Xavier Cortada and Governor Jeb Bush at the unveiling of “The Journey” and the “Florida Mangrove,” commissioned by the Division of Cultural Affairs for exhibit in the Florida Capitol as part of the Governor’s 2003 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
Engaged Projects
- “American Cancer Society’s Families ROCK Weekend” – Using art as a therapeutic medium for children with cancer and their siblings (created with the participants of the Florida Chapter of the American Cancer Society’s Families ROCK Weekend, Orlando, FL).
- “WAIST-ED” – Process based art (inaugurated at Turning Pages: Celebrating South Florida Artist-Made Books at the Centre Gallery in Miami-Dade College’s Wolfson Campus during the Miami Book Fair, Miami, FL)
- “Voice Project” – Capturing the voices of youth from Jackson Memorial Hospital’s SIPP, a residential psychiatric treatment program (commissioned by the University of Miami School of Law Children and Youth Law Clinic funded through a community grant from the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs, Miami, FL).
- “Dreaming of a World Free of Poverty” – Collaborative message mural (created with staff from the World Bank, Washington, D.C.)
Public Art Commissions
- “Dreaming of a World Free of Poverty,” The World Bank, Washington, D.C.
- “The Journey” and “Florida Mangrove,” Museum of Natural History, Department of State, Tallahassee, FL
- “Discover Biscayne Bay,” commissioned by the South Florida Water Management District and Citizens for a Better South Florida, Miami Children’s Museum, Miami, FL
Group Exhibitions
- 2003 Turning Pages: Celebrating South Florida Artist-Made Books, Centre Gallery Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus, Miami, FL
Artworks
- American Cancer Society’s ROCK Weekend 2003
- Arbol
- Artists Speak Out
- Discover Biscayne Bay
- Florida Mangrove
- Furla
- Justice
- Minority Health Watch
- Our Community Mural
- Pots with red background
- Promotora de la Salud
- Salud
- The History of Disabilities
- The Journey
- The World Bank Mural: Dreaming of a World Free of Poverty
- United We Stand
- Untitled
- Untitled (Fruits)
- Untitled (Music)
- Verb Campaign
- Voice Project
- WAIST-ED
- West Grove Positive Partnership Mural
Events, Lectures, Installations and Presentations
- Artwork by Hispanic Artists, a group show curated by Lucy Keshavarz for the Rotating Art Exhibition Program at the Aventura Government Center (19200 W. Country Club Drive, Aventura, FL).
December 20th, 2002 – January 29, 2003 - Xavier Cortada was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s VERB.™ It’s what you do. campaign is PAINTING Miami with a large-scale mural. The mural will highlight Miami’s local flavor by depicting its beautiful sunny weather, numerous ocean activities and popular bike trails. In addition, it will portray Miami area youth sharing and performing multiple VERBs, while conveying a message of the importance of finding one’s own VERB.
- Cortada to present mural at the CityCares National Conference in the Miami Beach Convention Center.
February 27, 2003 - Xavier Cortada will be the featured artist during the Furla Celebrity Artists’ Event in the Furla Store inside the Village of Merrick Park in the city of Coral Gables, FL
March 6, 2003 @ 7:00 p.m. - Xavier Cortada joined Robin Diaz, Lisa Ramirez and other Positive Partnership mentors in creating a mural with youth from the West Grove. Click here to see the mural.
April 12, 2003 - Earth Day Mural: Citizens for a Better South Florida and the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs present the unveiling of the “Earth Day 2003” mural at Citrus Grove Elementary School in Miami, Florida. The piece is the creation of the students and the artist after their explorations of the Florida Everglades, Key Biscayne, Virginia Beach, and the Miami River.
April 22, 2003 - Cortada will travel to Washington D.C. to begin work on a mural to become part of the World Bank’s permanent collection. The commissioned piece, “The World Bank Mural: Dreaming of a World Free of Poverty,” is to measure 15 ft. by 6 ft. and is to hang in the lobby of the World Bank.
April 24, 2003 - Xavier Cortada will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for the Florida’s Children First Awards ceremony at the Miami City Club (Wachovia Financial Center, 55th Floor). Honorees include: Hon. Bennett Brummer, Greenberg Traurig (Cesar Alvarez), Hon. Carrie Meek, Carol Marbin Miller, Sister Jeanne O’ Lauglin, and the Children’s Trust (David Lawrence, Jr.). For more information, please call 1-407-275-3802.
May 14, 2003 @ 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. - VERB MURALS — Cortada will install a series of art pieces in Guy Mason Park in Washington, DC to help promote the VERB Campaign. The Miami artist was commissioned to create 8 woodouts and a 20 foot mural by the Centers for Disease Control.
May 2003 - Cortada will travel to Chicago, Illinois to deliver a Keynote address at the Regional Hispanic/Latino Health and Human Services Conference: “Celebrating our Past and Building our Future: Best Practices in Addressing Hispanic/Latino Issues.” During the address Cortada will unveil a painting commissioned by the Conference and will then be signing posters of the painting for attendees.
June 4 – 6, 2003 - Cortada will unveil his EarthDay 2003 mural at Citizens for a Better South Florida’s headquarters (3191 SW 21st Street) in Miami at five in the afternoon. For more information please call 305-648-0000.
June 8th, 2003 - Voces por la Libertad/Voices for Freedom: An evening of Solidarity with Cuba’s Political Prisoners in The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, FL.
June 20, 2003 @ 6:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. - Coexistence Miami — Watch artist Xavier Cortada at work composing a mural to capture the panel discussion and audience response during the NCCJ Leadership Seminar: From Coexistence to Community at MDCC in Miami, FL.
July 1, 2003 - University of Miami School of Law Children and Youth Law Clinic Voice Project 2003 Mural — Xavier Cortada and youth at the Jackson Memorial Hospital SIPP program created this collaborative art piece. This mural project was funded through a community grant from the Miami-Dade Department of Cultural Affairs.
July 2003 - Xavier Cortada will join City of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and his wife, Robin Smith Diaz, in the unveiling of The West Grove mural created collaboratively with other mentors of the Positive Partnership programs, the children they mentor, and the children’s families.
August 19, 2003 - Cortada will travel to San Francisco, CA to deliver a Keynote address at the National Community Health Workers/Promotores Conference and unveil a poster which he was commissioned to create for the conference.
August 20-24, 2003 - Creation of collaborative mural with participants for the American Cancer Society’s Families ROCK (Reaching Out to Cancer Kids) Weekend in Orlando, Florida.
August 29-31, 2003 - Miami artist Xavier Cortada will lead the attendees of the Vision of Dade County Forum and Conference celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Community Relations Board in the creation of a collaborative mural about “Our Community“, Miami, FL.
September 5, 2003 - Join us for the unveiling of Drug-Free Youth in Town “United We Stand” mural created by Homestead and Florida City youth at Prime Outlet Mall.
September 13, 2003 - To commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month, the Honorable Jeb Bush, Governor, and the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs present the exhibit two murals by Miami artist Xavier Cortada at the Florida Capitol. The Governor will unveil the murals in the Plaza of the Florida Capitol.
September 25, 2003 - Cortada will travel to Kearny, Nebraska to deliver a Keynote address at the Nebraska Minority Health Conference and unveil a painting and poster which he was commissioned to create for the conference.
September 29 – October 1, 2003 - East Little Havana Community Development Corporation presents: Recent Works by Xavier Cortada and Private Collection of Dominican Artists on display at Casa Grande Cultural Center. Miami, FL.
October 8, 2003 @ 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. - Art-Bridge, a collaborative mural project with students schools in Miami’s Overtown and Little Havana neighborhoods. The project is presented by NCCJ and sponsored by MET LIFE. Miami, FL
October 2003 - Coexistence Workshop: Xavier Cortada will facilitate the day-long for 40 art teachers from Miami-Dade County Public Schools at the Miami Children’s Museum.
October 24, 2003 - Turning Pages: Celebrating South Florida Artist-Made Books. group show at the Centre Gallery Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2nd Avenue Miami, FL.
October 30, 2003 – December 19, 2003 - Artists Speak Out: Xavier Cortada will be a panelist and create a collaborative mural during a Community Leadership Seminar organized by NCCJ at Miami-Dade College. The workshop is part of the Coexistence Miami project.
November 4, 2003 @ 10:00 am - Xavier Cortada will serve as the official conference artist for the National Society of Hispanic MBA’s 14th Annual Conference and Career Expo in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
November 6 – 8, 2003 - Unveiling of the History of Disabilities Mural during the VSA arts for Florida Annual Conference at Parrot Jungle Island Rooftop Lounge. The mural is commissioned by the University of Miami Mailman Center for Child Development as part of their History|Disability|Art project.
November 7, 2003 - Xavier Cortada will travel to Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri to unveil and dedicate his Hispanic Culture painting.
November 21, 2003 - Art Basel “installation”: Bisazza Glass Mosaic Mural of Xavier Cortada’s Kikiriki painting to face MacArthur Causeway. Mosaic to be installed at Parrot Jungle Island, Miami, FL during Art Basel 2003.
December 2, 2003 @ 11:00 a.m. - 4 Cortadas: an exhibit of art works by Eddy Aquiles, Carlos, Pablo and Xavier Cortada at Casa Grande Cultural Center, Miami, FL
December 11, 2003 @ 6:00 – 8:00 p.m
Press
- Florida’s Hispanic Heritage: Five Centuries of History, Culture and Prosperity
Office of the Governor
Hispanic Leaders List
2003 - Artist Advocacy: Miami artists’s canvas support social change
Latin Business Magazine
Summer/Fall 2003 - Critc’s Pick
By Elisa Turner
The Miami Herald
November 14, 2003 - Spellbound: Local artists make art of books, or book of art
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
New Times
November 13, 2004 - Florida Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Florida Arts and History Magazine
October 2003 - Diversity Mural helps unite Grovites
By David Pines
Biscayne Bay Community Newspapers
September 2, 2003 - Seeing the Big Picture
The Miami Herald
August 31, 2003 - Art for the Blind/Visually Impaired Begins 3rd Year; Acclaimed “FEEL THE ART” Initiative Extends Past Success
PR Newswire
March 14, 2003 - Hispanic artists being featured
The Miami Herald
January 16, 2003 - On Difference
American Medical Association
December, 2003
Press Releases