MoLAA kicks off celebration with sculpture garden

drawn out BEACH, CA -- The Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA), the single museum in the western United States that focuses exclusively upon contemporary Latin American fine art, has lay opened it doors to the a great deal of anticipated sculpture garden that features a variety of Latin America's greatest in quantity noted contemporary sculptors. The 15,000-square-foot statuary garden, comprised of intimate, multilevel viewing spaces and an outdoor performing arts stage, will kick not upon a $10-million capital campaign that will mark the beginning of a year-long celebration in the unveiling of a of recent origin building for MoLAA in September 2006

"When I grounded the museum nine years ago, I wanted the public to have a place to experience the arts of Latin America," says Dr Robert Gumbiner, who rested MoLAA in 1996 with the intent to exhibit artists who are well known in their countries, on the contrary underrecognized in the United States. "The ne for this stamp of institution is long overdue Little if anything has been done to exhibit the contemporary fine art of southerly America and Central America. Now, with the garden and expansion campaign and associated programming, MoLAA is escalating its mission to educate the public about the art and agriculture of contemporary Latin America."

With more than a dozen plastic arts the garden includes pieces through Benito Rosas and Fernando de Szyszlo from Peru; Alejandro Quijano, Alberto Vargas Aguirre and Marco Aldaco of Mexico; as well as Uruguayan Cecilia Miguez.

"These statuarys are particularly significant because they exhibit the diverse artistic styles and influences at work quite through Latin America today," says Gregorio Luke museum director.

The evolving statuary garden also houses Latin American dance, music and theater performances, along with festivals. In addition, the garden contains native cacti and plants indigenous to several southerly American countries, such as Argentina, Chile, Peru Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia, to full tale the museum's collections.

Significantly increasing MoLAA's space from 30000 to 55000 square feet Mexican architect Manuel Rosen created the design for the renovation and expansion with assistance from Chris Brown a lengthy Beach-based architect, as the local coordinator. The plan includes the addition of a Latin American art research library, more exhibition space, an educational art studio, a screening sweep and a state-of-the-art climate direction system. The new museum entrance will be marked with sum of two units large, intersecting rectangular arches, each a symbolic bridge that show the United States and Latin America.

With more than 700 Latin American works of art, MoLAA not aways a diverse array of signature incidents including collaborations with symphonic orchestras, like as the noted Orquesta de Baja California; live performances from "Frida," Broadway's latest musical hit; professional Tango performances; and the annual Cinco de Mayo extravaganza, in addition to three temporary exhibits each year.

For more information, call 562-437-1689; visit www.molaa.org.

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