Posted in Arts & Culture, tagged Art, culture, Edgar Ace Gallery, entertainment, florida, latin american culture, Maracaibo, Miami, Nestor Paz, painting, sculpture, Textures of the Soul, venezuela, Venezuelan artists, Venezuelan culture, Zulia on January 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you’re in the Miami area this Saturday, check out an exhibit by Nestor Paz called “Textures of the Soul” at the Edgar Ace Gallery. Above is one of his canvasses entitled El Venus en la cama (Venus in bed).
Paz is a native of Venezuela, and has been an artist since early childhood. He studied painting and sculpture at the Conservatoria Cultural de Zulia and graduated from the Universidad Cecilio Acosta in the city of Maracaibo.
The exhibit is noted today in a Miami Herald blog.
Posted in Arts & Culture, tagged arepa, cachapa, cheese, cuisine, florida, food, Indigenous, latin america, recipe, South America, venezuela, Venezuelan cuisine, Venezuelan culture, Venezuelan food, venezuelan traditions on December 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Thanks to the Miami Herald today, we have a lesson in how to make the Venezuelan dish called the cachapa. This is a savory pancake made of corn that is eaten with mild white cheese and makes a tasty snack. The recipe that appears in the Herald is from the book The South American Table.
In Venezuela, the best cachapas are usually grilled to a golden brown on a large, flat budare like the one pictured here.
The cachapa is said to come from Venezuela’s indigenous heritage, particularly in the interior of the country. Corn was an important staple food for many Native American communities.
It is also the main ingredient in another Venezuelan snack that remains popular today; the singular arepa.
Posted in Society & Politics, tagged Cuba, education, florida, History, justice, latin america, Latin American history, Luis Posada Carriles, National Lawyer's Guild, New York, Posada Carriles, Terrorism, venezuela on October 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
On October 6, 1976, 73 people were killed in the bombing of Cubana Airlines flight 455. To mark the 22nd anniversary of this tragic loss of life, the New York University chapter of the National Lawyer’s Guild staged a tribunal of the man accused of this and other acts of terrorism. Luis Posada Carriles, a former CIA agent and current Miami resident, is wanted in several countries including Venezuela.
“Hopefully people will listen to this, and there will be more discussion about it,” said a student who watched the tribunal.
You be the judge:
Read coverage of the NYU event here and listen to historical evidence presented at the trial by Jane Franklin (about 32 minutes into this recording). If you want to read more, check out this L.A. Times editorial. Use the comments section to tell us what you think.
Posted in Arts & Culture, tagged beatles, florida, george harrison, natural beauty, Nature, patty boyd, Travel, venezuela, Venezuela tourism on August 15, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Patty Boyd is the latest star to align herself with Venezuela.
In an interview, the former girlfriend of George Harrison and Eric Clapton told the Orlando Sun-Sentinel that Venezuela is her favorite place to visit of anywhere in the world.
“It’s gorgeous — the ever-changing terrain, mountains, valleys, vast waterfalls, rain forests, jungles and flat endless plains,” Boyd says.
She also remarks, “I found Venezuelans to be happy and charming people.”
It’s true — Venezuela is worth visiting for charm of its citizens as much as for its natural beauties. If you want ideas for where to go in Venezuela, visit our Travel Section.
Posted in Arts & Culture, tagged artists, birds, culture, florida, Francisco Sheuat, venezuela, Venezuelan Art, Venezuelan culture on July 15, 2008 |
A Venezuelan-born artist living in Florida was profiled in the Miami Herald over the weekend.
Francisco Sheuat, who owns an art gallery, is making his name in Fort Lauderdale by creating colorful papier-mache replicas of pink flamingos. Embellished with paint or mosaic, each is unique and beautiful. One looks like a motorcycle rider, another features an antique map of the Bahamas.
Sheuat embraces other mediums, too, like the traditional flat canvas. A common theme among all of his work is birds — not surprising for a man whose home country continues to inspire him. Venezuela boasts over 1,300 species of birds, and the country is known among travelers as a haven for birdwatching.
Posted in Arts & Culture, Sports, tagged cultural events, culture, dominoes, florida, games, latin america, latin american culture, sports in venezuela, venezuela, Venezuelan culture, Venezuelan History on July 8, 2008 |
In Venezuela, dominoes are considered a sport. This is according the Orlando Sentinel, which reports today that Disney World is hosting the 6th Annual Domino World Championship this week to determine the top tiles player.
The head of the International Domino Federation, which organizes the event, is a Venezuelan man named Lucas Guittard. Many others involved also hail from Venezuela.
It is no coincidence, for the game is well-loved throughout the country, from Caracas to Canaima. Players often take it seriously, whether they compete in official matches or simply while sipping rum with friends.
This week’s world domino competition will be filmed by ESPN Deportes and aired later this summer. In the meantime, read this article from the New York Times about how dominoes are played in Haiti.
Posted in Arts & Culture, tagged Art, caracas, culture, florida, History, latin american culture, Latin American history, Travel, Venezuelan History, venezuelan independence, venezuelan traditions on June 27, 2008 |
Venezuelans know their history. This fact is emphasized in a Florida Times-Union column today that describes a guided visit to a mural in Caracas that depicts many aspects of the past. The author was hosted by Global Exchange, which does “reality tours” in Latin America.
Here is an excerpt: “It begins with pictures of its original inhabitants, the Arawak, Carib and Chibcha Indians, to depictions of Spanish conquistadors and African slaves. There were depictions of icons like Simon Bolivar, who led Venezuela in gaining its independence from Spain, as well as scenes of poverty and other modern day challenges. … What got to me, though, was how the art drew so many people off the streets and into a conversation.”
Does the mural sound familiar? It can be seen outside of the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas. Or just look closer — its beautiful imagery is pictured on the header of this blog.
Posted in Nature & Environment, tagged cattleya, easter orchid, flor de mayo, florida, flowers, natural beauty, Nature, orchids, venezuela, venezuela festivals, Venezuela nature on May 22, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The orchid is Venezuela’s national flower. It’s no surprise, then, that the country was well represented at the Redland Orchid Festival in South Florida this week. Seasoned growers of these perennial plants hailed from Caracas and Maracay.
The Miami Herald quoted Alexis Pardo, the Maracay horticulturist, as saying: “This is a wonderful festival, both for the collaborations and interchange between growers and the good prices everyone gets for the plants.”
There are an astounding 22,000 known species of orchids in the world. Venezuela’s prized flower is the Easter Orchid or Flor de Mayo, like the one pictured here. The festival also included varities from Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand.
Posted in Arts & Culture, tagged chocolate, florida, Travel, venezuela on February 14, 2008 |
Did you know that Venezuela produces some of the best organic chocolate in the world?
To sample high-quality truffles, bon bons, or any other chocolate confection your sweetheart’s heart desires, you could visit Chuao Chocolatier, the Florida-based shop featured in the Miami Herald.
Or instead, visit our travel section to find out how you can see Venezuelan chocolate being grown, harvested, and roasted firsthand.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
