Tropical Path (Part 2): The Life and Work of Antonia Eiríz
Citation
Hills de Zárate, M. (2010) Tropical Path (Part 2): The Life and Work of Antonia Eiríz. ATOL: Art Therapy Online, 1 (2), pp. 1-29.
Abstract
The second part of this extended paper traces the life and work of the Cuban artist Antonia
Eiríz Vásquez from 1968 (when she stopped painting) to 1993; when she left Cuba for
Miami where she died in 1995. Drawing upon archival materials and interviews, her
involvement with Arte popular and specifically one aspect of it, papier mache, is described.
Her activity in this area is contextualized with reference to the political and economic
climate of the period and with reference to the support and recognition this work received from the Cuban establishment.
It is proposed that her involvement with Arte popular does not represent a complete break
with her previous artistic, social and political concerns but rather provided a different route
for their expression. As such, it is suggested that her innovative work in establishing Arte
popular constitutes an example of cultural democracy which in turn provided the backdrop
to the development of art therapy practices in Cuba and that this by implication positions
her as a 'forerunner' of Cuban art therapy. The term 'forerunner' is used here as it is
employed Ben-David and Collins (1966) and latterly by Waller, (1991) and Gilroy (2006) to
describe how a profession develops from the interests of a few people, the 'forerunners',
who pave the way for a 'new idea' to emerge. This 'new idea' or path is developed by
others who establish an 'interest group' and so 'found' a discipline; the 'founders' then
teach the 'followers'.