Art percolates throughout Cuba. It shows up on the streets. In alleys. On the veranda at the Nacional. Where live music is on nightly display. Until the wee hours of the morning. It is present in the poorest parts of town. In restaurants. Where the sound of guitars and maracas fills the air. And in more formal settings. Like museums. Art galleries. And schools.

One such place is The Cuban National Art School (Escuelas Nacionales de Arte). The national reservoir for Cuban talent. This is the place where young artists are identified. Nurtured. And developed.

On this very hot and humid summer day (not hotter or more humid than any other day!). We approach the gated entrance to the school. Beyond the gate. The property is immense. Acres and acres of closely mowed rolling lawns. This place was once a golf and country club. A place where rich Cubans separated themselves from the rest. We pass students heading to recitals and classes. In a few hundred yards we are under a canopied driveway. In front of one of several nondescript. Red brick buildings. From what I can see. Any remnants of country clubishness has been scraped away. What’s left is simple functionality. The floors are well worn marble. The windows could use some windex. The walls are plastered with class schedules. Upcoming recitals. Announcements. Inside is equally hot. Lights are kept to a minimum.

For the next 2 hours. We are led by the director of the school. She is 60ish. She moves with an air of comfortable arrogance. She is serious. Pointing out two domed buildings in the distance. We walk toward them. They house their visual arts program. These are the breasts. She tells us without a hint of irony. Or a smile. I hold back my smile. And play along. A few yards later we find ourselves standing in the middle of an open courtyard. The breasts right in front of us. At the center of this open space is a water fountain. Shaped like a clam shell. We call this the vagina courtyard. She adds. To complete the picture. She highlights one more feature. Look around. She says. These water spouts jetting from the gutters? These are penises.

I am left wondering if this is a Cuban thing? She is not kidding. I hold back my chuckle.

We move from one building to another. In one. We are witness to a world class pianist. A mere 2nd year student. In another. A jazz orchestra of 16 year olds. That gets us all tapping. And clapping. And yelling Encore! This is followed by a quartet that equally wows us. The lead teenage singer alone has enough talent to fill Carnegie Hall. We move past the music building down the road and into the breasted domes. They house art studios. Several rooms of visual arts. There are kilns. Piles of clay. buckets of brushes and paints. Large working tables and easels. Everywhere we turn. We are surrounded by beautiful pottery. Large paintings. Charcoal. Oils. Huge canvases. Tiny sculptures. Plates. Mugs. A visual and sensory feast indeed.

As the tour comes to an end. I had forgotten the heat and the humidity. I am satiated. Content. Inspired. And once again. Finding myself thinking: I can’t wait to come back.

PHOTO 2024 02 01 07 10 14

For Langston Hughes on His 123 Birthday

Speech given on February 1, 2024 in Havana, Cuba In 1927 Langston Hughes walked into a Cuba amid an emerging community of artists, intellectuals, and radicals.  He saw a “sunrise in a new land [– a day – in his words]sic – full of brownskin surprises, and hitherto unknown contacts in a world of color.”  … Continued

PALESTINE WEEK 1920 x 1080 px 2

Palestine Week 2024

January 18, 2024 – January 25, 2024 In keeping with our ongoing mission of uplifting racial and cultural connections, Busboys and Poets is hosting Palestine Week (January 18 through January 25, 2024). This week-long series of events will offer a diverse range of programming featuring Palestinian food, music, dance, poetry, discussions, and other enriching events. … Continued

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Home.Girl.Hood.

Busboys and Poets Book Review: Home.Girl.Hood.

There are rare literary moments when you can truly see an author shine beyond what they have set for you on the page. A sort of kinesthesia takes place as the characters and their stories move in such a compelling way that all five of your senses can’t help but be engaged and feel truly … Continued

CubaPic

1-2-3 ¡vamos! Busboys and Poets Trip To Havana 2024

Celebrating the 123rd Birthday of Langston Hughes REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS TRIP Join us for the Havana Jazz Festival and the unveiling of the Langston Hughes statue, sculpted by renowned Cuban artist Alberto Lescay and revealed by the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Alice Walker. The program will be filled with cultural encounters, meetings, colloquiums, … Continued

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Calling All Southeast DC Artists!

We’re amping up to open the doors of Busboys and Poets Anacostia and are seeking southeast DC resident artists for a mural or mural commission! Sound like something you’re interested in? Submit an email of interest along with five to seven sample images of your work to art@busboysandpoets.com by January 25, 2019. Artists will be … Continued