Opened on January 31, 2014

Reception with the artists: Friday, January 31, 5:30 – 8PM

Artist talk 6:30PM/ Musical performance by Daniel de Jesús at 7:30PM

The exhibition A Contemporary Madonna Counterpoint: Mexico & Puerto Rico, brings together two artists who use sacred female images from Latin America in their work.

Tlisza Jaurique blends topography, sculpture, painting, and dimension in a conceptual challenge to perceptions and understanding. Her work reflects, both literally and figuratively, the changes and continuations in ancestral and contemporary culture through the use of glitter and mirrors. Jaurique was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She has a bachelor of arts in philosophy with minors in studio art and spanish literature from Vassar College. She earned a master’s in art education from ASU and continued with her doctoral studies in education. In 2008, Jaurique became the first woman of Mexican American descent to exhibit in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She has also had exhibitions at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Latino Cultural Center at Yale University, and other institutions. She has been exhibiting, installing, and performing since 1993 and currently lives in Connecticut.

More information on Jaurique can be found on her blog here.

The evolving icon of the Madonna inspires musician and artist Daniel de Jesús. Fusing Puerto Rican colonial art influences with decorative painting and haute couture, his reinterpretations of the Madonna image represent the beginning of an ongoing journey. De Jesús holds a bachelor’s degree in illustration from the University of the Arts. For the last seven years he has been in several solo and group exhibitions, including the annual Dialogo 365 survey show in Philadelphia . He also has a history at Taller Puertorriqueño, where he spent five years dedicating himself to the local community through the arts. De Jesús is also an accomplished cellist who performs in both orchestras and rock bands in Philadelphia and around the world. His current band is TivaTiva, and he is second chair cellist in the rock ensemble Rasputina.

More information on de Jesús is on his website here.

Press release for the exhibition is here.