Artist Talk with Artist-in-Residence Orlando Almanza
October 28, 2022 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Griswold House, Newport Art Museum
For over two centuries, Newport has attracted influential artists, artisans, writers, architects and designers who were inspired by the natural beauty of this oceanfront community. The Newport Art Museum artist residency, AiR/Newport, is designed to encourage the creative, intellectual and personal growth of emerging and established visual artists and designers by giving them the time, space, and solitude needed to create, apart from the daily demands of production and deadline.
After a two-year postponement due to the global health pandemic, the Newport Art Museum has welcomed its third 2022 Artist in Residence, Orlando Almanza!
Join our Artist Talk to hear directly from Orlando and see what was created during his residency.
Free. RSVP appreciated.
Talk will take place IN PERSON only.
About the Artist
Orlando Almanza (b.1989, Las Tunas, Cuba) pulls us into his dreamworld of memory, myth and loss with ethereal landscapes, portraits and storytelling. His stories take place in the natural world where figures are intertwined with plants, animals and light. The interconnectedness of his work points to the artist's deep dedication to nature, and the unique way it connects with myths and storytelling across cultures. Each painting invites us in, to search for meaning and truth. Almanza received his B.A. in printmaking from the Institute of Superior Arts in Havana, Cuba.
In 2022, Almanza presented a solo exhibition titled “Born by the River'' at Soapbox Arts Gallery in Burlington, Vermont as well as a solo exhibition titled “Un Laberinto en el Estómago de un Cocodrilo” (A labyrinth in the stomach of a crocodile) at ONA Galeria in Havana, Cuba. These exhibitions focused on the myths from the artist's childhood, growing up in the Cuban countryside. Recent honors include an Artist Residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and the addition of one of Almanza’s works to The Hood Museum at Dartmouth College collection. He currently works and resides in Portland, OR and Havana, Cuba.
Our AiR/Newport initiative is possible thanks to the generosity of several donors, including the Bay View Foundation, Cynthia Sinclair, EJMP Fund for Philanthropy, the Sand Foundation, and Roseanne Williams. Moreover, a Cultural Facilities grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts funded an upgraded AiR studio space in our Museum School, as well improvements to our artist residency studio apartment within our historic John N.A. Griswold House.