CLEVELAND — Cleveland City Hall is bustling with business matters throughout the day, but the La Promesa: Celebrating Legacy, Empowering Generations, Inspiring the Future of Hispanic-Latino Art wants people to hang around a bit to experience the work of nearly two dozen local artists.
La Promesa translates to "The Promise".
The new exhibition, which coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month, is on the second floor of city hall, complete with paintings, photographs and other visual arts that radiate off walls.
"We have artists that are from the Dominican Republic, from Guatemala, from Honduras, from Mexico, (and) from Puerto Rico," said Letitia Lopez, Executive Director of the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center in Cleveland. "It is just such a broader story than just art on the wall."
Twenty-three Cleveland-area artists have their work on display. The City of Cleveland partnered with the Cultural Arts Center, wanting to amplify underrepresented voices and empower artists.
"We are aware that the brilliance of artists of color has existed for a very long time. This is an opportunity to share this with the broader community," said Rhonda K. Brown, Cleveland's senior strategist for arts, culture and the creative economy. "We are thrilled about it. It's an opportunity to celebrate the brilliance of our Latinx artists across the city."
Lopez said a majority of the participating artists are connected to the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center, which offers an array of programming, workshops and resources for youth, families and artists.
"We felt that they didn't have a base or a home, and so our campus became their literal home," Lopez said.
She was a part of the art installation and can't wait for others to visit.
"It really is a representation of so much. And you know, we have artists who are emerging artists, mid-career artists (and) established artists."
Artist Alicia Vazquez knew she was interested in art at an early age, having grown up watching her mom paint and draw. Her grandpa was also an artist.
"I think her encouragement kind of inspired me more to keep pursuing… keep going with it," Vazquez said.
She later received a bachelor's degree in illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Art.
"I actually love working with raw, natural… tactile surfaces," Vazquez said.
Vazquez has portraits of two Latinas on display at city hall, where she used colored pencils and markers on wood canvasses.
Vazquez, who's Puerto Rican and African American, said art sparks self-reflection, taps into personal stories and preserves heritage.
One of the portraits in the exhibition is of a woman who lives in Ohio and is from a tribe in Paraguay. Vazquez said that American parents adopted the woman, and she was able to reconnect with her roots in South America.
Vazquez said the portrait is representative of the experience.
"Her story was very fascinating to me. I took all of the gear from all of the tribe. I used the face paint and the same basically attire that they wore, and I reflected it back on her," Vazquez said. "When she saw this piece, she basically was somewhat in tears. She said she never saw herself wearing the face painting or like any of the attire from the tribe. So, I'm glad that a part of the work that I did was I was able to connect in that sense."
Some of the artists' work will be available for sale.
La Promesa runs through Jan. 3, 2025.
Thursday is the opening ceremony at Cleveland City Hall. It's from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It's free and open to all. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register online.
