Maria Rivas Named Official Artist for 14th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards

Painter and visual artist Maria Rivas has been named the official artist for the 14th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards , it was announced today by The Latin Recording Academy . Rivas' artwork will be proudly used as the official image for the world's premier Latin music event and will be the featured artwork on this year's invitations, show tickets, poster, program book, and other important applications. The commissioned piece was unveiled today in Los Angeles at a press conference announcing this year's Latin GRAMMY nominees. For breaking news and exclusive content, join The Latin Recording Academy's social networks as a follower on Twitter and as a fan on Facebook.

"Each year we look forward to sharing and introducing a respected artist from the Latin community whose work captures the exuberance that Latin music embodies along with our organization's commitment to creative expression." said Gabriel Abaroa Jr., President/CEO of The Latin Recording Academy. "Without a doubt, the image Maria Rivas, herself a musician and composer, has created exemplifies the intriguing synergy that the Latin GRAMMYs strive to convey each year. Her multidimensional presentation, the hues of the color palette and the use of her transformative imagery from musical instrument into a human figure truly evoke the beauty and magic that surrounds Latin culture and its music."

Hailing from Venezuela and currently residing between Spain and Florida, Rivas is a celebrated international recording artist, composer, painter, and visual artist. From a young age, she displayed a great talent in the mediums of painting, plastic arts, graphic and fashion design, illustration, and oil and acrylic work. Rivas' refined abilities have allowed her to create a signature artistic style she refers to as "curvismo," which reflects her musical subject in a visual flexible way. Rivas' latest series titled "American Jazz Greats," features interpretations on canvas of some of jazz music's most influential artists, such as Chet Baker, MiLes Davis and Nina Simone. Her work is exhibited in galleries and museums around the world and is in the collections of private art aficionados. Rivas' musical career has spanned more than 30 years, and 10 albums, including the extremely popular and successful album Manduco (1992) among them. She has headlined concerts in Latin and North America, Europe and Asia as well as performed at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival. Rivas has received numerous artistic awards and recognitions for her musical accomplishments as well as for her environmental and humanitarian efforts, including being credited for helping popularize the recycling movement in her native Venezuela.

The 14th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be broadcast live on the Univision Network on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. For more information, please visit www.latingrammy.com.

The Latin Recording Academy is an international, membership-based organization comprised of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking recording artists, musicians, songwriters, producers and other creative and technical recording professionals. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and cultural condition for Latin music and its makers. In addition to producing the Latin GRAMMY Awards to honor excellence in the recorded arts and sciences, The Latin Recording Academy provides educational and outreach programs for the Latin music community. For more information about The Latin Recording Academy, please visit LatinGRAMMY.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @LatinGRAMMYs on Twitter, like "Latin GRAMMYs" on Facebook , and join the Latin GRAMMYs' social communities on Foursquare, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and YouTube.

SOURCE The Latin Recording Academy