Julio César Pérez Moracén

March 17–April 15, 2017

Tempus Projects hosted acclaimed Cuban sculptor Julio César Pérez Moracén in its artist-in-residence program. This was the first in a series of artist exchanges between Tempus and the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Arts in Havana, Cuba.

In April 2016, a small group of Tempus board members, donors, and volunteers traveled to Havana to visit the San Alejandro Academy of Fine Art (Cuba’s National Academy of Art) to establish connections with the director of the Academy, Sandra Fuentes Guevara, her faculty, and to tour the school’s facilities. The Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes "San Alejandro" is the oldest and most prestigious fine arts school in Cuba, originally founded in 1818 under the Spanish Monarchy. Today, the school is one of seven institutions under the Cuban Ministry of Culture dedicated to the study of the arts and continues to be considered a politically and culturally important entity. The school is founded on the belief that all citizens should have access to art and, as per Director Sandra Fuentes, “if there is a talent, we have a responsibility to train.”

The goal of this endeavor is to foster partnerships within our communities while also promoting cultural study and diversity. With Tampa’s history so deeply entrenched in Cuban culture, this project opens an important dialogue for further cultural and artistic exchange.

Julio César Pérez Moracén was born in Santiago de Cuba in 1963. He graduated with a degree in Sculpture and Drawing from the José Joaquín Tejada School of Visual Arts in Santiago de Cuba in 1983, and in 1991 graduated from the University of Oriente in Santiago de Cuba with a degree in art history. Currently he serves as Vice- Chairman of the Advisory Council for the Development of Environmental and Monumental Sculpture in Havana Province, and is a professor of sculpture at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes "San Alejandro" in Havana.