Uptown Notes

One of the great hopes for the Obama administration is a revised relationship to Cuba and her people. While for many this is about the advance of political ideologies or commerce, in reality it is as much if not more about people’s lives. When discussing Cuba and the United States questions of politics can loom large, but seldom are the voices of people the priority. Today, Pintando Postales opens at the Brooklyn College library and it is a rare opportunity to hear and see the world through children’s eyes in New York City and Santiago de Cuba! The work is a multi-year project executed by Katie Yamasaki, but more importantly it lifts the voices and worlds of school-aged children between New York City and Santiago de Cuba in correspondence. Ms. Yamasaki had children in New York City illustrate their worlds on postcards and then painted them holding their postcards. She then took these paintings to Santiago de Cuba and asked the children in attendance at the gallery to chose the child they felt most connected with and write a postcard in return and painted them as well. I got a chance to see a number of the paintings before the show opened and I was moved by their simplicity, beauty, power. The result is a moving dialogue between children across the Americas that really highlights the differences and similarities between cultures, religions, politics, and people. It’s truly a beautifully human exhibit, the show has an opening tonight from 5-7pm at the Brooklyn College Library, but will run through May 15th. It’s well worth the train ride, no matter where you’re coming from!

(click to enlarge image with details)