These photos and drawings depict Cuban people, architecture, and landscapes. Like a “montuno” section of Afro-Cuban music with its calls and responses, the call of Cuba has inspired visual responses by the artists. “We hope to awaken the senses and open minds to realities that are a mere 90 miles from our shores,” Hirsch says.

Melanie Stetson Freeman is a Senior Staff Photographer for the Christian Science Monitor. Since 1985 she has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and to more than 50 countries overseas for news and feature photo projects. “As I travel around a country, I search for the images I will keep: the faces that reflect the soul of that country, the colors and textures of their land. Cubans love to be photographed, which made my job a joy," she explains.

Roz Grunmann captures the flora and fauna of Cuba with charcoal and country. “The energy that I want to express if often found in observing the movement of the wind, whether it is across the mesas of Utah or jungles of Cuba….Doing work about Cuba has new opportunities for experimenting and creating new dimensions to my work.”

Ilene Perlman is a freelance photographer who has worked on many overseas assignments for organizations and whose photographs have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers and annual reports. “My photographs...portray the endurance of the [Cuban] Jewish community struggling within the context of a changing country. I hope the images help to convey the character of a warm and inviting people.”

Linda Hirsch, the Curator, is a photographer, photo-journalist, and psychologist whose works have appeared locally, nationally, and internationally and she is active in numerous arts and human rights groups. According to Linda, “the [Cuban] way of living is very fluid and improvisational, the people resemble an extension of the ‘conjunto’ form of Cuban orchestra, comprised of a rich mix of instruments playing poly-rhythms.”

Directions to TCAN, Gallery hours, and performance information are available by calling 508-647-0097 or at www.natickarts.org. The art is in the same venue as the performances and can also be enjoyed while attending these events. Press Contact: Cheryl Litster, 508-647-0179, cheryll@natickarts.org