by Christy Rodriguez de Conte
This Hispanic Heritage Month exhibition Cultura Tallahassee gathers to collectively celebrate Latinx culture and creativity with exhibits at Leon County libraries through Oct. 15.
Cultivating multi-cultural conversations
Ninety miles south of the United State’s most southern point floats an island filled with music and art, encapsulated by the most glistening white sand beaches in the Caribbean.
From the beaches of Varadero and the mountains of Matanza to the bustling city of Havana, Cuba holds a topographical beauty that is only matched by its celebrated culture. Like many Caribbean and South American Latinx countries, Cuba’s history is riddled with political complexities and an exile of its people, many of whom were artists.
But their historical loss is our cultural gain. Amidst Cuba’s initial political turmoil in the 1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson enacted a Hispanic Heritage Week Act, to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of new Latinx immigrants whose lives and legacies would soon intertwine with those of natural-born Americans. In 1988, President Ronal Regan extended Hispanic Heritage Week into National Hispanic Heritage Month, lasting from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
For this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, Tallahassee artists, along with the Leon County libraries, are delighted to celebrate the Latinx community through the exhibition Cultura Tallahassee: La Belleza de nuestra Herencia. The “herencia” or inheritance shared through these artists includes personal stories and testimonials conveyed/told through their deeply moving artwork.
For one artist whose work is shown at this year’s Cultura Tallahassee, Sal Guastella, a love of democracy and the freedom to live without constant government control is what he has inherited from this country. Guastella was born in Havana, Cuba in 1950. He and his family immigrated to the United States a mere nine years later, at the dawn of the Cuban revolution in search of political asylum from Castro’s authoritarian regime.
Although Guastella left his majestic homeland behind, the beauties it possessed were never too far away. As a young artist, Guastella immersed himself in comic books and cartoons. He turned to the courageous and innovative works of Walt Disney, Picasso, Red Groom, and Andy Warhol for inspiration. He carried the vibrant colors and entrancing energy of his culture into his early murals and sculptural paintings.
Guastella went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami. His pieces combine cardboard, wood, paint, and other materials to create a three-dimensional painting that feels as if it will jump off the canvas. The use of multiple materials in a layering process produces a simultaneous layered experience of emotion by the viewer when witnessing Guastella’s work.
In 1991, Guastella shifted his storytelling medium from painting and culture to language and education. He closed his studio and followed his passion for teaching. This pivot brought him to Tallahassee, a place that combined nature’s beauty with political and environmental statements. He received a master’s degree in teaching foreign languages from Florida State University (FSU) and for practically two decades, he served as a language teacher at FSU.
Since retiring, Guastellas has returned to his art in full force and a fluid process. “The work most of the time, has a life of its own and it will take me in directions that I have not planned but nevertheless, embrace,” Guastella said. “I enjoy the process of creating as it is the adventure and not the destination.”
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