NEW YORK CITY: The Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba presented the inaugural exhibit of the WE ARE YOU PROJECT from Sunday, March 18 to Saturday, May 5, 2012. This exhibition, developed by We Are You Project, represents the first comprehensive, coast-to-coast, artistic overview of the current state of Latino socio-cultural, political, and economic conditions in the 21st Century.

These express conditions are reflected in paintings and prints by thirty-five prominent, contemporary Hispanic artists whose trans-cultural and pan-Latino-heritage can be traced to many and diverse Ibero-American traditions, including Mexico, Puerto-Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and Spain and Portugal. Most importantly, each artist or their families have experienced the perspective of being an immigrant, refugee, a migrant, expatriate, or nomad, who gratefully found a new home in the United States, and where over the course of years, they have attained professional success by expressing both their vision and unique personal story. The exhibiting artists of the We Are You Project inaugural exhibition included: José Acosta, Efren Alvarez, Nelson Alvarez, Willie Báez, Josephine Barreiro, Hugo X. Bastidas, Mónica S. Camin, Priscila De Carvalho, Jacqui Casale, Gerardo Castro, Pablo Caviedes, Carlos Chávez, William Coronado, Maritza Dávila, Rosario D'Rivera, Fernando Goldoni, Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, Roberto Márquez, Raphael Montañez Ortíz, Hugo Morales, Lisette Morel, Gabriel Navar, Julio Nazario, Jimmy Peña, Joe Peña, Duda Penteado, Mel Ramos, Rolando Reyna, Jesús Rivera, José Rodeiro, Marta Sánchez, Sergio Villamizar and Raúl Villarreal.

At the Opening Reception, introductions to the We Are You Project premiere exhibition were made by Dr. Carlos Hernández, President, New Jersey City University, as well as Mr. Mario Tapia, President of the Latino Center on Aging in New York City. Additionally, Hiram Colón, the composer of the music and lyrics for the We Are You theme-song, performed in collaboration with singer Sophia Angélica, of the Dora the Explorer television show. There was a We Are You Project Poetry Reading on April 7 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm. The exhibit, Opening Reception and other events were free and opened to the public.

Opening Reception: Sunday, March 18, 3:00 - 6:00 pm
Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 6 pm
Gallery Location: 219 East 2nd Street at Avenue B

 

WE ARE YOU PROJECT INTERNATIONAL INAUGURAL EXHIBIT

at the Wilmer Jennings gallery in New York City

Dr. Carlos Hernandez addresses the crowd

Among the many people attending the inaugural reception we see renown artist Ben Jones.