Photos: Arena Stage Opens CUBAN SLUGGER Exhibit

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater will host "Cuban Slugger," an exhibition of Cuban artist Reynerio Tamayo. Coinciding with the All-Star Game at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., "Cuban Slugger" will be presented from July 11-29, 2018 in the main lobby at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater.

In collaboration with The Rodríguez Collection and the Caribbean Educational & Baseball Foundation (CEBF), Arena Stage is proud to present "Cuban Slugger," an exhibition of Cuban artist Reynerio Tamayo featuring over 35 pieces of art. Launched in July 2017, in conjunction with the All-Star Game in Miami, "Cuban Slugger" was shown at the Kendall Art Center, sponsored by The Rodríguez Collection and curated by Henry Ballate. This exhibition, which began at the Galería Habana in Cuba, continues its journey and will be presented, revised and updated at Arena Stage for art lovers, baseball fans and the public. "Cuban Slugger" is a beautiful tribute to great figures of baseball and is a journey through its history and the shared passion for the sport by both the U.S. and Cuba.

The exhibition is free and open to the public, and will be displayed during the world-premiere musical Dave at Arena Stage.

Reynerio Tamayo is an important contemporary caricaturist whose works transcend the genre to offer pointed and often comic commentary on art and politics in painting and sculpture. Tamayo is a heartfelt artist who is known for his mockery of the art establishment as well as politics, with athletes, comic book heroes, notorious gangsters and art historical icons serving as proxies to explore contemporary issues. Tamayo is also one of Cuba's truly accomplished hyper-realist painters. As fellow artist Gary Anuez notes: "In Tamayo's work there can be seen an authentic vivacity, a sort of celebration, expressed through baseball, through the transformation of a classic Cuban/American pastime into a symbol of transcendence."

"Cuban Slugger" is generously sponsored by Southwest Business Improvement District (SWBID).

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Director Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org

Photo Credit: Ryan Maxwell Photography