President Fernández Gives Grants to a Group of Visual Artists

President Fernández Gives Grants to a Group of Visual Artists
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 12/26/2011

Dominican President Leonel Fernández awarded, through a decree, special grants to a group of painters, curators and promoters of the arts in honor of the Day of the Visual Artist.

… “is the only Dominican president that has established, as a rule, to take advantage of dates that commemorate different artistic areas to attend to their needs, bestowing them with special grants, which constitutes one of the biggest achievements in cultural management of our government.”

On announcing the decision, Minister of Culture, José Rafael Lantigua praised “the open disposition the President had for awarding these types of endowments and donations to artists and writers with a long history of service to Dominican culture and, in many cases, facing their economic or health problems.”

Lantigua said that Leonel Fernández “is the only Dominican president that has established, as a rule, to take advantage of dates that commemorate different artistic areas to attend to their needs, bestowing them with special grants, which constitutes one of the biggest achievements in cultural management of our government.”

He recalled that, only a month ago, the President benefitted a group of representative musicians, in honor of the Day of the Musician. Before this, since 2006, grants have been awarded to thespians, dancers, musicians, lyrical singers, writers and cultural representatives, among which he added folklorists, emblematic musicians and artisans, all of which, at the moment, add up to 225 cultural personalities who have been benefitted by these special grants.

By way of Decree number 760-11, President Fernández concedes special grants to painter Elsa Núñez, painters Julio Llort, José Félix Moya, Jorge Severino, Amable Sterling, Rosa Tavárez and José Ramón Rotellini.

Photographers, Domingo Batista, Gonzalo Briones and Juan Pérez Terrero, in addition to painter, historian and critic of the arts Danilo de Santos and curator and promoter of the visual arts, Marcial Frías, were also benefitted by the presidential measure. 

By the same token, Marcial Emilio Schotborg Javalera, Mayra Violeta Ubiera Báez, Lizet Mejía Peña, Isa de Peña Santos de Echavarría y Rafael de Lemos were also given grants.

The same decree also pertains to singer José Manuel López Balaguer, Julio de Windt’s instructor, Emeritus Director of the National Symphonic Orchestra, musician Gerardo Batista Acosta and writer Mateo Morrison, current Vice Minister of Institutional Development of the Ministry of Culture.

The grants amount to between $40,000 to $50,000 Dominican pesos

Elsa Nuñez

Domingo Batista