The Beauty and Inspiration of CUBA

“CUBA: The Natural Beauty – The Photographic Expeditions of Clyde Butcher”
Experience the natural beauty of Clyde Butcher through his iconic black and white monumental photographs.

“El Arte: Echoes of Cuba”
Experience Cuba as inspired by 19 local Tampa Bay artists.

Location
Clearwater Public Library Main Branch – CLOSED
100 N Osceola Avenue in Downtown Clearwater, FL

decorative image of pink paint decorative image of orange paint

The Exhibit

Commissioned by the United Nations to create a portfolio of the mountainous lands of Cuba, Clyde Butcher set out on three week-long expeditions into unfamiliar lands. He explored the island country’s varied geographic regions, from the Sierra Maestra Mountains in Cuba’s eastern Granma province, to the southern coast between Manzananilo and Santiago de Cuba. He ventured to places including Baracoa in the northeast, the southern waterfalls of the Serra de San Juan, and the mogotes of the west in the Piña del Rio region.

While taking photographs for the Conference for the Sustainable Habitat of the Mountains, Clyde thought about being part of an event changing history for the better, and enthusiastically saw an opportunity to make a positive difference. His photography transcends political boundaries, challenging us to work together to protect natural places across the globe.

“I look forward to returning to Clearwater and sharing my journey through the captivating natural landscapes of Cuba. Join along and experience the presence with my exhibit, Cuba: The Natural Beauty.” – Clyde Butcher.

About Clyde

Celebrated for his high level of artistic and technical achievement, Clyde Butcher is regarded as our country’s foremost landscape photographer of the 21st century. Using a large-format 8×10″ and 11×14″ view camera, he captures images in black and white of unparalleled beauty and clarity that are recognized and exhibited in museums nationally and around the world.

His work has been honored with many prestigious awards and has been the subject of various news and PBS programs, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Nature Photography Association, the Ansel Adams Award from the Sierra Club, the Florida Artist Hall of Fame Award, which is the highest honor presented to a private citizen in Florida, and the Distinguished Artist Award from the Florida House in Washington DC. In addition, he has been named “Top 100 Most Influential Floridians” by Florida Trend and been included in “Who will be the next Ansel Adams” by Popular Photography Magazine.

For more than 50 years, Butcher has traveled extensively across the United States and abroad to capture the diversity and beauty of nature on black and white film.

El Arte: Echoes of Cuba

El Arte: Echoes of Cuba” showcases the art of Cuban emigres as well as Cuban American artists and other Tampa Bay artists. Featuring 19 artists spanning 6 decades the exhibit includes paintings in oil, pastel, ink, acrylic, as well as photography and sculpture.

 

Displayed Images

To the left: Wisdom by Pedro Hernandez
Below: Ybor City by Patricia Kluwe Derderian

Past Events

Lecture – “CUBA: The Natural Beauty – Nature Has No Borders”
The United Nations declared 2002 as “The Year of the Mountains.” Cuba hosted the conference inviting conservationists from across the Americas and Caribbean region to meet. The coordinator of the UN programs in Cuba invited Clyde Butcher to create a portfolio of the mountainous lands of Cuba; Clyde set out on three week-long expeditions into unfamiliar lands.

This presentation Clyde will discuss his sense of dedication to use his art form, photography to show people that there is a unity between all undisturbed natural places, whether a peak of a mountain range in Cuba, the wetlands where water covers the soil, or a streambed in an urban watershed. Clyde’s work is important aesthetically, and it is his hope that it will provide a vital tool for energizing efforts to preserve wilderness and wildlife habitat.

Wednesday, August 16 at 7:00 pm | The Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre