Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey • Edel Rodriguez
July 19 - October 11
When Fidel Castro opened the Mariel harbor to let Cubans sail for America, Edel Rodriguez and his family took their chance. From the town of El Gabriel to the Mariel port to a rickety shrimping boat bound for Florida, they joined the 1980 boatlift, becoming “worms,” as Castro called the departing Cubans.
Years later, Edel Rodriguez has become one of the most prominent political artists of our age, hailed for his iconic work on the cover of Time, Der Spiegel and on jumbotrons around the world. In stunning visual detail, Worm tells his story—of a boyhood in Cold War Cuba, of a family’s courage and displacement, and of coming of age as an artist, activist, and American.
This exhibition brings together a large collection of original drawings from Rodriguez’s graphic memoir “Worm”, along with the source material, artifacts and photographs which inspired the author to write and illustrate his award winning graphic novel memoir. The exhibition also delves into Rodriguez’s political art. On display are the artist’s renowned magazine covers, original paintings, silkscreened posters and short films which tell the story of an immigrant artist fighting for freedom in today’s America.