |
|
BETSY
NEWMAN
A long, long time ago, Betsy Newman was a little girl
living in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where she learned to
love the flamboyán tree, sugar cane, the smell
of cow dung in the hot sun, and the Spanish language,
which she spoke better then than she does now. Her Dad
once told her she was a dreamer, and he was right. La
vida es sueño.
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Elaine Lacy
[Bio
coming soon]
|
|
Karen
Watson
[Bio
coming soon] |
|
Alejandro
Baez
[Bio
coming soon] |
|
Lucía
Vega
[Bio
coming soon] |
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