Chicago’s very own Don Rossi Nuccio, President and Founder of Latino Art Beat, a national not for profit arts organization now in its 25th anniversary year, was in New York recently attending meetings related to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly. While there he received a special invitation to attend a small gathering of cultural and arts leaders headed by Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canal and narrated by the Head of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, the Hon. Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera. Nuccio was invited to speak to President Diaz-Canal in front of the gathering about Latino Art Beat’s successful continuing outreach to youth in the visual arts in Cuba.

Nuccio had been an invited guest by former President Barrack Obama and was part of a White House delegation to accompany the President on his historic trip to Cuba in 2016. This trip and delegation was coordinated with Obama’s Public Liaison Office. That trip broke the ice with stalled relations between the two sovereign nations and opened the door for various cultural, educational and religious exchanges. Latino Art Beat became part of that forward movement and established collaboration with the Cuban Ministry of Culture and their Casas de cultura in Havana in promoting a better understanding between the youth of the United States and Cuba through their artistic talents.

Latino Art Beat invited several years ago the young student winners of its Cuban art competition themed “Friendship between the Youth of the United States and Cuba” to study advanced summer art courses at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD. Now after the pandemic has subsided Don is returning to Cuba in October to continue with this very important and well received outreach to youth in the arts. Don is continuing with a version of Obama’s well received “People to People” exchanges. Thus, greatly promoting art, talent, Cuban culture, heritage and creating an aura of friendship between the youth of both countries. Diaz-Canal was pleased to hear of this exchange and even mentioned he might attend Latino Art Beats next presentation in Havana.

Don stated that such dialogue as he had with Diaz-Canal in the presence of the various Ministers from Cuba and invited guests is extremely important, especially on a non-political basis, which helps create a passageway to improved relations between the peoples of Cuba and the United States. While Diaz-Canal denounced earlier in the week at the U.N. the 60-year “asphyxiating economic blockade” imposed against his country by the United States, calling it “absolutely unilateral and unjustified”, he greatly supports and encourages cultural outreaches, illuminated by organizations like Latino Art Beat. Latino Art Beat can be reached via email at: latinoartbeat@hotmail.com