Davidoff Cigars, the premium cigar brand, recently announced a cultural patronage and collaboration with the Altos de Chavon School of Art and Design.
The Davidoff Art Residency is part of the Davidoff Art Initiative, which supports contemporary art and artists in the Caribbean, strengthens art organizations in the Dominican Republic, shares knowledge and expertise about contemporary art, and fosters cultural engagement between the Caribbean and the rest of the world.
“We believe that this is an important partnership for not only our program, but that it also marks the long awaited recognition, on a global scale, of the significance of Dominican, Caribbean, and Latin American art and artists.
It is a welcome acknowledgement of the Altos de Chavón’s school’s dedication to the fields of art, culture, and education for over 30 years.”
— Dominique Bluhdorn, President of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation
The Davidoff Art Residency program will be launched in the Dominican Republic right here at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design in January 2015. The program will launch with the participation of 5 international artists, whose names will be announced in June 2014, and who will spend 10 weeks in Altos de Chavón.
“After a yearlong search, the Davidoff Residency has found an ideal home in Altos de Chavón,” said András Szántó, Chief Consultant to the Davidoff Art Initiative, who helped to develop the partnership between Davidoff and the school. “The combination of the school’s history and academic resources, its unique standing as the alma mater of many of the most recognized artists and designers of the Dominican Republic, along with its breathtaking location, represents a source of tremendous creative opportunity and inspiration for future visiting artists.”
During their time at the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design, the artists will be given a unique opportunity to develop their creative practice, share and exchange knowledge with local students, and undertake research trips within the Dominican Republic.
An example of the artwork produced at the Altos de Chavón School
Going forward, annual groups of five international artists are expected to take up residence at Altos de Chavón through a long-term collaboration between Davidoff and the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design.
“Our research with experts on Caribbean art, both within and outside the Dominican Republic, have confirmed the Altos de Chavón School of Design’s unique standing as the preeminent Dominican art school.
Its facilities, its history, and its community of students and art professionals make it a very fitting anchor for our initiative.
— Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard, President and CEO of Oettinger Davidoff Group
Ahead of January 2015, the Davidoff Art Residency will begin with 2 Dominican artists; Monica Ferreras De la Maza and Jorge Pineda, who will be taking up residence at the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP), New York, in September 2013 and at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin, in April2014, respectively.
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