A selection of ceramic plates from the Fine Arts Ceramic Center collection—affiliated with the Museum of Contemporary Arts of the Americas—was displayed in one of the rooms at Pinecrest Gardens, Florida, also known as the historic district of Parrot Jungle, located in Pinecrest, Florida. This installation has been registered as a Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places since October 17, 2011.
The event, part of the Art in the Garden series, showcased original ceramic plates crafted by renowned Cuban artists such as José Bedia, Lia Galleti, Ciro Quintana, Néstor Arenas, Aymée García, among others. A total of 108 plates, produced in the workshops of the Fine Arts Ceramic Center, were meticulously selected by the artist, curator, and cultural promoter Carola Bravo from the hARTtvest project specifically for this occasion. Each piece is a unique masterpiece that invites us to explore the rich culture and vibrant creativity of Cuban art.
The Fine Arts Ceramic Center was established by Leonardo Rodríguez, founder and president of the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Americas, during the COVID pandemic to promote the use of ceramic techniques among Cuban artists in his collection—the Rodríguez Collection—and to generate clear small-scale sales opportunities in the face of economic uncertainty. Rodríguez then invited a diverse group of creators, who primarily work on canvas, to translate their art into this new medium, aiming to preserve traditional ceramic practices for current and future generations. This initiative quickly attracted dozens of artists, resulting in the production of over a hundred original plates.
This effort naturally led to the first exhibition titled "Fine Arts on the Plate," inaugurated on November 27, 2020, which can now be considered the founding event of the Fine Arts Ceramic Center. Renowned curator and specialist Carol Damian stated that this exhibition "marked a continuation of the Cuban ceramic traditions achieved by several artists at different stages of their careers and levels of experience," and that they "used ceramics to continue their personal aesthetics and style, integrating their natural expression with the new circular supports."
The inaugural event of Artist Set the Table featured opening remarks by Cristina Blanco, Executive Director of Pinecrest Gardens, Ivonne Ferrer, artist and director of the Fine Arts Ceramic Center, and Jorge Rodríguez (R10), artist and director of MoCA-Americas Kendall, attended by prominent Latin American artists and curators based in South Florida. Initially set to close on March 31, the exhibition was extended through the month of April due to significant interest from regular visitors.
