Women as creative entities have had to wait a long time to be merely acknowledged, let alone understood or applauded. Fortunately, there are areas where we can now speak of full-fledged inclusion. It has been a gradual process, certainly, but no less significant or radical because of it. The art circuit, for example, is one of those spaces where their voice has gradually found its place. As a specific example, it is worth examining the evolution of the Rodriguez Collection, the majority fund of the current collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas.
When entrepreneur and cultural promoter Leonardo Rodríguez presented his collection to the public, it featured only four women out of a total of fifty artists, making up eight percent of the total. Today, in June 2023, it includes 47 women out of a total of 225 artists, representing an increase of over 20 percent. While it is important to note the numerical increase of women artists in the collection—because this can be merely a quantitative figure—it is crucial to highlight the network that has made it possible, and the efforts that have been made to facilitate it. In the early months of 2017, the Women in the Arts program was conceived, driven by the tireless work of María Baños—Leonardo Rodríguez's life partner—with the purpose of exclusively showcasing art produced by women artists and facilitating the inclusion of new voices in the collection. From the very beginning, the program received the support and attention of important figures in the local culture, such as Carol Damian, Francine Birbragher-Rozencwaig, Janet Batet, Gabriela Azcuy, Hortensia Montero, and Isabel M. Pérez, among many others. These curators, specialists, and art historians who advocate for many of these artists, capturing every detail of their narratives, have managed to put them on the map of contemporary art in the state of Florida and, in some cases, throughout the United States.
Therefore, on March 10 of that same year, 2017, Kendall Art Center presented to the public "Poems," a set of three simultaneous exhibitions that marked the official launch of its Program. "Blooming" featured a solo exhibition by Lisyanet Rodríguez (1987), "Fugacious" paid tribute to Gina Pellón with five of her own pieces accompanied by works from Ana María Sarlat, Ivonne Ferrer, and Laura Luna, and "Being" showcased a joint exhibition by Sandra Ramos and Ana Albertina Delgado. Although none of the three exhibitions pursued intentional feminist positions, they shared with the audience an intimate communion of gender-related discourses with a high poetic charge.
One year later, in August 2018, also within the Women in the Art program, three exhibitions were inaugurated: "Captivity Forces" by Milena Martínez Pedrosa, curated by Odette Artiles; "Intersectionality" by Angela Alés; and "Broken Roots" by Aimée Pérez. In the beginning of 2019, on January 25, "Art Attack" by Ivonne Ferrer opened as a solo exhibition, followed by the public presentation of Zaida del Río's work in "Amber Resin" on June 21, featuring the artist who resides in Cuba.
In May 2020, the book "Women Artists in the Rodriguez Collection" was presented alongside an exhibition showcasing the works of 21 artists, 18 of whom were actively practicing at that time. Simultaneously, two other solo exhibitions were opened: "Monumental" by Lia Galletti and "Dressed of Waters" by Gina Pellón. In January 2021, Kendall Art Center presented its program with another group exhibition at the Edward E. and Jane B. Ford Gallery, located within The Museum of Arts & Sciences (MOAS) in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In March 2022, Kendall Art Center presented the third installment of its program by inviting Cuban artist Gladys Triana, who resides in New York. In November, as part of the inaugural ceremony of the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas, the center showcased "Subverting Materials," an exhibition curated by Francine Birbragher-Rozencwaig in collaboration with the Miami Fiber Artists Association (FAMA) and World Textile Art (WTA). This exhibition, featuring the works of nine artists, was part of several textile art exhibitions and installations in Miami during the months of November and October under the title "Threading the City," sponsored by the Florida Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Once again, in March 2023, the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas paid tribute to Cuban artist Carmen Herrera in a group exhibition featuring 26 women artists residing in both Cuba and the United States. The majority of their artworks became part of the museum's permanent collection.
At present, the third book documenting these experiences and updating the new additions to their roster is undergoing the editing process.
"Exaggerations of History" is a compelling collection of 101 miniature portrait paintings of female artists spanning from the 12th to the 20th centuries, each coupled with an embedded Augmented Reality (AR) experience. Via an app-enabled AR journey, viewers are privy to a video narrative that vividly brings to life the biography and creative trajectory of each artist. A salient goal of this series is to affirm the significant role of women in the arts from the outset. Apia views this omission in historical records as a profound distortion of history. The artists selected for this compilation were pivotal during their eras but were conspicuously absent from scholarly texts, effectively leaving successive generations bereft of a full historical narrative.
On the afternoon of Friday, March 15, in a meaningful commemoration of Women's History Month and under the auspices of the Women in the Arts program, the American Heartbeats collective exhibition was inaugurated with great anticipation. This exhibition serves as a vibrant showcase for the works of a carefully selected group of women artists who have garnered substantial recognition within the dynamic cultural scene of South Florida. Embracing an open theme that focuses on displaying their latest artistic endeavors, the exhibition presented an eclectic array of pieces from artists hailing from various corners of Latin America.
For Gabriela, painting is a therapeutic endeavor. Often, we encounter emotions that elude verbal articulation, especially feelings determined by nebulous sensations. Yet, these emotions flow seamlessly through the boundless spectrum of hues and gestures. Gabriela dreams, allowing her visions to manifest directly onto the canvas; her strokes dream with her, melding into a singular creative entity. From the canvas emanates a palpable aura of opulence and empowerment. The flourish of her brushwork is not one of timidity, but of audacity. Her palette consistently challenges conventions, rejoicing in genuine primary colors. She regards her abilities as a transcendent power.
In recent years, Cirenaica Moreira has frequently delved into the realm of performance art. Since the 90s, Moreira has focused —through the representation of her own body— on challenging the political discourse expressed as yet another projection of toxic masculinity. She analyzes the female body from the perspectives of sexuality, gender, and race. Much of her work as a photographer transports us to dreamlike or unreal contexts where the subject has evolved at its own pace, untouched by the haste and agitation of 'becoming'. Cirenaica's models simply 'are'. On this occasion, the audience's participation was not merely an aspect, but a cornerstone.
