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For
Immediate Release
THE VIP OPENING RECEPTION
for ¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz May 16, 2007 6:30-10:00PM Miami Beach - (May 17, 2007) – Over 1,000 people including civic leaders, dignitaries, museum members and celebrities attended the VIP reception at the Bass Museum of Art for the highly anticipated exhibition ¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz. A number of television stations, including Telemundo 51 and NBC 6, broadcasted live from the event and interviewed Latin celebrities such as Cuban salsa star Willy Chirino, Lissette, mambo great Cachao, and Venezuelan salsa star Oscar D’León. Alexis Rodriguez-Duarte, a renowned photographer who documented the life of Celia and her husband for several years, was also present. Gladys Becquer expressed her enthusiasm for the exhibition and celebration honoring her sister, who touched the spirit of millions of people worldwide through the art of singing. Omer Pardillo-Cid, Cruz’s former manager and founder of the Celia Cruz Foundation, was also present to pay tribute to the Queen of Salsa. Diane Camber, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Bass Museum of Art, welcomed Bass Museum Members, government officials, celebrities and special guests who were on-hand to pay tribute to the Queen of Salsa. Ms. Camber expressed her gratitude to the organizer of the exhibition, The National Museum of American History, and national sponsor Morgan Stanley. Ms. Camber thanked The Latino Center for their involvement and sponsorship of the June 30 Family Fun Day at the museum. The local sponsors that include Miccosukee Resort & Gaming, Eventus and its partners, were also thanked for their generosity and commitment to making the exhibition and event a success. The exhibition, curated by Marvette Perez, is comprised of photographs of Celia Cruz from her early days with La Sonora Matancera in Cuba through the 1990s, film footage from various stages in her career, music videos, and an array of memorabilia, including costumes, shoes, and items from her childhood. Pedro Knight’s trumpet is on view, as well as Celia Cruz and Pedro Knights’ 1962 marriage license from the state of Connecticut. The exhibition ¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz opened at the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., and traveled to Los Angeles. It is now on view at the Bass Museum of Art through August 19, 2007, and will travel to San Antonio Texas and New York. ¡Azúcar! The Life and Music of Celia Cruz has been organized by the National Museum of American History and has been made possible by National Sponsor Morgan Stanley with additional support from the Smithsonian Latino Center. Marvette Perez is the curator of Latino History and Culture at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, and an anthropologist by training. For the past sixteen years, Perez has collected, researched, published, lectured, and developed programs related to Latinos in the United States as well as other Latin American and Caribbean countries. The Bass Museum of Art gratefully acknowledges the support of the following sponsors for the VIP reception. EVENTUS TELEMUNDO 51 NBC 6 MICCOSUKEE RESORT & GAMING THE CELIA CRUZ FOUNDATION HEINEKEN ELASTIC PEOPLE HUMANA NUPRESS BVI COMMUNICATIONS, INC Photo Gallery of the VIP Reception
Bass Museum of Art The Bass Museum of Art receives both public and private general operating funding. Major support comes from the City of Miami Beach, with the support of the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Miami Beach and Friends of the Bass Museum, Inc. This project is also supported by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts; and the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program and Cultural Arts Council. |
