Jorge Rivas Rodríguez

Journalist, collector and critic of Cuban art. Head of the cultural section of the newspaper Trabajadores, artistic director of the Centro Cultural Palacio de los Torcedores and artistic advisor to the Grupo de Teatro Cimarrón.

Works in the cultural section of the weekly newspaper Trabajadores. In 2015 he created the community cultural project Palacio de los Torcedores, at the Centro Cultural Palacio de los Torcedores (San Miguel y Márquez González, Centro Habana), an institution where he is also artistic director, curator, radio host, journalist, promoter and scriptwriter, among other roles. There he has curated and organized more than 20 painting and photography exhibitions between 2015 and 2019.

Founded in 1996 the Regino Pedroso National Poetry Contest, of which he is the general coordinator.

He holds the Distinction for National Culture and the Gitana Tropical Distinction. He is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac) and the Union of Journalists of Cuba (Upec); and is also part of the Grupo Ala Décima.

In 1971 he entered the Escuela Poligráfica Alfredo López in Guanabacoa, Havana, where he graduated as a Graphic Designer in 1974. Once graduated in the DESIGN specialty, he began working in the Department of Revolutionary Orientation (DOR) of the PCC, Design Workshop and Billboards, of the Provincial Party Committee in Camagüey. There he founded the Press and Book Union where he was elected general secretary.

In 1976 he created the Provincial Design Workshop of the Central of Workers of Cuba (CTC) in Camagüey. Both in the DOR of the PCC and in the CTC he obtained different national awards in Design, including the July 26 and the Décima Mural awards.

In 1975 he entered the University of Oriente in the Degree program in Journalism. Upon completing these studies, he began working at Radio Habana Cuba. At the beginning of the following year, 1981, he started his work as a journalist at the newspaper Trabajadores, where he currently heads the Cultural Section, a position he has held since 1985.

In 1984 and 1985 he traveled to Nicaragua, the first time as a journalist and the second time as a war correspondent, visiting conflict zones on the borders with Honduras.

In the early 1990s he received the Félix Elmusa Medal, the 20th Anniversary Diploma from the National Union of Culture Workers (SNTC) and the Raúl Gómez García Medals and the UJC Medal.

He received the Seal of Laureate from the SNTC. He has also received several diplomas and recognitions from the Ministry of Culture, the SNTC, UPEC and CTC for his outstanding work in cultural journalism.

In 1995, following the disasters caused by Hurricane Lili in several bateyes in the municipality of Majagua, province of Ciego de Ávila, he traveled to that area with the National Opera of Cuba. Impressed by the poverty, high levels of alcoholism, learning problems among some children in rural schools, and the non-existent cultural options in those places, in 1996 he created the Community Cultural Project La Majagua there, which he directed until 2006, when trips to those areas became impossible due to lack of resources.

In the bateyes of Las Trozas, Derramadero and Limones Palmero, he established theater, dance, visual arts and literature groups among children, young people and adult farmers. This project served about four thousand people and to it he brought theater groups, such as Cimarrón, directed by Alberto Curbelo, dance groups, such as the Ballet Español de Cuba, directed by Eduardo Veitía, and various singers, clowns, writers and other creators of different forms who in most cases lived alongside the farmers.

For his outstanding work in this field he received the Certificate of Outstanding Cultural Promoter at the national level, which was presented to him on Art Instructor Day in 2000, and in 2003 the Government of Majagua declared him ADOPTED SON of that municipality.

He won the July 26 journalism prize on several occasions between 1990 and 1999.


Regino Pedroso National Poetry Contest
In 1995 he founded, on the occasion of the centennial of the birth of the renowned poet Regino Pedroso, the National Contest that bears his name, which has been maintained as the one with the highest national participation, since it competes with bards belonging to all spheres of society and the economy, services, defense and students. The Regino Pedroso is convened to celebrate Cuban Culture Day.

This Project, like that of Majagua, are the first and only ones of their kind undertaken by a press body in Cuba.

In 2000, he voluntarily mobilized as a visual arts teacher at the Romualdo de la Cuesta secondary school in Cerro. During this period he also obtained other recognitions, including the Juan Marinello award.

He has been a juror at important national theater and visual arts events for several years, including the National Theater Festival of Camagüey, the International Monologue Festival in Havana, and in competitions and visual arts salons, such as the provincial visual arts salons of Camagüey, Artemisa and Matanzas, as well as the May First festivals, of the CTC, and of the Domingo Ravenet gallery, in addition to those of artistic crafts in Ciego de Ávila, Matanzas, Cárdenas, and other provinces.

He has curated nearly 60 personal and collective exhibitions and has written essays for catalogs of countless personal exhibitions by prominent plastic artists. He has organized and curated several exhibitions collateral to the Havana Biennial.

He served on the Values Commission of the Ministry of Culture.

He belongs to the Association of Scenic Artists of Uneac, in its Criticism section.

In 2012, as recognition for his work as a critic in the creation of the Book-catalog Mario Carreño 1936-1957 by Jesús Fernández Torna, he was invited by the Fernández-Torna gallery in Miami to give several lectures there on the life and work of the great Cuban master, as well as to curate a collective exhibition of avant-garde Cuban art.

In 2013 he traveled to Germany and Spain with a delegation of scenic artists from Uneac. He also brought an exhibition of contemporary Cuban art that he presented in several cities in both countries.

In 2007 Editorial Letras Cubanas in its Theatrical Repertory Collection published as an extensive Prologue his essay on the work of Héctor Quintero in the book entitled (two volumes) Selected Theater and Other Texts by Héctor Quintero, presented at the Havana Book Fair.

In 2010 he participated with a small role in the film Amor crónico by Jorge Perugorría and starring Cuban-American singer Cucu Diamantes. He also participated in Fernando Pérez's film Insumisa.

Between 2011 and 2017 he taught in different provinces and through the ACAA, several postgraduate courses on Cuban art, artistic crafts and art appreciation.

He has held several personal exhibitions with his private collection of contemporary Cuban art in various galleries in the capital.

In 2015 he organized a national artistic photography contest on labor themes with the support of the Fototeca de Cuba, the magazine ArteCubano, the CTC and the newspaper Trabajadores.

Since 2016 he has worked as artistic and press advisor to plastic artist creator Erik Varela and his cultural project Enmarcarte.

Currently he has two books on Cuban art in publishing houses based on a selection of his texts published in various national newspapers and magazines.

In 2017 he received the Certificate of Recognition For a Lifetime of Work from the SNTC.

At the request of the management of the Escuela Pedagógica Fulgencio Oroz, he teaches the subjects Artistic Teaching and Art Appreciation at that center, respectively.

Between 1986 and 2001 he was president of the Upec Delegation at the newspaper Trabajadores, a position he assumed again in 2018.

He established in 2015 the already traditional show Fiesta en Cayo Hueso, organized on the occasion of January 28, anniversary of the birth of José Martí and of the CTC, at the Centro Cultural Palacio de los Torcedores, with the participation of prominent figures in national music, dance and theater. In that same institution, since that same year, he holds children's shows on August 13, the birthday of Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz.

He founded and directs the National Festival of Danzón Dances Lindas Cubanas which he organizes every year on International Women's Day.

He collaborates with several Cuban cultural and journalistic publications, as well as from the United States and Spain.

Publications
He has published countless articles, commentaries and interviews in national newspapers and magazines, as well as from the United States and Spain. Currently two Cuban publishing houses have the same number of books on Cuban art authored by him.

Awards and Recognitions
Distinction for National Culture
Gitana Tropical Distinction
Distinction granted by the CTC in recognition of the dedication and enthusiasm with which he has promoted the creation and enjoyment of art among workers
80th Anniversary Seal of the CTC
Adopted Son of the Municipality of Majagua in Ciego de Ávila
Diploma for a Lifetime of Work, 2017
Félix Elmusa Medal
Raúl Gómez García Distinction
UJC Medal
Seal of Laureate of the SNTC
Outstanding Cultural Promoter, 2000
National Prize for Cultural Journalism José Antonio Fernández de Castro 2022, for a lifetime of work