Rafael Garcia is our Featured Artist for our 4th Friday Event, September 25th. The art reception will be at Out of the Box, 48th and R Street between 5:00 and 9:00 p.m. Rafael’s work has been displayed in Chicago, Albuquerque and Chihuahua, Mexico. He is well known for his artistic altars, paintings and sculpture. Rafael has this to say about himself and his art.
I attribute all my skills, my talents and my life to our almighty God. My art reflects both my Mexican-American background and my Catholic upbringing. I am concerned about life issues that Latinos or Mexican-Americans face throughout their lives. They can be good, bad, historical or cultural.
The tools I use in portraying my thoughts are distorted mural-like figures that become symbolic metaphors in a cultural setting. It is my belief that art has the power to heal and to project itself as a shaman of my psyche.
In California, I was a celebrated painter and altar maker in the genre of the Dia de los Muertos. I taught both junior high and high school art for 33 years. I received my Bachelors Degree in Art Education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Later I received a Master’s Degree in Painting from California State University in San Bernardino, California. I now reside in Lincoln where I was born.
Featured Music, Ephemeral Gift
While enjoying the art of Rafael Garcia and the many other talented area artists on display at Out of the Box, art lovers can enjoy the background music of Ephemeral Gift, a new hammered dulcimer, flute and percussion duo that will be playing between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. Candy Popek and Lois Rood will be playing charming instrumental melodies primarily from the British Isles composed from the 1400s through the 1700s with many tunes written for harp by Irish composer, Turlough O’Carolan.
When Lois Rood bought a hammered dulcimer at CGS music nearly three years ago, CGS store owner, Bob Popek suggested that Lois give his wife, Candy, a call since she had just purchased one as well. Neither had any previous experience with the hammered dulcimer. The duo started working together teaching themselves out of books. They built a repertoire of music they loved. Candy had taken some piano lessons as a child and then took up the drums and vibes when her own children were growing up, but playing music as an adult was just a dream. Now the two of them are ready to share their love of the hammered dulcimer in performance and are also starting a Hammered Dulcimer Club which will meet once a month at CGS music beginning in October. Anyone interested can call CGS music for more information.