Charlotte, NC artist, activist, and community leader Rosalia Torres-Weiner will be visiting the Outer Banks for the Red Calaca Residency with Dare Arts August 2-27.
The residency will comprise an exhibition in the Vault Gallery, four unique workshops for various demographics and a Collaborative Community Installation in The Courtyard.
“My art promotes dialogue around social justice issues and community concerns, and brings together a diverse citizenry through community-based, grassroots collaboration,” said artist Rosalia Torres-Weiner. “This residency is a unique opportunity for me to bring all of those things to the communities of the Outer Banks. I love to take the history, vision and character of a community and represent it with my art. I strongly believe in the transformational power of public art and in the use of art as a connector of communities. Over the past 25 years, North Carolina has become my home, and I am so excited for the opportunity to bring my art to the Outer Banks.”
Rosalia’s exhibition Outside! Exploring Color, Patterns and Beauty in Nature will open in Dare Arts’ Vault Gallery on Friday, August 5 during Manteo’s First Friday festivities. The opening reception will be held from 6pm to 8pm, and visitors can meet Rosalia and view her work. The exhibit will remain on display through Saturday, August 27.
“Nature has long been a theme in my work, and you will find organic patterns, vibrant colors and natural subjects recurring in my canvases and murals,” said Torres-Weiner.
Workshops for kids, families, teens, and adults of all ages will be led by Rosalia during the residency. Rosalia combines her creative process with community engagement through workshops to raise awareness about issues that are affecting immigrant communities.
On Thursday, August 4 from 6pm to 8pm there will be an Identity Mask Workshop, where adults and kids aged 12+ can create mixed media and collage masks that feature important aspects of their personal identity.
A Digital Art Workshop for adults aged 50+ will be led by Rosalia on Wednesday, August 10 from 10am to 12pm. Participants will expand their knowledge of utilizing digital media on iPads to draw and print digital self-portraits.
There will be a Puppetry Workshop in the Courtroom Gallery on Friday, August 12 from 10am to 12pm, which will include a special screening of The Magic Kite film. Kids aged 7-17 will be led through the process of making a shoebox theater and paper puppets.
A $20 fee covers instruction and all supplies for each workshop, and pre-registration is required online here. Scholarships are available for all of the workshops. For more information about a scholarship, please email Dare Arts Executive Director Jessica Sands at DareArtsInfo@gmail.com.
On Thursday, August 11 from 10am to 12pm Rosalia will host Arte Callejero (Street Art) outside under the oak trees at Dare County Family Recreation Park in Kill Devil Hills. Participants will be working together to create a chalk art mural. The event is free and open to everyone, but pre-registration is required online here to get a headcount for supplies.
“We are thrilled to welcome Rosalia to the Outer Banks,” said Dare Arts Executive Director Jessica Sands. “The Red Calaca Residency is important to our community because bringing in artists from outside of our area broadens minds. Rosalia represents the Latina and immigrant communities and we want to foster connections with our hispanic neighbors and be more inclusive in our programming to support and encourage art for all. I am especially excited to see Rosalia work with members of our community on the Collaborative Community Installation in The Courtyard.”
Anyone who is interested in collaborating with Rosalia on the Collaborative Community Installation in The Courtyard should contact Dare Arts Executive Director Jessica Sands at DareArtsInfo@gmail.com or (252) 473-5558.
The residency will conclude with a grand opening of a Collaborative Community Installation in The Courtyard on Saturday, August 13 at 10am. Everyone is invited to come out and meet Rosalia along with the Outer Banks artists she will collaborate with on this special project. This event will include a free public presentation and a Q&A with Rosalia.
This residency is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and Dare Arts.
This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
Thank you to TowneBank for supporting this residency.
For more information about Rosalia, please visit RedCalacaStudio.com and for more information about Dare Arts, please call (252) 473-5558.
Dare Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization dedicated to encouraging the arts in Dare County through advocacy, enrichment and opportunity.