In 1961, three young, visionary architects were commissioned by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to create Cuba's National Art Schools on the grounds of a former golf course in Havana. Construction of their radical designs began immediately, and the school's first classes soon followed. Dancers, musicians, and artists from all over the country reveled in the beauty of the schools, but as the dream of the Revolution quickly became a reality, construction was abruptly halted and the architects and their designs were deemed irrelevant in the prevailing political climate. Forty years later the schools are in use, but remain unfinished and decaying. Castro has invited the exiled architects back to finish their unrealized dream.
Unfinished Spaces features intimate footage of Fidel Castro, showing his devotion to creating a worldwide showcase for art, and it also documents the struggle and passion of three revolutionary artists.
6:00–6:10 p.m.
Introduction from Curator Barry Bergdoll
6:10–7:30 p.m.
Screening
7:30–8:00 p.m.
Discussion with the filmmakers, Alysa Nahmias, and Benjamin Murray
8:00–9:00 p.m.
Reception
This program is presented by The Museum of Modern Art. The film screening is free, and seating is first come, first served. To reserve a space, please e-mail [email protected].
Unfinished Spaces. 2011. USA. Directed by Alysa Nahmias, Benjamin Murray
Cinematography by Benjamin Murray. Edited by Kristen Nutile, Alex Minnick. Music composed by Giancarlo Vulcano. Elise Jaffe + Jeffrey Brown, Executive Producers. Luis Ortiz, Executive Producer for Latino Public Broadcasting. Cuba's ambitious National Art Schools project, designed by the young artists Ricardo Porro, Vittorio Garatti, and Roberto Gottardi in the wake of Castro's Revolution, is neglected, nearly forgotten, and then ultimately rediscovered as a visionary architectural masterpiece.