CAMAGÜEY.- The Sociocultural Project eJo turns 19 today. They arrive to this age in dismay for the recent loss of one of its pillars, Julio Enrique Hernández Figueredo, but in the middle of pain they find the courage to move on in this city.
“It is hard not to notice the absence. Together we wrote the project, we discussed it and we found it with the satisfaction of coming through the front door, because the person who came to inaugurate the project was the commander Juan Almeida Bosque”, tells Omar González Catá.
The audience and the community gave them sleepless nights, because of the apathy and fluctuation of the spectators. This concern is what drives them to never seat back, affirms Indira Martínez Rodríguez, program specialist.
The first headquarter was La Casona in front of the Principal Theater, and then they moved to 277, Ignacio Agramonte Street. From there they model the visible ways of the permanent homage. “We aimed at making a cultural project, with thought, where everything had a reason, and we will keep it that way”, emphasized Omar, director of eJo.
Julio Hernández passed away the last August 25. Although he studied laws, he devoted himself to crafting. In fact, he was a founder of the Cuban Association of Artists Artisans and talked a lot about the relationship of crafts and legality.
His works can be found in institutions, museums and private collections in Cuba, Santiago de Chile, Spain, Great Britain, Mexico, Venezuela, the United States, Martinique, Netherlands, Canada, Italy, Puerto Rico and other countries.
His stamp was also set in designs and settings of the Municipal Government in Camagüey, the cafeteria Las Ruinas, in accessories and props for Medea and Grand Pas de Quatre Yoruba, two choreographies by Alberto Alonso for the Camagüey Ballet.
Julito, as he was popularly called, deserved the Distinction Espejo de Paciencia, the Medal Raúl Gómez García, and several awards as cultural manager, such as the one of the Editorial Gente Nueva for the success of the children’s ward in the Book Fair.
In Project eJo he taught the workshops of papier maché, healthy life habits, Tai Chi and rehabilitation of mentally disabled people. He created the Days of Erotic Art and co founded the biennials Small Format and Oral Narration, among other spaces.
It was an unanimous decision to name the National Biennial of Small Format Visual Arts, Julio Hernández in Memorian, to meet the expectations of the 9th edition, set for December 4 to 7.
The creators, professional or not, may contest with a maximum of three two-dimensional works with an open theme, with a minimum of 4 inches in the smallest side and a maximum of 10 inches in the largest side. The entry deadline is November 22,
As for the options of Project eJo, Indira confirmed that it opens on Sundays with the rhythms of the Golden Decade of Music, it offers on Saturday a visual arts workshop, it will retake the papier maché and origami workshops, it will dedicate October to the Days for the Cuban Culture, and will retake in November the oral narration lessons.
Translated by Elianna Díaz Mendieta