Frost Art Museum FIU Honors Dr. Carol Damian with Farewell Reception

More than 100 of Miami's arts and community leaders attended a reception October 21st at the Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU in honor of Dr. Carol Damian's farewell, celebrating her leadership and contributionsas she steps down as director and chief curator at the end of this month.

In keeping with Dr. Damian's passion for art from the Americas, the event also served as the launch of the Frost's new endowment for Latin American and Caribbean art, announced by museum benefactor Tony Ulloa, who established the new endowment with his lead contribution.

The new Latin American & Caribbean Program (LA&C) at Florida International University's Frost Art Museum will create the nation's preeminent university-based resource for Latin American and Caribbean art studies by combining academics, enhanced research and diverse interpretive techniques.

FIU President Dr. Mark. B. Rosenberg and Provost Dr. Kenneth G. Furtonboth presented their accolades for Dr. Damian's farewell and for the new endowment. The event was sponsored by Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust, Bacardi and FIU's Provost Office and Academic Affairs.

Luminaries at the event included Patricia Frost, Rafael Diaz-Balart, Ramon Cernuda, Jose Valdes Fauli, Cookie and Ralph Gazitua, Chris Damian,Jerry Lindzon, Dora Valdes-Fauli and Sergio Cernuda.
Mr. Tony Ulloa, founding donor, has established this endowment in support of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum to further the mission of the museum as a local and global center of knowledge and culture.

A new Director for the museum will be announced in November. Dr. Damian will remain as Professor at FIU's Art + Art History Department, along with her numerous educational, leadership and civic positions as one of the country's most beloved art leaders and visionaries. She joined the Frost six years ago when the celebrated new museum building opened, and is renowned for launching its mission into action.

"Six years ago I had the honor to launch the new Frost Art Museum, an extraordinary building with great potential to become a world-class university museum in one of the most dynamic cities in the world," said Dr. Damian.

"I am proud of the diversity of our exhibits and publications which pays tribute to a global art world and centuries of art history. It has been the opportunity of a lifetime and now it is time to launch another phase and return to my academic profession of research, writing and teaching. As I move across campus back to where I began, I will continue to be a dedicated member of the Frost and my family of staff and students who have made the museum - and my tenure - such a success."

"It is especially fitting that I do this at the same time that we launch our new Latin American and Caribbean Endowment," adds Dr. Damian. "This is the most fitting legacy that a scholar dedicated to this subject for so many years could imagine. I am humbled by the support of so many for these years and for the trust that has been given to me to open a beautiful new building and fill it with Art."

Since opening the new Frost Art Museum building in 2008, Dr. Damian has presented over 100 exhibitions including Modern Masters from the Smithsonian American Art Museum; Ursula von Rydingsvard: Sculpture; Things That Cannot Be Seen Any Other Way: The Art of Manuel Mendive; The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama; Embracing Modernity: Venezuelan Geometric Abstraction and Ivan Navarro: Fluorescent Light Sculptures.

She has contributed to over 40 catalogs, acquired 259 works of art for the permanent collection and raised more than $2.5 million.

The endowment for the new LA&C Program has been established to fund exhibitions, educational programs, publications and activities relating to artists who create artwork anywhere in the world but have family roots in South America, Central America, Mexico or the Caribbean.

Located in the gateway to the Americas, the Frost is enriched by access to the artists, museums, collectors, curators and educational institutions which are shaping the future of Latin American and Caribbean art.
The new LA&C Program is designed to foster and engage Latin American and Caribbean art through scholarship, exhibitions and programs.

This includes:
• Temporary, touring and web-based exhibitions and programs
with historic, established, emerging and experimental artists.
• Ongoing presentations and artist residencies.
• The resources to publish articles and exhibition catalogs.
• Collection growth, documentation, care and preservation of
Latin American and Caribbean art.
Diversity makes Latin American and Caribbean art difficult to define. But one common trait is the distinct presence of cultural heritages and the increasing awareness of how important Latin America is to any global conversation. There is a growing vibrancy, energy and new enthusiasm in Latin American and Caribbean art, as well as a growing awareness of the rich and varied history that it expresses.

Each country in the region has its own historical and cultural experiences. Enriched by South Florida's unique location as a hub for LA&C art, the Frost recognizes this diversity and embraces the fact that many call Miami the capital of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Photo: FIU President Mark B. Rutherford, Vince Damian, Dr. Carol Damian and Chris Daiman