“VIVA Fort Lauderdale: Celebrating Hispanic Art and Culture” lives up to its name with a vibrant multicultural art exhibit running at History Fort Lauderdale.
The third annual event opens on Thursday, Sept. 19 with a free preview and meet and greet with the artists and runs through Tuesday, Oct. 15. It features mixed media works from local artists Leonardo Montoya, Lifrancis Rojas, Isabel Perez Salazar, and Florencia Clement de Grandprey.
The first-floor exhibition spans three rooms and aligns with the month long nationwide celebration of Hispanic Heritage, which began on Sunday, Sept. 15 and ends on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
While the use of vibrant colors and mixed materials is a throughline, each artist brings a unique perspective influenced by their Hispanic culture, according to Ellery Andrews, deputy director of History Fort Lauderdale.
“Walking into ‘VIVA Fort Lauderdale’ is impactful on your senses,” says Andrews. “No two pieces are the same. Everyone has their own style and their own flair, but they all complement each other so very well.”
For Montoya, a Colombian portrait artist living in Oakland Park, the diversity of the artists is fundamental to the exhibit.
“Diversity is what really identifies not only my work, but also all of us who are a part of this because we come from different countries, different backgrounds, and use different techniques and subjects in our work,” says Montoya. “Diversity is what makes us who we are. Being us and being original—I think that’s very important.”
Rojas, a Venezuelan visual artist who creates textured paintings on colorful surfaces using materials such as sand and thread, says that the exhibit gives people the chance to learn from four different artists.
“They have the experience to see different artworks and feel that they are there,” says Rojas, who lives in Weston. “It moves their emotions.”
Although “VIVA Fort Lauderdale” ties into the mission of History Fort Lauderdale, which is to bring history to life by sharing stories of Fort Lauderdale’s diverse community, Andrews says that the month-long exhibit is a departure from the exhibits usually featured throughout the year.
“As a history museum our focus is on telling the stories of Fort Lauderdale and Broward county’s past,” says Andrews. “Art exhibitions, like ‘VIVA Fort Lauderdale,’ let us showcase the cultures that make up our present-day community.”
Andrews says that while Florida has a rich Spanish history, this exhibit celebrates a growing and continuously rich Hispanic culture.
While the artists live in South Florida, each agree that their artwork is influenced by their Hispanic roots.
Figurative artist Clement de Grandprey, who creates portraits using different backgrounds and textures such as rugs, upholstery and fabric, says that her cultural identity often influences her work even if she isn’t always aware of it.
“For me there is no such thing as one identity, although Spain will always have an influence on my artwork,” says the Fort Lauderdale resident who was born in Spain to an American mother and French Italian father. “It’s always carrying your country of origin in your heart. And the colors, and things, like the architecture, have influenced my work.
She says that the use of color in her work is no doubt indicative of her Spanish heritage.
“It’s like, wow, I never really thought of it,” she says. “But it’s something that is just automatically included in my artwork. It bleeds through somehow.”
While each artist feels honored to be included in an event celebrating Hispanic art and culture, Perez Salazar also feels a sense of responsibility that comes with being included in the exhibit.
“I try to do my best every day,” says Perez Salazar. “I want to show that (as) Venezuelans we can do great things and show the colors and love for my country to my new country.”
Clement de Grandprey agrees.
“I have to put my best work up, because I’m proud of who I am, where I come from, and I want to represent as best as I can,” she says. “Above all, it’s an honor and a responsibility.”
For Coral Springs resident Perez Salazar, the move from Venezuela to the United States impacted her art in unexpected ways, including learning to stitch and working with fiber art.
“You have roots from your country, but then you absorb your new environment,” says Perez Salazar. “When I moved here I created an exhibit called ‘Between Two Lands’ that had the colors from my memory in my country, but in a new landscape. I started painting the Everglades with all kinds of colors and then stitching myself into my new environment.”
While the VIVA Fort Lauderdale exhibit only runs until Oct. 19, the museum also features an artists-in-residence year-round on the third floor. Six local artists, including Clement de Grandprey, use the studio space to create and display their work.
Andrews says that the space is open to visitors during museum hours.
“Anyone can go upstairs, take a tour with one of the artists and see them in action,” she says.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: “VIVA Fort Lauderdale: Celebrating Hispanic Art and Culture”
WHERE: History Fort Lauderdale, New River Inn, 231 SW Second Ave., Ft. Lauderdale
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 19 through Tuesday, Oct.15. A preview and free artists meet and greet is at 6 p.m.,
Thursday, Sept. 19. Registration is required here.
TICKETS: Self-guided tour is $10 adults, $7 seniors, $5 students; museum-guided tour is $15 adults, $12 seniors, $7 students, free for active and senior military members and children 6 years old and younger
INFORMATION: Call (954) 463-4431 or
https://historyfortlauderdale.org/
