Yocona International Folk Festival Features Cuban Art at The Edison

The April Art Crawl on Tuesday, April 23—hosted by the Yocona International Folk Festival and Yoknapatawpha Arts Council—is featuring several local businesses that turn their offices into art galleries in support of local art and artists.

The Cuban Art Show, opening Thursday, April 18 at The Edison on University Ave., will feature Milly West’s collection of Cuban paintings and photos, some from her trips 20 years ago and some collected just a few months ago. The show will be a featured stop during the Art Crawl April 23.

Lindsey Baquie, Shelby Bickes, and Milly West getting ready for the opening of the Cuban Art Show at The Edison. Photo provided.

“Cuba is a country of artists,” West said. “I’m extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to be enriched by their stories, their kindness, and their creativity. And I am so happy I live in a town like Oxford where art is intertwined with our culture.”

West said her art shows help support the working artists in Cuba who have difficulty getting supplies.

Along the Double Decker bus route that evening will be art exhibits at Southside Gallery, Uptown Coffee, The Frame UP, The University Museum of Art, and the Ole Miss Art Department, in addition to the aforementioned special showing of Cuban paintings and photographs at The Edison.

The Edison is a co-working meeting and office space next door to the Powerhouse on University Ave. Owners Lindsey and Phil Baquie had a vision for an entrepreneurial space and transformed a large building on University Ave. into a welcoming space for all kinds of events. 

Photographer Milly West, who has been traveling to Cuba for over 22 years, is having a sale of some of her personal collection as well as work by many of her friends in Cuba.

Milly West’s photos hanging next to works by Roberto and Osvaldo Salas. Photo provided.

“Some of my photos by the well-known Revolutionary photographers and paintings by well-known artists will be in the show and for sale at the Edison beginning Thursday, April 18. I will be there that evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to welcome any art lovers who want to drop by for a preview,” she said.

The Cuban Art Show will remain at The Edison through May 18.

Yocona International Folk Festival (YIFF) is a grassroots effort that invites the community to take a step back and appreciate the cultural diversity and variety of international influences that comprise the town of Oxford, Mississippi. Under the umbrella of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council (YAC), the festival seeks to provide members of the community with the platform to teach workshops, tell stories, and explore and share rich cultural heritage.

For more information on the Cuban Art Show, contact Milly West at 662-380-6875 or Shelby Bickes at 662-523-2055.

Press release courtesy of Shelby Bickes