LYNN — The walls of the Lynn Museum/LynnArts building are covered in pieces of art that celebrate the Latinx culture.
While they will remain in place for three more weeks, the installations were auctioned off for a worthy cause Saturday night, as part of the inaugural Latinx Heritage Month Charity Art Show, which featured five artists. It was organized by the Latino Support Network, a Lynn non-profit that serves the Latin American community and other immigrant communities in the city. Their mission is to promote socio-economic, cultural and civic integration and participation, said Executive Director Hugo Carvajal.
“Given we are in the middle of heritage month, we thought it was a good idea to get together a bunch of local Latino artists and create this space,” Carvajal said. “This was about making sure we take a stand and let the community know that we are here. We are bringing out our heritage through the eyes of the artists.”
Ramon Santiago, Polo Sierra, Sergio Gomez, Alberto Caraballo and Carlos Baret are the artists who showcased their art pieces in the Latino American Fusion exhibit. The proceeds from their auctioned off installations will go toward the non-profit’s educational programs.
“The reason we put fusion in the exhibit name is because the participating artists are from different Latin American countries,” said Carvajal.
Santiago, an 18-year Lynn resident and a native of the Dominican Republic, has seven pieces on display at the exhibit. A lot of his work is inspired by music, he said, and the others that depict illustrations of shoes are to honor Lynn’s history of shoe manufacturing.
“There are very few ways for us to show art in Lynn,” said Santiago, 48. “This is a good step in the right direction to show the creative talent that is hidden in the city itself.”
Visual art pieces weren’t the only creative outlets being enjoyed during the event. There were several live performances by the Guatemaya Folklorico dance group and from singer Joan Manual Baez and his family. Attendees sang and danced along throughout the event.
“There is so much we contribute to this country and art is one of the many ways we do that,” Carvajal said during his introductory speech.
Several guests were given citations from the city of Lynn at the event, two of which were the featured artists, Santiago and Gomez. They were honored for their work in representing the Latinx community through art. Three attendees, Rosemary Sargent, Virginia Leigh and Michelle Guzman, were surprised with Community Service Awards at the end of the night.
“It’s so beautiful to see the collaboration of different cultures and all the beautiful art here tonight,” said Master of Ceremonies Yonerky Santana. “This is my first multicultural art show in Lynn. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now.”
